Background

I simply enjoy photography. I’ve been around cameras off and on for more than five decades. I once dreamed of making photography a career when I was in my early twenties. I lived in Carmel, California, and briefly attended photography school in Santa Barbara. Then, life interrupted my photographic ambitions. There was a war on, so I finished a degree in political science at the University of California Santa Barbara. I then joined the Navy as an Intelligence Officer during the Vietnam era.

In civilian life, I’ve spent more time than I ever wanted to in the corporate world doing technical writing, marketing, and toiling for many more years learning computers and software. My corporate journey ended with my retirement as an information systems manager/web content developer.

Following retirement, I renewed my interest in photography with a particular emphasis on bird photography. There is something especially wonderful about birds, and I use my camera to capture those unique characteristics. I am not an ornithologist nor a typical bird watcher. I enjoy birds on a more simple level. I try to capture their portraits without trying to explain the scientific or technical details of either bird life or photographic jargon.

My most important credential is that I enjoy birds and I enjoy photography. I’ve learned a lot about that combination over the years, and thought it would be fun to share a little of my excitement with you.

Recent Accomplishments

• Five of my photographs will be featured in the upcoming field guide: Birds of Arizona and New Mexico: A Photographic Guide to Birding the Borderlands by Steve Prager and Melissa Fratello (to be published by Timber Press in late 2023)
• Finalist in the 2023 Arizona Highways “15th Annual Photo Contest- Wildlife category”
• Frequent contributor to The Cactus-Wrendition the quarterly publication of the Maricopa Audubon Society
• Winner in the 2023 Arizona Wildlife Calendar (March 2023 page) published by the Arizona Game & Fish Department (Honorable Mentions in the 2018 and 2019 calendars)
• Arizona Highways “Photo of the Day” selections (May 14, 2020 and February 2, 2021)

Other Interests

During my years on the Monterey Peninsula I became intrigued with Cannery Row…both the physical street of abandoned sardine canneries and with the book written by John Steinbeck. I wrote A History of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row which explored the history of the street, the mysterious disappearance of the sardines, and the history of many of the real-life characters who Steinbeck fictionalized.

While researching that book, I ran across a name completely unrelated to Cannery Row or Steinbeck…Henry Ossian Flipper. Intrigued by just the uniqueness of the name, I soon discovered he was the first black graduate of West Point in 1877. I was hooked and wound up spending years researching his life and times to write Henry Ossian Flipper: First Among Equals.