I'm a tropical ecologist with a specialty in plant-animal interactions and a long-time amateur photographer. I've been able to travel extensively in the tropics in my research, always with camera in tow. But I feel that my photography has really blossomed in the digital age and want to share my 'vision' with others. I'm particularly interested in 'painterly' images and often convert my favorite photos into digital paintings under the influence of artists such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Edward Hopper, and Maynard Dixon. I have rather eclectic tastes in my subjects but have done little landscape photography. Given my background as a biologist, I particularly enjoy photographing wildlife, but I also like to photograph 'people doing interesting things.' Living and traveling in tropical countries has fueled my interest in diverse cultures.

As an artist, I am often drawn to images that are visually complex (reflecting my lifelong interest in biological diversity) and colorful. I also seek images that are elegant in composition or in their graphic elements. One of my current techniques involves creating photo montages as a way to emphasize the place of wildlife and people in their natural environments.

My portrait is courtesy of Ellen Duperret