Biography
While attending college at South Dakota State University, Tony worked as the photo lab manager at the Office of Remote Sensing where he discovered his passion for photography. He was very fortunate to receive personal training in photographic science from Jim McCord, photo trainer of the original Apollo astronauts. Shortly after college, Tony moved to Washington D.C. for a year before being offered a position in Denver. Once Tony started exploring Colorado and the desert southwest with his camera in 1988, he knew he had found “home”. Tony and his wife now reside near Ridgway, Colorado which is undoubtedly one of the most scenic areas in the country. Tony is also a licensed real estate broker in Colorado.
Tony’s work has been published in hundreds of magazines, books, calendars, postcards, websites, and other publications locally, nationally, and internationally. One of his images of Antelope Valley, CA was selected for the cover of the Sierra Club wall calendar which is the most coveted publication of nature photographers. His photographs can be found in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the world. Tony’s work has also been requested by Universal Studios for use in the Hollywood movie “Out of Sight”, starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez.
Tony is known for finding and photographing many of the now photographic icons of the desert SW long before they became well known due to the internet. He has seen first-hand over his past three decades of shooting the destruction of many of these fabulous places caused by other photographers trying to make a name for themselves by publishing location directions and also by irresponsible tourists. Tony is honored to be one of the founding members of Nature First - The Alliance for Responsible Nature Photography (click on link above).
Tony is always willing to share his knowledge and passion for photography with others. Each year, he receives numerous inquiries about photo techniques, locations, and marketing. He personally answers each inquiry.
Artist Statement
The images before you are a few of my finest photographs collected over many years of persistence, dedication, and patience trying to capture the perfect images of nature. I have returned to some locations over 40 times to capture images that transcend the beauty in nature and push the envelope of the believable. My goal when I’m out shooting is to capture more than just a beautiful picture. I try to capture a portion of the overwhelming emotion that a scene can produce when the elements of nature come together for a fleeting moment in time. I want the viewer to see my images as I actually saw it in the field without the over-processing and saturation that so many nature photographers use these days. My images are captured with natural light and with no alteration of nature (such as removing twigs, turning leaves over so the colorful side is up, rearranging flowers, etc.).