“Although I love to take pictures, and always have, I never took photography as a serious pursuit. Now, I think constantly about photography, and I can’t turn my head without looking at something and wondering if this would make a good shot.” Phil has always been interested in fine arts and excelled in creating art work in a wide variety of mediums. After attending college to study Urban Planning and Computer Science, and then pursuing a busy career, he didn’t have the time to create art, but the desire was always there to express his creative nature.

In January 2007, Phil purchased his first digital SLR camera, and his life has not been the same since. Later that month, he went for a hike in his neighborhood and took the camera along hoping to get some practice. “Just as I turned the first corner from my house, I heard a lot of squawking crows and I looked up into the trees. The crows were just leaving, and there, sitting on a branch, was a lone Bald Eagle”. Phil couldn’t believe his luck, and quickly started snapping shots. When he returned home and reviewed the photos on the computer, he realized he had something special. He sent the photo to The Seattle Times and entered their weekly online contest of reader’s photos, and his photo was selected to appear on their website. “Once I saw my photo online, I was hooked, and I knew that I had a talent that needed to be pursued”.

Since then, Phil’s photographs have been featured several times on The Seattle Times website, and in featured articles in their newspaper. Phil has also had his photos featured online with The Press Democrat of Sonoma County, CA. One of his favorite personal accomplishments is having several of his photographs accepted by the National Geographic Magazine and published on their website. His photos are still online in their “Animals” photo gallery, and other photos are used to illustrate articles in their online Travel and Adventure sections and are available as National Geographic computer wallpaper.

In 2009, Phil was approached by Getty Images and asked to be a contributing photographer, and now several of his photographs are part of the Getty Images catalog available for licensing.

In addition to being featured in various publications, Phil’s photographs have been selected to appear in various local galleries and exhibitions, and had five photos exhibited in the 2008 Northwest International Exhibition of Photography which was sponsored by the Photographic Society of America. Phil most recently participated in the “Through the Lens and Beyond” exhibit at the Sebastopol Center of the Arts, in Sebastopol, CA.

Click on the photo for my National Geographic Society Wallpaper

ABOUT THE BACKGROUND IMAGE
Many thanks to "pareeerica" who crafted this amazingly beautiful background texture. The name of the texture is called "Golden Grain" and is used under a Creative Commons license. Please click on her name above to see all of her wonderful work.