Blog

Jan 27, 2024

Toolin’ Around Town: Bringing everyday life into focus

From the comfort of a soft leather chair next to a large picture window

From the comfort of a soft leather chair next to a large picture window overlooking the Petaluma Valley, Don Siemens embraces a unique perspective of Petaluma and beyond. The view from his living room window opens up his world, the visual landmarks, the tree-lined neighborhoods and Sonoma Mountain, a world that's all photogenic.

Siemens sees the world a little differently than most.

As a medical technologist whose laboratory work often had him peering through a microscope analyzing blood samples – and an award-winning photographer whose work captures the intimacy of people, wildlife and natural settings – he's earned a reputation for bringing everyday life into focus.

His story emerges from his massive 100,000-image photo archive, a collection that includes a mixed portfolio of aerial views of Sonoma County, Petaluma ranchers and the Golden Gate Bridge. Under the coordination of the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum collections manager Solange Russek, plus a grant from California Revealed, the museum is downloading many of those images to the California Revealed website.

Siemens was the oldest of five siblings born in Oakland and raised in the East Bay by his Mennonite family.

"They made me work," he said. "They showed me the way. They all wanted to teach me the business of life. There's so much out there."

Siemens has always had a strong passion for nature.

"I grew up next door to Harry C. Adamson, a nature lover and one of finest waterfowl artists in the world," he said. "We’d go to Mount Hamilton where I’d set up his stuff and we’d bird watch. He taught me a lot about nature. How could I not go in that direction after that?"

Along with learning to "celebrate nature's manifestations," Siemens, a gifted student, attended Acalanes High School in Lafayette, where he studied and played football under NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Norm Van Brocklin.

"Football was all about grunting and groaning," he said, summarizing his athletic career.

Enrolled at Cal Berkeley, he studied chemical engineering but soon switched to life sciences.

"In college, I pursued a career in science," he explained. "I wanted to study medical technology but I also took minors in history and liberal arts because they were all so interesting."

During his sophomore year he was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort McPherson near Atlanta, Georgia. While working as an Army photographer, he was able to attend Georgia Technical Institute, where he earned a spot on its football practice team.

He returned to the Bay Area in 1962, reenrolled at Cal Berkeley and worked for the Veterans Administration. Lured by the prospects of learning from Stanford-and Harvard-educated professors, he transferred to San Francisco State, where he earned a degree in biochemistry, then landed a career position at Children's Hospital in San Francisco, where he met his future wife, Charlotte, a registered nurse.

"I’m just a laboratory guy married to a wonderful lady and very lucky to live in Sonoma County," Siemens said with a smile. The couple moved to Petaluma, where they raised their daughters, Andrea and Jennifer, 52 years ago.

From that time forward, Siemens was rarely without his camera. Nothing escaped his imagination as he trained his lens on every aspect of nature. From the ecosystem of a creek bed to the disappearing marine ecology of the Sacramento Delta water system, he focused on the fascination of the living world.

One of his projects involved interviewing and photographing old-time local ranchers and their families.

"These ranchers are geniuses. There is so much to learn from them," Siemens said in a previous interview. "They are plumbers and electricians. They are so aware of practical realities. They are so adroit they constantly amaze and humble me. The value I gain from them is I can appreciate what other people are doing. I wanted to capture their history and their lives before they die."

Another long-time project stemmed from his wife's friendship with the late Helen Putnam, former Petaluma Mayor and Sonoma County Supervisor.

"Charlotte had a relationship with Helen and it flowed on to me," Siemens recalled. "Helen arranged for me to have access to the Golden Gate Bridge which lasted for years. I have a huge file on the deck replacement on the bridge and countless pictures of it from every angle. All these transcendent activities have influenced my photography."

Another extensive file from Siemens’ time spent in the Civil Air Patrol is aerial photography of Petaluma and the surrounding region. He's sold many of his photos and owned several art galleries in town, but wasn't really interested in the commercial side.

"I was more interested in taking photographs than trying to market them," he admitted. "I really enjoy looking at and preserving our beautiful world."

Harlan Osborne's "Toolin’ Around Town" runs the second and fourth Friday of every month in the Argus-Courier. He can be reached at [email protected].