I grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As long as I can remember, I've had a love for nature, camping and photography. When I was younger, we'd go on family camping trips that instilled in me a real appreciation for the outdoors. Waterfalls and moving water have always been irresistible draw. As I grew older, I tried to pass that same appreciation on to my kids. We did a lot of camping and traveling as they grew up. My photography during this time consisted primarily of whatever quick snapshots I could get off while trying to keep the kids from getting bored.

In recent years, the kids have started to go off on their own, and I had some time to do some soul-searching about what kind of future I wanted to have. The answer for me was landscape photography. It combines a number of things that are very attractive to me: being out in nature, photography, tech (in processing the photos), and the desire to avoid most people. You see, I'm more of an introvert. If there's a gathering of people, I'm usually the guy hanging out with the dog away from all the activity.

I was around this time when the Covid lockdown hit, and I decided to use the time to really dive-in to landscape photography and learn as much as I could. After lots of reading and YouTube videos, I finally started gearing-up and getting out in the field to put this newfound knowledge to use here in Minnesota. Eventually, I attended some out of state conferences and workshops to further develop. At first it was daunting being around all those talented people, but gradually I began to feel like I belonged and that my work, while not professional, was something that other people seemed to appreciate and encourage. It meant a lot to me the first time a professional looked at one of my images and said it was better than anything he'd shot that day. I realized not only had I found something I was decent at, but that I was really enjoying it as well.

In 2024, at the age of 62, I lost my long-standing job as a software developer. Attempts to find equivalent work have convinced me that the industry no longer finds me useful, so it's probably time for a new chapter. Right now I'm mulling a few personal options for moving forward, but I know that photography will undoubtedly play a bigger role in my life from here on out. More to come as I try to figure things out. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my photos and ramblings.

- January 2025