My passion for the outdoors blossomed at a young age. I attribute much of it to my late father. Through his encouragement, I joined the Cub Scouts at seven years old. Combined with my father’s participation in the program, it served as a fantastic introduction to the great wilderness areas that define the Great Lakes.
As years passed filled with hiking, camping, and planning trips, an outdoorsman began taking shape. My adventures had humble beginnings in the heart of Wisconsin at a family cabin on Castle Rock Lake. Early spring through late fall, my family and I would make the three-hour journey to the cabin almost every weekend. During the long car ride, I would relish the memories of past trips, looking forward to fresh adventures ahead.
Once there, I would hike the forests, wade in the many ponds and streams, and seek new areas I had not yet discovered. Eventually, I pushed myself harder and further each time. This quelled my adventurous spirit for a while, but eventually, again, I wanted more.
I began exploring further into the Northwoods of Wisconsin, inspired by my father’s stories of his youth on Lake Superior. Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, my father and his brothers hiked the many trails and parks that I do today. They would explore Ontario, Minnesota’s North Shore, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Avid outdoorsmen, my father and his brothers passed that trait down to me.
As I began exploring the region more, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula became a favorite area of mine, along with the North Shore of Minnesota. Just as before, I pushed myself further and challenge myself to achieve greater goals on each hike, carrying my father’s wisdom and discipline with me as my guide.
To this point in my journey, photography had been a rewarding aspect of my hikes and adventures, but I had not fully realized my passion. In my early years, I used a simple instant camera. However, as my understanding of photography grew, so did my desire to craft better photographs. I still recall the conversation I had with my father regarding photography. I was in seventh grade and had been walking the halls between classes when struck with a moment of clairvoyance - I wanted to be a photographer.
My father, being the incredible man he was, gave me his Minolta Maxxum 400Si film camera as a gift, along with a few lenses to get started. As a young man in my early teen years with little to my name, that camera was my prized possession.
Suddenly, my adventures were not only about being in nature, but about sharing the experience of the locations and subjects that I sought. Being physically present as the rising sun paints the landscape, or camping deep in the wilderness along age old waterfalls. Moments like these and many more draw me to photography, not the other way around.
My desire to experience the wilderness coalesced with photography almost serendipitously. Each complimenting the other but remaining independent. Both enjoyed for their own sake, while celebrating the other all the same. For me, it is the act of traveling to an inspiring location far from where the typical person would travel, simply enjoying the journey of getting there. Then crafting images that share that experience and story well.
Today, I travel throughout the Great Lakes Region, seeking nothing more than being in nature and experiencing the great outdoors. It is entirely about the joy of the outdoor experience. The opportunity to encounter nature first hand in an intimate setting and be present in the fleeting moments that define the subjects I share.
Photography is a distinctive personal journey - a series of experiences unique to you. Solitary. Enduring. Unscripted. I wish you well on your journey into the great wilderness, and I hope you enjoy my photographs, stories, and experiences as much as I have enjoyed living them.