Profile

My job involves photographing nature. I take trips to shoot different subjects, then I spend a lot of time at the computer captioning my photos, and editing.  I have traveled the world photographing butterflies, moths, fungi, parasites, spider webs, marine worms, horseshoe crabs, mollusks, and glass-shelled diatoms. 

I also write children’s books that I illustrate with my photos. My books include:  Bug Faces, Spiders and Their Webs, Face to Face with Caterpillars, Face to Face with Butterflies (National Geographic Society); Animal Faces (Sterling Publishing Co, NY), The World of Reptiles (from the Ranger Rick Science Spectacular series). As a published children’s book author, I also give presentations at schools on natural history topics using my photos. 

I have also written a number of articles for National Geographic magazine on topics as diverse as passion vine butterflies, fungi, and body beasts.

Some of my photos are turned into fine art prints, and some are put into stock photography. Stock photography allows people and companies to purchase the right to publish my photos for their uses (text books, advertising, etc.).  Occasionally I give photography workshops.

I have an office/studio at my home.  When I’m away from home I stay at places that give me access to forests, oceans and other natural habitats where I do my photography.  Sometimes I travel to give workshops and school talks.

Editors, assistants, educators, agents.

There is no such thing as a typical day.  Today I’m working at the computer and writing a book. 

Photographic skills, patience, writing skills, communication skills, organization, and the ability to juggle several projects at once.

It can be hectic sometimes and relatively quiet other times.  When things aren’t as busy, I can concentrate on writing.

Yes, I travel periodically. I have been to 35 countries, including India, Thailand, Borneo, Australia, England, Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica, Japan, and Sri Lanka.  My trips can last from one week to more than a year, but generally around a month or so.  I have gone by plane, boat, horseback, various vehicles, and on foot.  Often I have assistants who help with my equipment.

I absolutely love being out in nature, I love photographing it, I love talking with children, and I love seeing and hearing people’s responses to my photos, books and presentations.  There’s great satisfaction in knowing people appreciate your work.

Carrying heavy camera gear, dealing with airports, and having computer issues.  I also don’t like the unpredictability of my income.

The great outdoors, especially undisturbed habitats that are rich in species diversity (like some rainforests and coral reefs). 

That’s hard to say.  Paul Zahl was definitely a major influence during my childhood (he was a National Geographic photographer and biologist).

“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself.  Go forward and make your dreams come true.”  From Ralph Waldo Emerson.  I have this quote on my refrigerator door.

“Don’t go to college.  You’ll just end up getting married and having a bunch of kids.”

Take Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice (above) and work hard to achieve your goals.

Of course, but I can’t go back.  I try to learn from past mistakes and move on.

Lots of different things: go birding, play sudoku, talk or visit with family and friends, watch movies, sew, quilt, experiment with my camera gear, plan trips.

Animals, plants, photography and good food.

I generally don’t get scared by things that won’t hurt me, and keep a proper distance between me and the creatures that might hurt.  Most spiders aren’t scary or aggressive, even at close range.  I learned from various spider biologists where to find different kinds of spiders for my National Geographic magazine story and for the children’s book.  One time while on my knees photographing an ogre faced spider in the rain forest at night, I felt something touch my knees.  But I didn’t look right away because I was too busy taking photos.  When I finished, I looked down and saw a poisonous coral snake slithering by.  I jumped up and backwards so fast.  Now, THAT was scary.

I use macro lenses on my camera and often use strobe lights.  In order to not scare bugs, I sneak up slowly to get my shots.  It takes a lot of patience.

There isn’t one place.  The challenges range from stolen equipment, equipment not arriving at my destination, avoiding war zones, parasites, stinging bees and wasps, and close encounters with crocodiles and various poisonous snakes.

I like different locations for different reasons.  I loved the food in Denmark, the flooded forests in the Amazon, the volcanic activity in Hawaii, the kangaroos in Australia, the giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands, the coral reefs off Borneo.

Scuba diving with thousands of jellyfish is something I’ll never forget.  But, really, I have lots of favorite adventures and some of them are much closer to home.

It’s been a long, circuitous path.  But I kept going back to my childhood interests.

While I was a still a college student at the Art Institute of Chicago, I showed some of my work in galleries, but I was hoping to get outdoors more for inspiration.  Then, before graduation, I received a foreign traveling fellowship.  I used the funds to go to the Galapagos Island.  I was SO inspired with what I encountered there, that I wanted to learn more.  That led me eventually to go into a Ph.D. program at the University of Texas – and somewhat of a career change. 


For my graduate work, I did scientific research in a tropical rainforest in Costa Rica.  While I was there, photography was my hobby that I did in my spare time.  But I worked diligently on improving it, and eventually I developed a separate reputation for both my scientific research and my photography. 

One time while I was working at Harvard as a postdoctoral researcher, my science funding ran out and I had to scramble. I had already done one article for National Geographic magazine, and decided to propose another.  After doing a couple articles for the magazine I decided to go more in that direction.  Children’s books and other magazine articles followed. Now I’m happy with how I’ve brought the art and science careers together.  I like new challenges and enjoy learning new things. 

People thought I had artistic talent when I was a child and I was encouraged in that direction.  I also had such a passion for the outdoors and was in love with all kinds of animals.

It takes a while to make the transition from student to professional.  I worked hard to overcome my fear of writing, speaking, and making a fool of myself.  Oh, and I had a deathly fear of drowning, but overcame that in order to scuba dive.