Artist Statement and Biography

As a nature photographer, I believe the greatest challenge is not just to take a great picture of the natural world, but to take pictures that communicate something much more.  This can range from a conceptual shot to something more editorial.  What these two extremes have in common is that they must grasp a person's attention.  While I am always looking at the quality of light on the subject, just as equally important to me is composition -- the interplay of lines, shapes, and textures.  Underneath the color and the light, it is the arrangement of these elements in the frame that shows us where to look.

While I would not consider myself a minimalist, my pictures tend to have a common approach.  I like to reduce a scene to a single strong focal point that creates an acute emotional reaction.  Around this dominant point of interest, I will try to fill space with elements that compliment the main subject.  I believe this is a direct result of growing up and photographing in the Midwest.  There are very few sweeping panoramas without powerlines and radio towers, and there is certainly no "Big Sky" western mountainous landscapes to put into that frame.  Instead, I have had to become selective and discriminating, often paring down an image to its strongest single element.  Honestly, when confronted by the vast landscape of Colorado, Wyoming, and California, I go into information overload, and it take a while to mentally adjust to the larger vistas.

I live in northeastern Illinois and specialize in nature and natural history photography from that area, but I also have coverage into Wisconsin, Michigan, and some national parks west of the MIssissippi River.  I teach courses in The Morton Arboretum's nature photography program and work alongside Hank Erdmann, Will Clay, and others as one of the workshop instructors for Lake Effect Photographic Adventures.  My articles and images have appeared in several issues of Nature Photographer magazine and have been used by the Illinois chapter of the Nature Conservancy.  My speaking engagments have included the Mayslake Nature Study and Photography Club, the Photographic Arts Society camera club in Joliet, IL, Greenview nurseries, and others.  I am also represented by a few stock agencies specializing in nature images.

Above all, when I make images I try to live in the area of experience that Robert Pirsig calls "Quality."  It is the intersection between technical thinking (f-stops, aperatures, histograms, etc.) and emotional reaction (the sudden gasp when seeing a magnificent sunset).  Bringing the two aspects together is a rewarding challenge that has enabled me to not only take some great pictures, but has also given me the chance to preserve some unique and special moments and share that inspiration with others.