Artist's Statement

I have always been attracted to the natural world. I feel most alive and in touch with my surroundings in the deserts of the Southwest, the majestic mountains of the Rockies and Sierras, or exploring pockets of natural habitats in the Midwest or Appalachia.

A camera and photography have always been part of me in these environments, initially to show people the amazing places I had been. But my photography gradually evolved into a quest to capture the beauty and essence of the natural world and to share it with others.

Photography has the ability to capture an ephemeral moment when the play of light and shadow, color, textures, and patterns come together to show a special quality of a subject. These qualities, the "character and personality" of the natural environment, can be bold and obvious, and at other times subtle and hidden. But they can speak to us in powerful and spiritual ways that we need to be attuned to and aware of, or they will pass us by unnoticed.

In trying to capture those moments in my photography, I have tried to convey the sense of being there - the three-dimensional feel of the environment and its unique character and personality in that one moment in time.

In each photograph I have tried to convey to the viewer the awe and emotional connection that I had when I made the picture. Hopefully, in each image, the viewer will be able to not only see, but to feel, in that moment in time, the quality of light and color, the patterns of the trees and grasses, the smoothness of worn rocks, the morning chill of a mountain stream, and the touch of the wind.