James Brown Wildlife Artist Art Prints "Yellow head"

I was born in Sugarcreek, a small village in northeast Ohio. Growing up on the edge of a small town at that time, gave me the freedom to explore my surroundings which meant spending a lot of time outdoors. And in this setting was where my love and respect of nature was born.

Photography has always been one of my interests. I enjoyed a photography course in college at The Ohio State University and afterwards rented dakroom time at the student union exploring the development f photos I took on campus, of friends and in the woods. I was able to pursue photography in earnest after taking early retirement from a 31 year career in industy. Several months after retiring, my wife Eve gave a a Canon camera and my real passion for photography began. My main state for my photography is the Cuyahoga Valley national Park. Living in Akron, I am on the edge of the Park and walk its trails almost daily. Along with my wife Eve, I also take trips to places and parks in the US and travel occasionally overseas. This gives me the opportunity to take nature photos from different parts of the United State and the world.

I find the majority of subjects for my photos simply hiking and observing the wildlife when it presents itself. However, if I am aware of an active nest, a particular perch that a hummingbird likes or I find a a kill, etc., I will return to those spots and wait to see what might happen. The image I create starts with a digital photograph. The original image is downloaded from my camera to the computer where it is usually cropped in Photoshop. If possible, I try not to touch the color of the subject but I do modify the color of the background to sepia/black and white. I then fade the edges of the photo to bring the viewer's eye into the area of the subject. By "muting" the background, one sees all the color and detail of the subject.