I have been a birder for over 40 years and a photographer longer. Born & raised in Los Angeles, I graduated in 1979 from The University of Southern California with a degree in geography/geology.
Having an appreciation for nature, I joined the Sierra Club at age 20. Numerous backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada Mtns. propelled my interest in mountaineering and nature photography. In 1983 I climbed my first 20,000’ peak in Nepal, called Lamjung Himal. Three years later I climbed the 8th highest peak in the world, Manaslu. During this time, I primarily photographed landscapes. My birding & photography combined in 1989 when I purchased my first super telephoto lens, a used Nikon 500mm f4P. Once I could get close up images of birds and animals, my direction moved primarily towards animals.
After college, I worked for 25 years in the outdoor lighting industry. I was involved in manufacturing light fixtures & posts for commercial projects like stadiums, auto dealerships, shopping centers, & roadways. I am retired and reside in Los Angeles, with my wife.
Southern California has some of the most diverse geography in the world, which provides excellent opportunities for photography. Coastal, mountain, and desert habitat are nearby or within reasonable driving distance. This is why Los Angeles County typically has more bird species recorded than any other county in North America, (about 525 species.)
I have been fortunate to travel all over the world. By age 27, I had already been to all 7 continents. The Mojave Desert in Southern California and the tropics in South America are two of my favorite locations.
One of my most memorable photography experiences occurred in 1981-my first photo published, in Sierra Magazine. I won first place in the annual Sierra Club Photography Contest. My King Penguin photo from South Georgia Island, near Antarctica, was selected from over 5,000 photographers & over 25,000 photos. Since then, my images have been published in a variety of media. I am represented by VIREO (The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA) and also keep my own stock photos.
Published Work
Magazines:
Sierra Magazine, Birding, Birder’s World, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Bird Watching, Alaska Airlines, National Wildlife, Outdoor & Travel Photography, California Wild, Wildbird, Birds Illustrated, Photo Answers, Birdscope (Cornell Univ.), Western Birds.
Newspapers:
Los Angeles Times, The Oregonian.
Catalogs:
Limosa Holidays, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT), Field Guides.
Calendars:
Mono Lake Committee, Page A Day and Audubon Wall Calendar (Workman Publishing).
Books:
Ornithology by Frank Gill (Macmillian Publishing 3rd edition)
Birds of Yasuna N.P., Ecuador (by Francisco Sornoza)
Guide to Birds of Alaska by Robert H. Armstrong (Graphic Arts Ctr. Pub. Co.)
Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America by Ted Floyd (Collins Pub.)
National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America by Edward Brinkley (Sterling Pub.)
Wild Birds of California by David Lukas (Companion Press)
Birds of the Southwest by John Rappole (Texas A & M Press)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds (Western & Eastern edition-Alfred A. Knopf Pub.)
Shorebirds of North America by Dennis Paulson (Princeton Univ. Press)
Handbook of Birds of the World Vol. 12 (Lynx Edicions)
Enjoying Woodpeckers More (Bird Watchers Digest)
The Biological Legacy of Lewis and Clark
The Backyard Bird Field Guide (Rodale Inc.)
Gulls of America: A Photographic Guide (Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory)
Bird by Bird Gardening (Rodale Inc.)
Jewels on the Water: Lake Superior (Linder Pub.)
Field Guide to the Birds of Quebec by Jean Paquin
Birds of the Mid-Atlantic Region (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press)
Penguin Book (Scholastic)
BIRD (Dorling Kindersley U.K.)
Birds of Eastern North America, A Photographic Guide {Sterry & Small, Princeton University Press)
The World’s Rarest Birds (Princeton University Press)
Top 100 Birding Sites of the World (New Holland Publishers)
North American Owls (Dogwood Ridge Outdoors)
The Ultimate Companion For Birding In Southern Africa (by Peter Ginn & Geoff McIlleron, The Unlimited Group Publishers)
ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Colorado (by Ted Floyd and Brian Small, Scott & Nix Publishers)
ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Illinois (by Michael Retter and Brian Small, Scott & Nix Publishers)
ABA Field Guide to the Birds of New York (by Corey Finger and Brian Small, Scott & Nix Publishers)
Birds of the Puget Sound Region (by Paulson, Morse, Aversa, and Opperman, R.W. Morse Co. Publishers)
Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean (by Scott Wiedensaul, Peterson Reference Guides, Houghton Mifflin Publishing)
National Audubon Society Birds of North American (Borzoi Book published by Fieldstone Publishing & Alfred A. Knopf)
The Stokes Field Guide To The Birds Of North America (by Donald & Lillian Stokes, published by Little, Brown and Company)
Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests (by Casey McFarland, Matthew Monjello, & David Moskowitz, published by Mariners Publishing)
ABA Field Guide to the Birds of The Carolinas (by Nate Swick and Brian Small, Scott & Nix Publishers)
BIRDS of Arizona (by Richard Cachor Taylor, R.W. Morse Company)
Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas (by Bruce Beehler, Johns Hopkins University Press)
Museum:
Brigham City Museum-Gallery-Wild Bird Photography Exhibit, 2000.
Audio:
North American Western Bird Songs-pocket PC.
Magnets:
Magnetic Bookmarks.
Apps:
Birds of North America (Fieldstone Publishing)
Birds in the Hand-iPhone
Audubon Society Birds of Columbia
Audubon Society Birds of North America (Green Mountain Press)
BirdsEye-iPhone
Larkwire Learn Bird Songs Of North America