It's all About Art and Exploring
I work from my art studio in the sky. Nothing excites me more than discovering and photographing unusual scenes and textures from above.
Using a special plane my son and I built, I've flown in over 35 states to satisfy my passion for exploration, art and adventure. Having my own plane allows me to virtually "live" in the sky and be able to capture just the right lighting and weather for my shot.
Greatest Flying Adventure
In 2003, tackling the greatest challenge of my life, I retraced the famous route of Lewis and Clark from the air. Flying 14,000 miles in my open-cockpit plane, I captured a new artistic perspective on the entire rugged route that the brave explorers followed.
In addition to offering fine art prints of my photographs, I have published two, highly successful coffee table books, Chasing Lewis & Clark Across America: A 21st Century Aviation Adventure and Tennessee River: Sparkling Gem of the South.
The Missouri River Breaks presented some of the biggest challenges on the Lewis and Clark trip.
The cloud photos and aerial landscapes that I have photographed over the years were shot mostly from experimental-class airplanes I have built. When I fly in these planes, I am positioned far forward of the wing in an open cockpit. This vantage point offers me such an unobstructed view that it's like sitting in front of my own personal IMAX ™ theater.
Imagine flying in the evening and floating above the clouds at 10,000 feet going only 40 mph. As the sun sets rapidly, the clouds start to glow in one hue then another. This experience is like taking Beethoven's Ninth intravenously! With near zero turbulence and the plane trimmed out for level flight, I can turn loose of the stick and use my feet on the rudder to make minor position adjustments.
Now I go to work—adjusting f/stops, getting into the right position and altitude and hoping my friends on approach control will keep Delta out of my shot. Whoever said sunsets were relaxing!
