Experience With Nature & Wildlife
I am a naturalist after literally growing up in the woods of East Texas with an ID guide in my hands as I captured every living thing not fast enough to escape my efforts. This was followed by a lifetime of observation & study of everything to do with the natural world.
- Graduated with honors from the University of Texas – PB. Major: Biology Minors: Geology & Chemistry (later added a 3rd minor in Mathematics); Pika Award Winner; Outstanding Graduate in Biology
- Worked as a biologist for the University of Texas system in West Texas
- Part-time Park Ranger (2 summers)
- Worked as a volunteer after certification as a Texas Master Naturalist
- Past Field Trip Director for the Tyler Audubon Society
Photography Background
Photography: The Lifelong Learning Edition
Education: I’m proudly self-taught in all things photography—proof that you don’t need fancy degrees to chase birds and sunsets with a camera. Everything I’ve learned has come from good old-fashioned trial and error, a healthy obsession with light and composition, and more than a few hours squinting at tutorials.
Professional Background: Over the years, I’ve dipped my lens into just about every kind of photography gig—portraits in the living room, weddings where I’ve wrangled family members into smiling, and events where the cake refused to stay still. My work has shown up in a variety of places, including national publications (yes, real ones with glossy pages), in advertising, and in textbooks. I’ve sold nature and wildlife prints online, in local shops, and at art shows—and even convinced a few people to pay me for basic photography workshops (some out of interest, some probably out of sympathy).
I’ve also picked up a handful of photography awards along the way. I rarely enter contests, but occasionally someone insists—and sometimes I even win.
Continuing Education: Let’s just say my camera gets more fresh air than most houseplants. I’m outside nearly every day chasing light, birds, or the occasional curious squirrel. Once back indoors, I dive into editing and sharpening my skills with help from books, guides, YouTube deep dives, and websites filled with fellow photo nerds. I’m also a member of KelbyOne, which offers top-notch training and inspiration (and makes me feel very professional while I drink coffee and watch Photoshop tutorials in pajama pants).
In other words, I’m a proudly self-taught photographer, armed with a camera, curiosity, and a whole lot of persistence. I’ve learned from books, videos, websites, and the occasional “oops” moment—but nothing has taught me more than simply getting out there and taking photo after photo, chasing better light and sharper focus one click at a time. Practice may not make perfect, but it sure makes progress.
Writing Background and Experience
I wrote my first story at the age of 12—a dramatic masterpiece about Snappy the Possum. Snappy didn’t win any awards, but he did cement my lifelong love of storytelling (and marsupials). My first poem arrived in 6th grade, dedicated to Sherry Shull, who promptly broke my heart and ceremoniously flung it from the merry-go-round on the Stephen F. Austin Elementary playground. That poem had angst, betrayal, and playground mulch—everything good poetry needs.
In my teen years, I became a prolific letter writer. Remember letters? Like email, only slower and requiring stamps, envelopes, and actual penmanship. I wrote to aunts, cousins, and pen pals all over creation. If there was a mailbox involved, I was probably stuffing something into it.
Eventually, my writing followed me into adulthood (like a loyal raccoon), and I began writing training manuals as part of my job. That led to small books—again, job-related—and a couple of those even got picked up by a small press. At that point, I started to suspect that this whole “writing” thing might stick.
These days, I still write like a bird with a keyboard. There is a small, long out-of-print book featuring my photography. I’ve got a few puzzle books up on Amazon, two serious books in the editorial ping-pong match between me and my editor, two more nearly wrapped up, and a couple more hatched but still in the nest (both of these are about birding.) Writing is simply part of who I am—alongside birdwatching, coffee drinking, and wondering what ever happened to Snappy the Possum (and now and then, to Sherry Shull. It would be a terrible thing to say I hope she got fat–so I won’t say that.)
