As a nature photographer and a pursuer of fleeting moments I am always wondering if I am at the right place at the right time- even if I happen to be. Is this the best vantage or should I walk a bit farther? These are nice trees, but what’s around the bend? These questions are of course not uncommon to those of us who walk the wilds. Most of us are content with where we are and are satisfied to leave what might have been for the next time out. 

This approach is not for me. I am always looking, and wondering and looking some more- never fully satisfied, always curious. Luck, best guesses and a bit of good judgement are the paths I use to get where I am going but the looking never stops even when I get to where I think I am going. And when I get to a place I didn’t know I was going, well, then things get interesting. (more…)

This is a chapter I wrote and organized for the book American Vision with the input of my great friends John Shaw and Wayne Lynch. Even though it was put together more than 10 years ago the information and the philosophy is as timely now as it was then. I hope you enjoy it and consider it thoroughly if you are thinking about making a living being an outdoor photographer.

Imagine yourself as a participant at a workshop that features John Shaw, Wayne Lynch and David Middleton as teachers. In the late afternoon, you are invited to join them on the terrace of the lodge for a beer and conversation. After the beers arrive and all pretense of formality depart you decide to ask them about what it takes to become a professional nature photographer. You are hoping the answers come more quickly then the refills.

Your first question is: “What is an important characteristic of a pro?” After you receive three utterly blank stares you decide to rephrase the question: “How would you define an accomplished photographer?”

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