I am a volunteer photographer for the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the Illinois River National Wildlife Refuge. My love for outdoor photography grew from my rural Illinois childhood. As a kid I was always searching the environment around me for things of interest. These things were usually wild.

Hunting and fishing were normal outdoor interest for kids like myself.

Looking back now the meandering along wooded creeks and around the edges of ponds became an obsession. That obsession transferred into photgraphing those wild things.

Having traveled to about a dozen countries and most of the United States, I have found beauty in all of those places. When you go there you expect to see the beauty they advertise. You shouldn't need a tour guide to point out beauty. It doesn't have to be a vista involving huge mountains or palm lined beaches to qualify as beauty.

For those who refer to Illinois as a boring place; I remind them that boring is a state-of-mind and not a geographical location.

To photograph as many things in interesting ways as possible before death or blindness is my latest goal. I will use this website to allow others to view the interesting things that I have found.

Note that not all things of interest to me will be considered beautiful to you. But then it is my website.

Yes, most things have been photgraphed at least once. Just not by me. Not Yet!