Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ. is located on 20 acres and features more than 150 species from around the world in updated naturalistic habitats. The zoo is a great place to practice your technique and learn about your camera before heading out on a major trip, safari or vacation. I teach my "Learning Your Camera" and "Zoo Photography" courses at Turtle Back. Subjects are plentiful and are always available to facilitate learning.

Digital RAW files are available for sale to art directors, editors, publishers, photo researchers, stock houses, advertising/public relations agencies and other interested individuals.

With digital capture, it’s very easy to take hundreds if not thousands of photographs on a shoot and hope a few turn out good. Being shutter-happy is a double-edged sword and is something I try to avoid.


Digital cameras allow us to be better photographers on one hand by providing instant feedback and the ability to correct errors on location. On the other hand, many digital photographers employ the shotgun approach to shooting which leads to sloppiness and results in a lot of wasted time downloading, previewing and editing images that fall short on quality and artistic merit.


I’m not suggesting you should be overly conservative in the number of photos taken on a particular outing given digital capture is free and you are not paying for film and processing. The point I’m making is slow down, think carefully about what you are doing and “Anticipate the Right Moment”. When you do find a good subject in the right light doing something interesting then by all means shoot quickly and capture as many images as you can.

I almost never use my camera on the automatic mode. If I did, I would not have been able to make the majority of photographs you see on this site.

To excel at photography requires: 1. An understanding of the camera system (exposure, f stops, shutter speeds, ISO, white balance, auto focus modes, lenses, flash, light metering, menu items and other important settings) and 2: The artistic component (composition, design and lighting).

The 40 mile section of Delaware River contained in The Delaware Water Gap NRA is very scenic but not always easy to photograph.

This image was made on a cold, cloudy winter day in February when not much was happening. Rather than take a boring record type photograph, I decided to try an abstract. The employment of a very slow shutter speed blurred out the large sections of ice flowing down the river. By using a telephoto lens, I eliminated all visual references to what this actually is therefore, creating a successful nature abstract.

Winter is a great time to be out in the field with your camera. I can be found in the field photographing almost every day in the winter months except on the the coldest of days when the temperatures are below 20 degrees. Where I live in New Jersey, the conditions are usually mild enough to be outdoors all winter long. I find I produce some of my best images during this time of year.

The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, located a few miles South of Morristown, NJ near Basking Ridge, is a great place to photograph landscapes and wildlife from the comfort of elevated boardwalks. The refuge encompasses over 7,000 acres of woodlands, swamp, marsh and field habitats. These varied habitats attract a wide variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

I have been photographing at Great Swamp for more than 20 years. I know the refuge inside and out. I can usually find wildlife subjects year-round.

In addition to teaching my Nature, Landscape and Wildlife Courses at Great Swamp, I teach my Digital Camera Fundementals and Art of Seeing courses at the refuge.