About Us

Simone Paddock

Title: CEO, Photo Editor, Jack-of-all-Trades

What she does here at Obsidian Stock: Drinks coffee with photographers, educates them about the wonderful world of stock, spends endless hours staring at images, takes care of the day-to-day operations of the business

If she could be anywhere right now, she would be... ... bouncing around in a Landrover, on a muddy road through lush jungle, while on a year-long adventure trip from Alexandria, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa

She has an accent because ... ...she grew up in Basel, Switzerland (that's the little country sandwiched between Italy, France, Germany and Austria), Europe, Other Side of World.

Top 5 things she doesn't want to live without... 1. Her Canon 5D 2. Her passport 3. Her sunglasses 4. The REI tent she purchased last year 5. That fine white dust that still clings to her camping gear from last year's Burning Man

Other gigs: Emerald Bay Photography

Lance Hardy

Title: CTO, Designer, Web Guy, Gunslinger

Obsidian Stock Duties: All design, site building, maintenance, development, promotion, criti-sizing, down-sizing, super-sizing, fanta-sizing, daily server massaging.

Personal Goals for Obsidian Stock: Create a real community for a diverse group of people - business, amateurs and professionals who share common goals.

Personal Philosophy: Every time I keep trying I know I beat somebody that just quit.

Favorite Comeback: Or what? You'll release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you? - Homer Simpson

Originally from: Portland, Hood River, other places in the Columbia River Gorge, GREEN places.

Central Oregon Resident Because: It keeps me close to my son and assures I have something to bitch about.

Other Interests and Professional Pursuits: Lance Hardy Photography, I'm Your Web Guy