11694

I grew up on a commercial fishing boat on the waters off southeast Alaska. I first went to sea when I was just two weeks old aboard my parent's fishing boat and from a very early age I was inspired by the ocean, the creatures that dwelt beneath the waves, and the majestic landscapes around me. 15,000 foot glacier studded peaks rising straight out of green glacial water, steep rocky coastlines blanketed in old growth forests, and humpback whales dancing around the small 43 foot boat that was my summer home. These experiences have had a profound impact on my life and continue to inspire the way I see and interact with the world today. When I was 22 years old I took the helm of the boat I grew up on and began a fishing career of my own. Combing the shadows of the same mountains that my father raised me under searching for salmon to feed the world and sustain a living. I am very new to the art of photography, although I dabbled in it in high school, it was a long time until I came back to it with any amount of seriousness. I have only been practicing landscape photography for about a year, but I take inspiration from the places that first inspired me as a child and continue to inspire me to this day. Whether its the waters of southeast Alaska, or the rocky coastlines of Washington and Oregon, the waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge, Or the towering peaks of Glacier National Park. I find my inspiration in the wild places of the world and would like to remind people of the beauty that is often just beyond their own backyards. I would like to convey a since of beauty and wonder to people so that they will see the importance of preserving our natural places and perhaps more importantly find ways to reconnect themselves with nature. I am humbled by the natural world and often feel that I can not do justice to the scenes I find myself in. So it is with a great deal of humility that I display these images. So thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a look. I am constantly trying to learn how to better achieve my vision so please feel free to critique my images and offer advice, I am very grateful for feedback and always open to new ideas. Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ~ John Muir