I’m not sure how I got started in photography.  I suspect it has to do with a belief that everyone needs some type of artistic outlet.  I can’t sing, can’t dance, can’t paint and my attempts at drawing were a disaster until I took up architecture, which, mercifully, can be undertaken with moderate success using only straight lines.  I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors – hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, etc. – and so it seemed natural to try to combine a passion for the outdoors with a need to find an outlet for artistic energy.  I bought a camera prior to leaving to study ecology in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 1995, and I’ve been hooked ever since. 

My goal when photographing is to be able to craft an image that reveals a little of the essence of a place - its capacity for tranquility, its dynamic personality, the simple nature of its beauty.  I've learned a lot by trying to take better pictures, and it's not all about photography.  I think to photograph nature - whether it is a grand scenic, an intimate landscape or a microscape - that engages the viewer while remaining true to landscape requires more than a casual relationship with nature.  Even when I'm without my camera (which is rare) I look more closely and appreciate more thoroughly the places I visit.  The elegance that I see and experience in nature is something I credit to the camera, and its tendency to slow me down out on the trail giving me the opportunity to take in something – something subtle - that I may have otherwise overlooked.  Some places are clearly beautiful, and I enjoy the opportunity to visit and photograph them.  But nothing is as rewarding, as satisfying, as visiting a place over and over and over, failing repeatedly, but finally capturing an image that represents a subtle and fleeting moment; one that reveals what I always knew to be there.  There are a few images around here that succeed, I believe, in that regard.  

I’ve used a lot of different equipment over the years, but the equipment is not terribly important in making a fine photograph.  It can certainly help, but focusing on the almost immeasurable differences between various manufacturers and setups risks discounting the most important element of any photographic effort - vision.  Some of my best images were taken with my least sophisticated camera, my least expensive lenses.  I’ve taken many horrible photographs with all of my cameras – and I’m prepared to prove it.  Really – the equipment is not all that important.  But since it’s impossible for photographers to not discuss equipment, here’s a current tally of my inventory and how I lug it around in lung-busting thin air.

Thanks for taking time to view my site.  I hope you find something in here that makes it worth the visit.  Comments are always welcome, and I’ll be sure to drop you a response in quick measure.

Cheers!