About Me
I’m a serious amateur photographer who shoots wildlife, nature and landscapes. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado, and heading out on a crisp early morning to one of many local natural areas is one of my favorite things to do. Spending quality time in the field, totally engaged with nature and enjoying what’s best described as the thrill of the hunt, is what helps keep me balanced.
Travels
In the last two years I’ve spent time in Grand Teton National Park (saw my first grizzly bears), Nebraska to see the sandhill crane migration, the Palouse region in eastern Washington, Tucson for spring birding, Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota in the winter, and High Island Texas for spring migration. I attended my first Biggest Week in American Birding in northwest Ohio in May 2024 and poked around Portland, OR and the Sacramento valley for a few days in September 2024.
I spent four days in the Rio Grande Valley in November 2024 on a NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) regional trip. And I just got back from a December 2024 photography workshop in New Mexico, viewing cranes and snow geese at Bosque del Apache and surreal landscapes at White Sands National Park.
I attended the Space Coast Wildife & Birding Festival in Floriday in January 2025 and spent some quality time at Merritt Island NWR.
Upcoming trips:
- Northern Minnesota for owls
- Florida’s Birding and Photo Fest
- NANPA Summit, Tucson, AZ
- Maine Birding and Wildlife Tour
Recognition & Awards
As I continue submitting my work to contests and photography communities, I’m honored to have my photos recognized in these ways!
Photography Competitions
Colorado Country Life
In January 2025 I was excited and honored to find out one of my photos had won first place in the “Nature’s Homes” category of the Colorado Country Life 2025 photography contest, and would be published in February 2025. It’s a photo of two fox kits in Windsor, CO from May 2024.
The Photographers Guild Magazine
In January 2025, I found out that two of my photos would be published in the first issue of this new magazine, which came out in early March.
NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association)
In December 2024, I was deeply honored to find out that one of my photos was selected for the Top 250 of the NANPA 2025 Showcase! I submit to competitions frequently but had never won, so this was very exciting!
Here’s the photo, from Running Deer Natural Area in Fort Collins, CO. These deer walked up to within about 30 feet of me. I was sitting on the ground under a camo net being very still and couldn’t believe how lucky I was that morning to witness this interaction.
Photo Features, Editor’s Choice & Cover Photo Selections
- The Art of Capture – Facebook Group Cover Photo, March 2025.
- Wildlife Photography – Facebook Group Cover Photo, March 2025.
- The Art of Capture – Facebook Group Cover Photo, February 2025.
- Editor’s Pick, Nature Photographers Network, February 2025.
- International Art of Photography – Certificates for Digital Creative Artist, February 2025.
- Photocrowd New Joiners Landscapes Contest – four wins: Crowd 9th/Expert 9th, Crowd 8th/Expert Commended, Crowd 4th/Expert Commended and Crowd 24th/Expert 1st. February 2025.
- International Art of Photography – Facebook Cover Photo Winner, February 2025.
- Photocrowd New Joiners Animals Contest – Expert 1st Place, Crowd 4th Place Winner, January 2025.
- Nature Photography – Facebook Group Weekly Contest Winner, May 2024.
I’m a member of NANPA, the Nature Photographers Network and Nature First. I’m also a full-time professional web designer and developer.
Why ‘Hidden Wilds’?
Hidden Wilds evokes a sense of discovery and exploration. It reminds me that wild and beautiful aspects of nature are often hidden in plain sight and closer to home than most people might expect.
Often the photos I shoot are at the city natural areas right in town, or at state parks or wildlife areas within easy driving distance. I can be in a ‘wild’ place a few minutes from my house on an early morning before normal people are up and about. It helps me calm down, being away from work and bills and appointments where I can barely hear any traffic and only see other people that are doing the same thing I am – enjoying nature.
And the logo? I love nuthatches!
My Kit
I started with a Cannon EOS Rebel T5 as my first “real” digital camera. I had a good time with this camera and learned a lot. Then I took a workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2014 and one of the other attendees had an intriguingly smaller camera than the rest of us. He explained it was a Fuji mirrorless camera and told us all about it.
I was really interested because the camera was so tiny by comparison to the big Nikons and Canons everyone else had. It was also a lot lighter – the lenses were smaller and lighter as well. I resolved that my next camera would be a mirrorless. Eventually I made that happen and sold all my Canon gear. It was a great decision for me, I love my Fuji cameras and lenses.
Bodies:
- Fuji X-H2S Mirrorless
- X-T3 Mirrorless
Lenses:
- Fujinon XF 150-600 F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR (super high quality, not too heavy, internal zooming)
- Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR (super high quality, great for wildlife)
- Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 OIS LM WR (a great compromise between reach and weight for wildlife photography)
- Fujinon XC 50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II (good quality for the price point, kit lens)
- Fujinon XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS II Lens (good quality for the price point, kit lens)
- Fujinon XF 1.4X TC WR Teleconverter
Bags:
I’m very picky about my bags. These are the keepers (note all backpacks have water bottle pockets).
ThinkTank Mindshift BackLight 26L – My new TARDIS – also small on the outside and big on the inside. A lovely green that doesn’t look like a photo pack, which I like for traveling. Will hold a 16″ laptop and 10″ tablet, as well as two camera bodies, my 150-600mm lens and several other lenses. Rear entry and you can open the gear compartment without taking off the bag. Comfortable when loaded with the waist belt and chest strap and good for hiking.
ThinkTank MindShift TrailScape 18L Backpack – A wonderful pack for my wildlife kit, it can hold a mirrorless body with 100-400 or 70-300 attached and 2 other lenses and supporting gear easily. Super-comfy when full. It also has space for a 13″ laptop or large tablet. Like every bag I’ve had from ThinkTank, very well built.
Topo Designs Mountain Hydro Hip Pack – I looked at so many fanny/hip packs to find the right one to carry a small amount of gear and water bottles. This was the winner by a long shot. Highly recommended.
LowePro Flipside 300AW Backpack – a pack for 2-3 smaller lenses and one camera body.
Think Tank Photo Cable Management 20 V2.0 – a great little bag for storing chargers, cables, card readers and other small parts. One side is clear and it has a handle.
Tripods:
Three Legged Thing Punks Brian Travel Tripod – Got this in 2023 for a photo workshop in Grand Teton. It’s a lot more stable than the VEO for the same weight, and is also a lot taller at up to 73″. Holds up to 30 lbs. The legs unscrew and can be used as a monopod. 16″ when folded and comes with a nice padded bag.