As a boy, I was an expert and ardent frog catcher, and proudly
remain so. I spent much of my time in the woods observing nature.
My interest in photography came from a desire to document these
observations. After all there was such beauty in the eyes of a frog or
the wings of a dragonfly. But these subjects proved difficult to
photograph and my first attempts were not very successful. The turning
point was a class in nature photography. Taking the lessons to heart I
read everything I could on the subject. Shooting constantly, my skills
improved, in time my work was selling though an agency. When I wasn’t
shooting I’d be pouring over the stacks of biological journals at
Yale's Klein Science Library. On weekends, I'd be high in a stadium
perched on scaffold with a Bolex movie camera shooting B&W reversal
film for the football coach. Shooting sports was good training as
everything needed to be done quickly, from loading film, to changing
lenses and magazines, to covering the action. Of course, the entire
team would remind me if I missed a shot.
During
this time I started travelling to the tropics and discovered the
rainforest. I fell in love with the diversity of creatures, it seemed
each was more fantastic than the last and many of these animals had
never been photographed. I began leading expeditions and guiding groups
to remote jungles. As a student this was wonderful, getting paid to
explore and shoot, and when I returned I’d steep myself in the library
learning more about the species encountered. Every trip we would find
something new; birds, bats, butterflies, plants and of course frogs. At
times they were not only new to me but also new to science. My
discoveries allowed me contact with some of the same biologists whose
papers I had been reading. Now I could put questions directly to
experts. So much was unknown, this fuelled my desire to keep exploring
and shooting. School breaks would find me behind a camera in the
jungles of Guatemala or Belize.
After
graduating with a degree in wildlife biology, my passion for
photography lead me to work as a photo editor in New York, handling the
top nature shooters. Everyday I studied images, from portrait to
landscape learning what makes good photography.
Keen to return to the outdoors and intent on combining my love of
biology and photography, I decided to attend film school. At Boston
University I studied documentary filmmaking and learned the craft of
storytelling. Here I met David Quaid ASC, he would become a lifelong
friend and one of my key mentors. He made me appreciate shadow and
light in a new way, and taught me everything from the declination of
the sun to how to collimate a lens. After finishing graduate studies I
spent 2 years on a crew shooting a Jaguar film in Belize - commissioned
by the Japanese broadcaster NHK it was the first of its kind;
originated entirely on 35mm, posted and delivered in High Definition.
It was a great experience; finally, it was all coming together.
Over
the years I’ve held a number of jobs in the business, from Jr. TV
Executive to researcher, and rental house tech to news cameraman. Every
position has taught me more about the film and television business and
how to better communicate with images. I write, shoot, direct and
produce enjoying every aspect of the filmmaking process from field
photography to the final mix. Filmmaking combines writing,
storytelling, photography, sound and music in a magical way resulting
in an unmatched creative experience.
For eleven years I was at the BBC Natural History Unit as a staff
producer, director, cameraman - producing and working on many
award-winning programs. These days I’m busy as ever teaching filmmaking
at Montana State University, acting Director of the MFA Graduate
Program, Supervising Producer of the TERRA Video Podcast, and a list
administrator of the Cinematography Mailing List as well as freelance
shooting, directing and producing and pursuing personal projects.
My
aim is for the work to make a difference, however small, in saving the
natural world and educating audiences just how precious it is.
I still have my passion for exploring nature with a camera.
And I still love frogs.
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