jrn 521 portrait shootout

Shootout during the PJ capstone class. We were assigned to make a portrait of our class partners. (Mine is Jake May, PJ extraordinaire and my unofficial big brother.)

National Park Application: Essay and Wildlife Imagery

Northern New Hampshire

I've compiled this blog post to show a collection of work made in the natural world, for viewing as part of my application for a summer internship working with the National Park Service.


White Mountains, New Hampshire

Growing up in the Upper Peninsula gave me a great love for the natural world. As a kid I played in the hedge in my parents' backyard, made forts under trees near our home, and rode horseback through woods and remote fields. I spent time in the summers at a church camp called Presbytery Point, which lies on a small peninsula edged in white birch and nestled in Lake Michigamme. Campfires, swimming, and hiking nearby "Mount Baldy" are some of my favorite memories. Years later, some of my best times visiting my hometown include visiting the rapids of the Menominee River at Piers Gorge and running the quiet, protected trails around Fumee Lake.

As a hiker and a runner, I want to share my love for fresh air and outdoor adventure with city-locked people. It's my belief that more time outside would make us a happier, healthier society. National parks are a gift and a precious commodity that I both want to experience and document, to communicate the importance of wildlife and its preservation. Sometimes just seeing a striking image can be an adventure in itself, and inspire a hunger to be present at the real thing. Pictures and multimedia are vital to the well-being and representation of wildlife. I hope to be part of procuring the visuals that instill an irresistible pull to advocate for and explore national parks.

As a photographer, I'm captivated by the variety and vibrancy of plants and animals. Nature has so much beauty to offer that is often overlooked in modern-day society. This past summer, while interning at the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, I spent my days off delighting in the woods and pond near my host family's home and road tripping to the White Mountains and to the 17 miles of sea coast in New Hampshire and the rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean in Maine. Making pictures of the wild world was a release and a joy for me. And sometimes I was content just to be outside, without documenting, but absorbing the quiet and ferocity of flora and fauna.


White Mountains, New Hampshire


Snow Pond, Concord, New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire


Northern New Hampshire

God bless us, every one

Quick grab from the balcony. Candlelight Christmas Eve at home.

ny: blue, red

color candy in the big apple

new york in december

Some seeing from my trip to see a dear friend in Brooklyn last month. We played downtown.

around Manhattan

St. Patrick's Cathedral

in MoMa

around Manhattan

Rockefeller Center

fishing in the winter

Not ice fishing, but fishing in the winter. First MDN assignment of the year.

Bruce Biggs, of Midland, helps his son, Sidney Biggs, 5, get a better grip on his fishing pole on Sunday afternoon under the Tridge. Bruce, who used to fish in the same area as a kid, said they were hoping to catch anything that would bite. Though the water did not yield any fish, Sidney was enthusiastic. "We caught the ground of that lake!" he said to his father, beaming his approval after the line caught on a rock.

"give thanks" for upper peninsula music

Always great to hear U.P. music live when I'm in the hometown. Thankful to Mostly Midwest and my friend Steven Michael for making it happen and letting me shoot. Check out the Mostly Midwest website for videos and words about this show and to keep an eye on the midwest music scene.

Again, for more media, hit up www.mostlymidwest.com !