The Photographer
I started taking pictures when I was 9 years old. My first camera was a Kodak that shot 110 film. I began my formal training in photography as a freshman in college where I continued to learn about and develop my skills regarding “light, moment and composition”. I remember one class assignment using a large format camera and a ridiculously heavy wooden tripod. I could have just shot off the side of the road, but I decided to haul all this heavy equipment out into the Sonoran Desert! I guess this is where I really started to develop my appreciation that the effort one puts forth does indeed reflect the results received. It also became obvious to me that my passion for capturing images that tell stories is more important than just capturing a ‘quick picture’ to show my friends.
Throughout these early years, I used my Canon AE-1 to cultivate my personal style, crafting images and mastering the components required to shoot in manual mode. Following undergraduate school, I shot slide film for about 15 years both in the United States and on all of my many international travels.
I first began teaching photography to students of various ages in 1993. In addition to this formal teaching, I would informally share my passion throughout my career as an environmental educator, NPS interpretive ranger and natural history guide. I am a certified National Geographic Photography Instructor. Working with Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions has helped me develop additional insights and skills necessary to aid students and clients in better understanding the camera and photographic technique. With these foundational components understood, I am then able to build on this understanding by teaching various aspects of composition and design enabling aspiring photographers to capture the moments at the heart of one’s travel and outdoor experience.
In addition to serving as a photography guide for Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions, I lead photography workshops with several photography tour companies to national and international locations, on ships and on land. These companies include Arizona Highways Photoscapes and Scenic Aperture. I am required to design, scout and teach workshops, including locations new to me (e.g. Ozarks).
My work is published in several brochures and blogs. I have a social media presence with a website and Instagram account. I use my personal images to design and present engaging seminars, professional development programs and workshops for clients, instructors, guides and naturalists. Over the past decade, I have participated in many online and in person courses and lectures covering topics related to photography technique, camera technology and post processing including Lightroom, Photoshop and xnView. Additionally, I am familiar with several phone apps, teach “iphoneography”, and always welcome the opportunity to learn new things to further develop my proficiencies as a photographer and educator of photography.
The Ecologist and Natural History Guide
For more than 30 years, I have guided and taught a variety of audiences about our natural world and our connection with it. My childhood interest in natural systems eventually brought me to Evergreen State College where I earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Geology, followed by a M.S in Applied Ecology from the University of Vermont. Mingling an academic background with experience working around the world in exceptionally diverse environments, I am able to efficiently observe, understand, and interpret natural and cultural history.
I have hiked in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal, looked into the eyes of masked boobies in Galápagos, sought nudibranchs on the Great Barrier Reef, and walked the Ghats along the Ganges River in India. I have led backcountry trips in Denali National Park, learned from students in Kentucky, and gained great insights while hitchhiking home from work in Yosemite National Park. In addition to working for six seasons in the heart of Denali National Park, I have been part of many expeditions traveling the northwest coast of Canada and southeast Alaska. I have experience as a naturalist in many of the lower 48 states and all seven continents. I worked as a divemaster in Australia, Costa Rica, and India. I assisted with the establishment of a marine protected area off the coast of Madagascar and researched birds in Canada and South America. My understanding, love and enthusiasm about the natural world continues to grow. My wish to share that passion is expressed in my photographs.