About Baz

From the time I was a small child, my parents introduced me to natural wilderness areas, including remote areas in Canada. As a teen, I lived at the edge of the Everglades, which enhanced my appreciation of nature in all its forms.

My family played a major role in my fascination with photography:

My grandmother traveled quite a bit and used an Argus with a fixed f3.5 50mm lens to photograph scenics, gardens and people of interest.

My older brother, who was studying ornithology at the time, would take me exploring in the Everglades with a movie camera, where we would look for great flocks of birds and rookeries. Such outings were both an adventure and a creative experience.

My father used a Kodak Stereo Camera (3D) that produced eye-popping color slides mounted in a dual transparency frame that could be viewed through a special hand-held Kodaslide viewer. The pictures were spectacular for 1950s and ’60s vintage, and the 3D feature made them very lifelike.

My father taught me to respect the outdoors but not to fear it. I was on and around boats and water from the time I was born. When I was 6, he sent me off for supplies in a dingy with a 3-hp motor and an iridescent orange paddle. It was about a 6-mile trip through a Canadian wilderness water maze. I encountered no cabins, people or civilization on the way.

He told me that if I were to get lost or have trouble, to stop on an island and plant the orange paddle on the shore, and that he would come find me later. I loved it. It was scary, but it was an adventure. I returned safely. However, forgetting that I had to buy gasoline for the return trip, I spent most of the money on candy. Then, by the time I bought the gas, I had no money left for supplies. I returned empty-handed.

My travels have taken me to five continents, from as far north as the edge of the Arctic Circle to New Zealand in the south. There are two locations that I return to frequently – the Everglades for the birds, and the island of Kauai for the diverse beauty.

I live at the base of the Smoky Mountains, so my backyard is a full four-season wonderland of scenery, wildlife, flowers and color. Trips to the western mountains and canyons provide a great contrast for photography and invariably get my creative juices flowing. If I did not own a camera I would still travel and explore, as I find both nature and people to be fascinating.

From the top of a volcano to the bottom of a canyon, the beauty and the power of nature always lifts my spirit, even when it sometimes frightens my being. To capture images along the journey, moments in time that become timeless, is just a bonus. To share these images with others, bringing the outside inside through photography, adds joy to my endeavors. Some images have stories that accompany them, while most tell a story of beauty, wonder or humor on their own. The story is always in the eye and the imagination of the beholder.

Beyond the Brownie camera, my personal interest in photography started with a Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL camera. I purchased it when I began traveling internationally, and it still may be somewhere in China where I left it for repair but could never return to pick it up.

Currently I use Canon equipment – the EOS 1V for 35mm transparencies, but my workhorse progressed from the Canon EOS 20D digital camera to the EOS 1D Mark III with three Canon lenses: 100mm Macro, 28-135mm IS (Image Stabilization) zoom & the EF 100-400mm (IS) zoom. I find that with these lenses I can tackle nearly any nature photography project while on the move. I shoot almost exclusively digital these days as it is much easier to travel by air without film and I can see the results while I am still near the subject.

I pray that my images will touch your heart and mind in a way that calms the spirit and heals the heart. The world is God’s original creation and I just copy His work.