Creel Photography

Creel Photography

Artist's Statement
Like so many photographers, my interest in photography began innocently enough. Being a Biology major in college, I spent a fair amount of time in the field, researching, camping, fishing, and usually had a camera with me as a means of documenting where I had gone, and what I had found. But something was amiss. The cheap drug store prints rarely evoked the emotions that I felt while in the field, nor did they convey the true beauty, tranquility, or essence of the sites and scenes to those I dare show my prints. Not satisfied with mediocre prints, I began to study elements of composition that lead to beautiful images, how to control photography equipment for consistent results, and began to notice the works of contemporary nature photographers. I wish I could say that my transformation from a snapshot junkie to my current level of knowledge was a quick process, but that would be a lie. However, somewhere it this period of transformation I began to regard my work as more than just documentary (although that is certainly still a part); I began to see it as art.

To me, part of the allure of photography lies in the fact that no matter how technically proficient you become, no matter how many beautiful scenes you portray, no matter how many places you have been, no matter how many people tell you that you are talented, there is always another level of excellence for which to strive. That is what keeps me in the field, keeps me producing images, continuing to study the natural world around me, and striving to take my photography to new heights. I hope that somewhere on this website, an image of mine evokes an emotional response in you: an emotion that drives you to explore nature, to find beauty in your little corner of the world, to pick up your camera and take a walk. Who knows what you might find?

Personal Information

Base of Operation	Suburban Ft. Worth, TX (City of Euless to be exact)
Marital Status	Happily married to my wife since 1998, oh yeah, we have a Beagle named "Bailey"
Places Lived	Born in Conroe, TX, lived in the woods near there until the age of 8 Lived in Casper, WY from the age of 8 until I was nearly 15 Lived in the D/FW Metroplex since 1988
Photographic Concentration	All things Texas, with a few other locales sprinkled in such as Grand Bahama Island, Maui, Alaska. I also travel a lot in Louisiana and am actively increasing my portfolio from this beautiful State.
Camera Equipment	First off, let me say that brands of photography equipment are not nearly as important as people think they are. That is not to diminish the role equipment can play in end results, but what matters more is the photographers ability to compose and to control whatever equipment they do have. That said, here is a list of past and present equipment used to generate images on this website. Mamiya 645 Mamiya 45mm Lens Mamiya 80mm Lens Nikon D200 Nikon D70 Nikon F100 Nikon 20mm Lens Nikon 12-24mm Lens Nikon 28-105mm Lens Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens Nikon 18-70mm AF-S Lens I virtually always use a tripod, a Bogen/Manfrotto base and head. I try to avoid filters whenever possible, but I do use them to make sure the end result ends up as I saw it in the field. I never use them to artificially enhance an image. Filters used include: Graduated Neutral Density Filter Circular Polarizer Warming Filter to color correct in shade Red Filter for B/W photography Yellow Filter for B/W photography Green Filter for B/W photography