I imagine some of you have had the same experience as I’ve had, where one day you picked up a camera and began taking photographs, and that those photographs brought you deeper into the natural world. Before I became addicted to photography I enjoyed fishing, camping, and being out in nature. I thought I understood the natural world well, but while looking through the lens of my camera quickly realized that my knowledge was more superficial than I could ever have imagined.

When I would head out hiking in the woods, I would enjoy the coolness of the shade under the trees, the singing of the birds in their branches, the sounds of small animals rustling in the undergrowth, and glory in the majesty of a hawk circling in the sky. I had no idea how much diversity was in the world around me. I traded the asphalt jungles of western corporate culture, for natural tributaries, waterways and undulating ecosystems teaming with artistic life. Being outdoors lifts our spirits and stokes our creativity. The beauty of nature reflected in photographic art is just another reminder of our need to protect it.