John

I am a very technical person; gadgets, electronics, engines, whatever! I don't exactly know how creativity exists within this mind full of specifications and details, but it does. The Navy has sent me all over the world, sadly before I found photography. I didn't really discover my interest until after Taryn and I were married. She'd been infected long ago and the shutter bug is quite contagious. I actually blame her for all of this, but before I get lost, a little about me;

I grew up in northwestern Montana. I love that place, the heart tugs every time I visit. Nowhere else on this planet have I seen more beautiful skies or mountains. Growing up, my parents always encouraged my interest in the arts. "You should draw a horse" my father would say. I drew Dinosaurs instead (they were cooler). I also loved the outdoors. I always had a fort, or three and a large rock collection. In the spring my cousins and I would see who could get in the creek the earliest. We would go camping in the summers way up in the Mission and Swan mountain ranges and fish in Swan Lake. I attribute all these fond memories to my love of landscapes and nature. My love of macro and flower photography is decidedly from my Grandmother. She practically raised me when I was a little one, while my parents were out making ends meet. I have so many fond memories helping her weed her flower garden. She particularly loved roses and my appreciation for them was thusly influenced. Though I did not show any desire to document anything with a camera as a child, my family did. I am so thankful for the multitude of photos I have to take me back home. I actually have the camera that took most of those old pictures. Its a Minolta and still works like a clock.

Following high school I joined the Navy. It was the smartest thing I could have done. I needed to get my act together and the Navy did just that. I have since spent the last eight years as a Nuclear Machinist's Mate. I don't glow in the dark though, in case you wondered. The Navy sent me from a small town in Montana to the bustling east coast and from there to the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. A submarine was my mode of transport. Given my experiences I wouldn't do it any other way. At some point I started to notice a fellow crew member took some very good pictures and I thought I could maybe do it too. Based on my observations of my friend I bothered my wife about a camera. She blessed me with one the very next Christmas, a dinky little thing, a Sony I believe. I soon noted her very abstract way of taking pictures and I was intrigued. By next Christmas I had a better camera and the interest just grew. I didn't get a DSLR for another two years, but I was already hooked.

Since then we have excelled so quickly it amazes me. I've had creative outlets in the past but nothing so fulfilling as photography. I feel quite blessed to have the opportunity to share this love with my best friend, my wife. I also embrace the creative challenge photography presents me with. In fact, I am astonished that my inspirations come so swiftly when we're shooting.

In 2008 we welcomed our son Carson into our home. Of all the things I have loved in my life, he is the most wonderful. He is such a force in our lives to be the best we can. I also love having such an adorable model, even if he's not so willing these days. It is a real treat being able to send our families great photos of this little guy.