When I was a kid growing up in Kansas my grandmother would take me to the art museum whenever a new exhibit arrived. It was during these frequent visits that I first became familiar with the works of artists such as Tom Otterness, Edward Hopper, and Chuck Close. These painters and sculptors compelled in me the desire to explore the deepest parts of my own creativity.

I also had, in my youth, the fortunate opportunity to spend much of my family’s vacation time traveling throughout the United States. Often, our destinations found us somewhere in the vast deserts between Texas and California where nocturnal life creates nightly spectacles and an impressionable mind can find a life-lasting passion.

I began my first year of college shortly after moving to Waco in 1999 and divided my time between the countless 2-lane roads of the incredibly beautiful Texas hill country and the school’s darkroom. At the time I had very little understanding of the inner workings of my camera, but the area was so rich with new scenes and subjects, and the thrill of watching those images materializing through the chemicals onto a piece of paper drove me to want to absorb as much as I could about working with light.

A year later I moved to Washington and immediately fell in love with the natural beauty of the Puget Sound. While studying color and design at The Evergreen State College and SPSCC I also began hiking and backpacking in the Olympic and Cascade mountains. These dense forests and steep terrains quickly became personal studio.

While studying journalism at the University of Washington during my junior year I traveled to the small village of Mastatal, Costa Rica with a group of ecology students. It was there in the vividly colorful rainforests I began to become deeply fascinated in the stories behind the wildlife I was photographing. Upon returning home I changed my major to a science track, finally graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies.

Today, I travel near and far with my camera photographing some of the most beautiful places on the planet. Along the way, I have met some amazing people and become involved with projects that extend beyond the scope of traditional photography. Many of these programs are based on sustainable and eco-conscience efforts to preserve our ever-shrinking wild spaces.

I hope while you are looking at my images you will too be inspired to consider the vulnerability of our Earth, and to take personal actions to keep it wild so that future photographers and outdoor enthusiasts will have places in which to open their imaginations.