"The most meaningful creative exercise I’ve experienced was my very first time in the darkroom. I have been taking photographs since I was in elementary school but did not get into a darkroom to develop my own photographs until I was in college. The act of transforming a piece of white paper into shades of grey through chemistry was hypnotic. Watching the image appear almost magically changed my view of the world. Looking through the lens, seeing the subject, composing its elements, seeing the relationships, and marking their moment in time is why I am a photographer. I see my landscape photographs as an ongoing journey to capture the interaction between the natural world and the imposition of humanity’s will upon that world. I'm based in St. Louis, MO but my job allows me to travel extensively through out the Great Plains and Mountain West states and these vast areas are the canvas of my work. Capturing the landscape, distilling it down to its basic elements, freezing a moment in time that is fleeting and will never to be duplicated is what drives me. Clearing out the clutter and noise and focusing on an individual event - not letting it pass me by while driving 75mph."