Growing up in Michigan, I didn’t have any exposure to mountains until I visited Yellowstone and the Tetons on a family vacation. I was a wide-eyed 9-year-old kid who was afraid of everything (the bears, the heights, the poisonous plants…you name it). Little did I know how this place would grab hold of me and completely alter the course of my life. These days I am lucky to split my time between Yellowstone and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and they both feel like home to me. I work full-time as a naturalist guide for Yellowstone Wild, and I also spend as much time as possible out photographing the wonders of our public lands.

I feel that our wild places places have a unique magic and character that is best experienced by physically immersing yourself in them. If my photography can convey even a fraction of that magic, I will consider it a success!