EDUCATION;
Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg Kansas, 1974.

DIVING AND UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY HISTORY;
Open Water certification in 1969 from YMCA and the National Association of Underwater Instructors Underwater Instructor Certification in 1974 from the Midwest Diving Council, Inc. and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

In 1970 I took my first underwater photographs in a sand pit near Lawrence KS. Since then I have been diving and doing underwater photography in freshwater environments in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Louisiana and Oregon. Outside the United States I have worked in the Rio Negro river in Brazil. My saltwater diving experience includes the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Grand Cayman Island, Roatan Island in Honduras, Florida Keys, Sea of Cortes, Puget Sound and several Channel Islands in California.

In addition to photography I have also done ice diving, wreck diving, cavern diving and limited visibility recovery work. From the years of diving and underwater photography experience I have developed specialized techniques in freshwater underwater photography. In addition to artistic composition I try to emphasize identifying characteristics and behaviors valuable to the scientific community.

WORK HISTORY;
I have spent 25 years working in the construction industry. I went through various stages in the construction field from owning my own company for six years to being a supervisor for other companies.

In 1994 I decided to work full time photographing freshwater ecosystems and their inhabitants. Few photographers are doing work in this field and it was becoming apparent there was a need for this work to be done. I started AQUATIC KANSAS IMAGES and began photographing in the few remaining aquatic environments in Kansas that are still clear enough to work underwater.

The first major publications my images appeared in were the books “Kansas Wetlands; A Wildlife Treasury” Joseph T. Collins, Suzanne L. Collins and Bob Gress, 1994 and "Fishes in Kansas" Frank B. Cross and Joseph T. Collins, 1995.

I continued to build a collection of rare images that were of interest to writers and publishers. As the collection and my reputation grew other opportunities became available. In 1998 I began a photo assignment for the "Freshwater Fishes of Texas" project. The purpose of the assignment is to photograph all the freshwater fish species inhabiting Texas waters. The images will be used in the book, "Freshwater Fishes of Texas" (authors Dr. Clark Hubbs, Dr. Bob Edwards Dr. Gary P. Garrett and Garold W. Sneegas) a companion CD-ROM and an exhibit at the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin Texas.

Additional opportunities continue to arise and I am currently working on a number of other assignments and book projects.

In addition to photography I have also been working with digital imaging on my own images, the general public and scientific communities. Projects have ranged from museum displays, images for book covers and layouts to scanning cross sections of sea anemone's mounted on 1X3 glass microscope slides.

Some of the publications my images have appeared in include:

BOOKS:
National Audubon Society "Field Guide to Fishes" (2002)
Chanticleer Press Inc., New York, NY
American Aquarium Fishes (2000)
Robert J. Goldstein, Rodney W. Harper and Richard Edwards
Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Fishes (2000)
Chanticleer Press Inc., New York, NY
Ortho's All About Water Gardening (2000)
Meredith Corporation, Des Moines, IA
Salmon and His People Fish & Fishing in Nez Perce Culture (1999)
Dan Landeen, Allen Pinkham
Confluence Press, Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, ID
Kansas Past Pieces of the 34th Star (1999)
Penthe Publishing, Lawrence, KS
Fishes In Kansas (1995)
Frank B. Cross, Joseph T. Collins
University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Kansas Wetlands; A Wildlife Treasury (1994)
Joseph T. Collins, Suzanne L. Collins and Bob Gress
University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

MAGAZINES:
American Currents (Quarterly publication of the North American Native Fishes Association)
American Fisheries
Atlantic Monthly
Aquarium Fish Magazine
Freshwater And Marine Aquarium
Golf Course Management
Kansas Alumni
Idaho Wildlife Magazine
In-Fisherman
Louisiana Conservationists
Outdoor Photographer
PADI Undersea Journal
RIVER
South Dakota Conservation Digest
Tropical Fish Hobbyist
Water Gardening
Wisconsin Natural Resources
"W.O.W." Wild Outdoor World

MUSEUM INTERPRETIVE DISPLAYS:
Newport Aquarium
Newport, KY
Great Lakes Aquarium
Duluth, MN
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
Lawrence, KS
Tennessee Aquarium
Chattanooga, TN
New England Aquarium
Boston, MA

MUSEUM EXHIBITS:
Texas Memorial Museum at The University of Texas at Austin
Exhibit for the "Freshwater Fishes of Texas Project"
April 2000 through April 2001
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
"Flint Hills Aquatic Flora and Fauna"
January through April 1998

AWARDS;
First Place Idaho Wildlife Magazine 1997 photo contest.
Honorable Mention in The Nature Conservancy's "Wildlife and Wild Places" 1997 photo contest.
Third place in the 1990 17th Seaspace International Photography Competition, Freshwater Slides, Houston, TX

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