Leaders

From the time the National Geographic photographer came to my fourth grade career day I wanted to be a photographer.

I studied fine art photography for three years at Northern Virginia Community College and then earned a degree in photojournalism from the renowned School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

I then worked for 11 years as a newspaper photojournalist in Montana and Virginia after which I landed my first National Geographic assignment in 1988. While shooting that assignment in Yellowstone Country, I knew that my calling was to photograph the extraordinary natural world.

One of my unparalleled assignments was spending six weeks in Belize on assignment for National Geographic Magazine documenting a story about archeologists who were exploring ancient Mayan ruins in the rugged jungle-covered Maya Mountains.

I photographed the daily life of the Maya people in small remote villages and the natural landscapes and wildlife of the coastal plains and mountains.

I trekked for two weeks through the dense jungles of the Maya Mountains and lived for a week underground in caves in search of ancient, undiscovered historic ritual sites and artifacts used by this advanced civilization.

I have also trekked deep into Wyoming’s Bighorn Country, journeyed through the Sanibel Island Gulf Coast of Florida, walked a good slice of the the Canadian Rockies, was dazzled by Icelandic glaciers and icebergs and was shooting in rural China during the 50th anniversary celebration of the People’s Republic.

I have photographed grizzly bears, the aftermath of hurricanes, hot pools that can boil a drifting duck and nocturnal Apache ceremonial dancers.

I teach Photoshop and photography classes at the Palm Beach Photo Center during part of the year and I lead photographic tours in the Canadian Rockies on horseback during the summer.

I live a blessed life as long as I am outdoors making photos.