Foreword

I was about twenty years old when I held my first camera. At that time photography was not a particular interest of mine; nor was nature. But I do remember being fascinated by big, complex drawings as a child. I would search these images for exciting details much the same way we let our gaze wander across landscapes. I used to seek out illustrated books on our large bookshelf at home and set myself up in a cozy nook to browse at my leisure. Images captured my attention at an early age.

This spark of curiosity transferred directly into my discovery of nature photography. I liked the search for exciting and interesting environments and the calm of the creative process. A new world of creating images opened for me, and it was perfect. Initially, the camera was more important to me than my interest in nature. The photos that I took fused with my actual experience of a place—photography and experiencing nature quickly became one and the same for me.