Whitetails, Mule Deer, Elk, Moose:

My first love, both for study and photography, is and always has been various members of the deer family.  In one year alone while preparing my manuscript for "The Deer Watcher's Field Guide", I took more than 25 thousand photos of whitetail deer.  Additionally, I've spent a good deal of time, for the past twenty years, chasing after and photographing other members of the family.  From the sheer grace and elegance of the whitetail, to the massive hulk and power of the moose I find the entire family irresistible. The photos you see here are the result of years in the field amongst these incredible creatures. 

Buffalo / Bison and Bear:

For sheer shock and awe value I place two North American animals at the top of my list.  The bear and the bison.  Having lived in close proximity to these wondrous beasts for several years now, I feel truly blessed.  Their bulk, their deceptive speed, their brute strength is simply awesome.  To watch two bull bison fight over breeding rights or, to witness even a sub-adult black bear tear a log apart to get to the insects inside, is truly a humbling experience.  Yet it is easy, watching them in their more leisurely moments, to underestimate their ferocity, their true nature, their power.

Pronghorn Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat:

From a biological perspective these animals do not fit together but, think of the western U.S. and, for me at least, these are the animals that immediately come to mind.  From the beauty of the animals themselves, to the grandeur of where they live, they symbolize like no others the west.

Small Animals:

Sometimes I intentionally go out in pursuit of smaller animals but far more often I simply encounter them while pursuing the "big game" I usually seek.  I'm not alone in having this myopic mindset.  I see examples of it almost daily in Yellowstone.  Coyotes, deer, rabbits, squirrels, almost never bring about traffic jams and crowds while bear, wolves, truly "big" elk, moose and bison invariably do.  We're all drawn to the bigger more glamorous animals but that paradigm cheapens our enjoyment of nature.  To ignore the beauty, the elegance, the simply amazing abilities and attributes of the smaller, more common, creatures that are all around us is to cheat ourselves.  The ordinary, the everyday, is easy to overlook and our lives are lessened by that, as these photos clearly show.

Birds:

While I specialize in mammals, I have an abiding love and fascination for birds.  Fortunately for me I often encounter birds while pursuing the mammals I most often chase after.  Like any good predator I will capitalize upon these opportunities every chance I get.

Flowers, Fungi, Still Lifes, Butterflies, Insects:

For much of my adult life I lived in an agricultural area on a rural roadway with essentially no traffic.  I developed a habit of taking dailly walks along the road and photographing whatever I encountered.  Mainly this consisted of flowers, butterflies, insects, and fungi.  I learned a lot about photography in the process of doing this.  I also learned patience.  When photographing these things patience is critical, as is lighting, and having the proper equipment.

Scenics:

In pursuit of wildlife I travel a lot.  In doing so I've been to many very beautiful places and, while I do not consider myself to be a scenic photographer I nonetheless cannot resist the urge to photograph the magnificent sights I so often encounter.  Usually I'm disappointed with the results but sometimes I do manage to get it right as witnessed by these images.