Taylor, Rinaldi win Press Club awards for Village News work

SAN DIEGO – Freelance media professionals Nathalie Taylor and Christine Rinaldi were honored with awards at the 2010 San Diego Press Club awards banquet held October 19 at Balboa Park’s Hall of Champions.

Taylor took a first and a third place award for stories published July 2 and 9, 2010 in the Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News, bringing her up to a total of 25 journalism awards since 2004.

Rinaldi was honored with a second place award in photography (newspapers and magazines) for her photo essay entitled “Dog Lovers Bring Tails to the Trails,” published March 11, 2010. This was Rinaldi’s first professional award for newspaper work.

Taylor’s first place win was in the Review/Other category for her story, “Plastic Bag Sandals and a SPAM Can Purse?” For this story she covered the Recycled Wearable Art contest at the San Diego County Fair. Taylor went behind the scenes as a contestant—creating a purse out of various recycled materials, including a SPAM can and soda can pop-tabs. She won a first-place blue ribbon in the contest and wrote her story from the perspective of a winning contestant.

In Taylor’s story about the competition, she wrote, “If the contests are the heart of the fair, then the judges are surely the pacemakers. These people, who are chosen for their expertise in various fields, do it out of love and end up searching for the perfect parking space just like the rest of us.”

Rinaldi’s photo essay that garnered a second place award captured the fun and enthusiasm of an annual Fallbrook event, Tails and Trails, presented each year by the Friends of Los Jilgueros Preserve, a committee of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy. The event is held to celebrate “man’s best friend” for a worthy cause and features numerous contests and education opportunities.

Rinaldi, who has photographed a wide range of subject matter for the Village News, has a special interest in pet photography and was pleased to receive her first award in the newspaper industry.

“It was really nice because the San Diego Press Club considers the entire layout [of multiple photos] as one body of work, so they are judged together in support of each other.”

Taylor’s third place award was in the Review/Restaurant category for her story, “Yama – Japanese Cuisine with a Fresh Flair.” Known for making cuisine come to life as a result of the written word, Taylor’s descriptions remain exceptional, as noted in this excerpt from her story, “A good sushi chef knows how to create works of culinary art that are created in a flash, then eaten in a flash. Don’t look away or you’ll miss the show.”

Taylor, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, worked as a writer and photographer for the Temecula Valley News and Fallbrook Village News from 2003 to 2009. During this time she was also Features Editor for the Fallbrook Village News and 2005 Fallbrook Sourcebook Editor. She now works in public relations for Krona Publications and continues to be a freelance writer for Village Lifestyle Magazine.

Rinaldi earned a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of San Francisco in Information Systems Management after which she specialized in computer and data security, electronic voting systems, and healthcare computer systems. With a 30-year passion for photography, she has taken numerous classes in the art. Currently, Rinaldi works as a freelance photographer for the Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News and Village Lifestyle magazine.

In addition, Rinaldi’s Fallbrook lifestyle includes running a breeding program of Labrador Retrievers focusing on service. Rinaldi’s puppies go to organizations including Guide Dogs of America, Tender Loving Canines, Canine Angels, and National Search & Rescue.