Greetings & Salutations!
There is a lot I could write here that would describe my path through photography in great detail but I’ll save that for another time. Suffice it to say that even though it was 35 years ago when I developed my first roll of black and white film in a college dark room, I didn’t do all that much after that. I always had a camera around, and a few times a year, the dust might get blown off and a few clicks could be heard, but that was back in the film days when you (or at least I) was a lot more deliberate with every shot.
Fast forward to 2011, when a chance encounter would resurrect my interest. And leave it to a bird of all things to do it. I’ve always had a thing for birds.
Bald Eagles are common here in Eastern Iowa in the winter months and while seeing them around was nothing new, on a particular winter day, I ran into a local photographer out at the lock and dam. We struck up a conversation and before long, I was heading back home to grab my old Canon Rebel. And despite some pretty under exposed shots that day, I became hooked on photography in an all new way. I felt like I had reconnected with an old friend. And in a way, maybe I did…what I can say is we have not parted ways since then.
So, if you want to know more about me, I guess it could be summed up like this. I’m a born-again photographer who loves the craft, more now, than I ever have in my life. I’m into conservation, preservation, and protection of our natural resources in all their forms. And while this is nothing new for me (I’ve been involved with conservation related work going back several decades), merging photography into the mix is exciting and new for me.
I’m in love with our National Parks and Monuments, our refuges and wildlife areas, and I stand fully behind their protection and preservation. I’m captivated by the wildlife that shares this world with us, and it excites me just as much to capture a shot of a frog in a pond, as it does a soaring eagle. I feel blessed whenever I find myself among such things and through the lens I hope to bring them, and the same feeling, to you.
So with all that, I’ll simply close in saying thank you. Thank you for joining me here and for your interest in my photographs and ramblings. I’m grateful you stopped by for a visit.