There is a saying: “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” It is often attributed to John Muir, though no one can say for certain whether he actually said it. Regardless, it perfectly captures how I feel. I go to the woods to find my soul again, and it always works.
Every outing presents opportunities for photographs; I simply have to adjust my expectations and pay attention to what’s around me. Sometimes I see beautiful dragonflies, birds, little critters, big bears, or baby bears. Other times, it’s tiny buds on a tree branch or a busy bee among the flowers. And then there’s the rural barns, landscapes, and whatever the backroads gifts me with. The beauty is always there.
I never leave an adventure thinking, “Well, that was a bust,” even if I didn’t take a single photograph. Time spent in the woods, on a backroad, or simply surrounded by nature is never wasted. It’s where I recharge.
Many of these images were captured throughout Illinois, the Smoky Mountains (my favorite place to escape), and beyond while exploring the natural world around me.
This collection features some of my favorite photographs of wildlife, nature, rural landscapes, and the everyday scenes that inspire me to pick up my camera and explore the world one more time. They aren’t always perfect images, but the journey behind them always was.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed capturing them.
