As photographer and filmmaker for South Dakota Tourism, I try to focus on telling a contemporary visual story about this place and the people who live and spend a part of their lives here in the magical beauty of this state. When I am composing the images I am not thinking about how it will work as a banner ad or billboard for tourism, I just want to tell an honest and authentic story about what I see and how I see it.

I see myself more as a journalist than an artist. Maybe a professional eavesdropper. I rarely set out with intention behind my photos. I see more clearly through the lens. I’m paying attention to a certain way a shadow falls across someone’s face, or how the sun illuminates some potential key to the universe.

If my photographs and films survive, I would like them to be looked at as artifacts and proof that even in a time of political polarization, ideological turbulence, and the continuous speed and spin of distraction, there are still people who have stopped along the way long enough to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of their lives.