I’ve spent my life exploring the natural world, and in doing so I have come to realize two things - the immense beauty of nature, and the urgent need to protect it. Nature is ephemeral - no two moments are ever the same, and if I can capture a single moment in time through the lens of my camera then that moment will never be lost. By sharing these frozen frames of natural history I hope to spread my own inspiration to protect nature to others.

 

I credit my formative years in the Pacific Northwest in the shadow of Mt. St. Helens with my perspective. Nothing and nowhere that I knew as a child remains the same. In my youth I recall the beautiful grey desolation of Mt. St. Helens - a landscape nearly devoid of life. Now it is a verdant countryside of meadows and dappled woodland. I have also witnessed the irreversible changes wrought by humans: places I once held dear now clear cut or paved over. I have watched the effects of climate change alter landscapes beyond recognition. It was soon after I received my first digital camera that I saw how much had been lost, how nothing I see today could be the same tomorrow, and no year would be the same as the last.

 

My love of photography is linked to my love of literature and my own endeavors with the written word. In my early teens I found one of Harvey Manning’s old hiking guides while digging through my parents garage. Inside I was entranced by his enthusiastic prose, accompanied by Bob and Ira Springs photos of Washington's wild backcountry. This pairing has stuck with me ever since - my writing, and the written works of others serve as inspiration for my photography, and my photography serves as inspiration for my writing.

 

I am an artist, an author, a dreamer, and an activist, and I believe all these aspects come together and are reflected in my photography.