
Jim is an award winning, freelance, avian
photographer specializing in birds in flight. He is a native of
Minnesota, where he was instilled with a keen interest in wildlife and
nature since childhood. It was not until he moved to the birding paradise
of central Florida; however, that he became seriously interested in
photography.
Jim soon observed that birds are the most
prevalent form of wildlife in Florida. He knew that in order to become
good at photographing them; however, he needed to learn more about these
winged subjects. Jim has spent the last four years extensively studying,
observing and photographing birds in Florida. This has led to a love and
fascination with birds and avian photography. In his opinion, birds are
one of the most interesting and challenging forms of wildlife to
photograph.
Through his experimentation with avian
photography, Jim has developed his own method of handheld photography
using long telephoto lenses, which he applies to making images of birds in
flight. He believes that using long lenses, handheld, is the most
powerful technique for photographing birds in flight or action of any
kind. His handheld method has gained recent popularity leading to the
creation of his company, Flight School Photography.
Jim’s Flight School offers group workshops
where handheld photography instruction for birds in flight is provided.
Jim also offers private photography workshops that are tailored
specifically to the requirements and desires of the participants. The
workshops are offered year round, by boat or by land, in some of the best
birding spots of central Florida. Flight School also offers fall
workshops at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.
Jim’s work has appeared in many
publications from well known publishers such as The National Wildlife
Federation, National Geographic, The American Birding Association, Naturescapes Online Magazine, Princeton University Press, and The National
Park Service.
In 2007, Jim's images were featured in the
book "On Feathered Wings" published by Abrams Books. Several of
Jim's Images from the book are also featured in the "On Feathered Wings"
exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY.
Jim also used his knowledge of the birds in Florida to
create the “Central Florida Site Guide”, a publication that contains
detailed descriptions of the hand-held technique he uses to photograph
birds in flight and provides a complete guide
to some of central Florida’s best
bird photography opportunities.
The
site guide is only available at
Birds as Art.
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