Taylor, Rinaldi honored with Press Club awards

Two Village News affiliates were honored with multiple awards at the San Diego Press Club’s 41st annual Excellence in Journalism Awards Banquet held Oct. 28 at Jacobs Center Market Creek.

Continuing her tradition of writing excellence, Nathalie Taylor took home one first place and three second place awards, bringing her award count total to 46 since 2004. Three of the articles were published in the Village News and one was a 2014 Sourcebook magazine article, published by Village News Inc. Taylor also took the photographs that accompanied the articles.

Award-winning photographer Christine Rinaldi was presented with two first place and one third place honors. She received first place in both the Photo Essay and (Still) Sports Photography categories. She also took third place in the (Still) Sports Photography sector. All of Rinaldi’s honors were for photographs published in the Village News.

Nathalie Taylor

In the Travel category, Taylor took a first for “The Cusp of Summer – A Scandinavian Sojourn,” published in the Village News, Aug. 29, 2013. This story highlights her travels in Sweden and Norway. Taylor’s use of descriptive language draws the reader into the story, “Maybe the drizzle discouraged visitors…tourists that had peeked into store windows and fumbled with their maps, slowly disappeared, leaving me to walk the cobbled streets practically alone… If the city of Fredrikstad had a smell to bottle, it would be of rain-drenched leaves along a moss laden cobblestone path mingled with the musky scent of river water…”

“Sweden. Norway. On both sides of the border it was a joy to take the remnants of the past and translate them to an adventure in the present. My journey was a splash of history – captivating and compelling…”

In the Arts/Entertainment-Review category, Taylor won a second place award with the Village News story (Sept. 26, 2013), “Splish-Splash: Take the Seal Tour on San Diego Bay!” Taylor describes the tour with practical advice and vivid descriptions. “…All of a sudden – splash – you are in the water and your bus magically begins to float… If you have long hair be sure to clip or tie it back before you start the tour. If you don’t, your hair will soon be flipping around and tying itself in knots…”

Taylor took a second place in the Gardening category with her story, “Casa Tiene Vista Vineyard Growing Grapes for Award-winning Wine,” published in the Village News, Dec. 12, 2013. Taylor chronicled how Mick and Susan Gallagher took a vacant plot of land, planted a vineyard of the finest grapes, and created award-winning wines. “It all started with a bottle of Robert Mondavi wine… After they popped the first cork, inhaled the heady scent and partook of the smooth wine, they were transformed – altered...”

In the Magazine - Profiles category, Taylor took second place for “Rolly Crump gave Disneyland a Bit of ‘Flitter’ and a Lot of Whimsy,” published in the 2014 Sourcebook magazine. Highlighting the fascinating career of Crump, a Disney Imagineer who designed much of Disneyland, Taylor writes, “I can’t imagine a Disneyland without the influence of Roland “Rolly” Crump... His ideas and the resulting creations were many... A shiny eye here and a whirring propeller there. Smiling figures, floating pianos and even whimsical trash cans! They were all ideas born in the mind of this remarkable artist.”

Taylor, who holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, also sits on the advisory board for Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts. As the principal at Krona Publications, Taylor works in the areas of public relations and free-lance print media features.

Christine Rinaldi

In the Photo Essay category, Rinaldi took the top award for her coverage of a patriotic July 4 event in Fallbrook. The 12-photo layout, entitled “Families have fun at July 4 event to benefit Fallbrook Beautification Alliance” was published in the Village News on July 11, 2013. Rinaldi captured the patriotic spirit, enthusiasm, and activities enjoyed by attendees of the event at the Grand Tradition Estate & Gardens. The high-quality images captured individuals of all ages engaging in fun.

Rinaldi’s first place in (Still) Sports Photography showcased a Fallbrook High School girls basketball game. In “Lady Warriors squeeze Orange Glen,” published Jan. 23 of 2014, Rinaldi captured high-paced action and the competitive spirit of high school girls battling it out for the win.

Her third place award in (Still) Sports Photography was for her outstanding images taken of the Fallbrook High School girls field hockey team scrimmaging Rancho Buena Vista High School. Published Sept. 5, 2013, the game action captured included crisp images of strategic moves the players were making and the intense concentration on their faces.

Rinaldi, a multiple-year affiliate of the Village News, 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 an almost 35-year passion for photography, Rinaldi has taken numerous classes in the art. In addition to work done for the Village News, she also can be commissioned for private photography work.