Arizona Desert Saguaro Wall Art, Western Wall Decoration, Superstition Mountains, Lost Dutchman State Park, Paper, Canvas, and Metal

Hi, my name is Jamie. I am a nature photographer from Las Vegas, Nevada, who loves spending time outdoors. My goal is to conserve and protect nature by sharing my photographic art with people worldwide. My absolute favorite is underwater marine life.

Living in the middle of the hot desert makes it hard for me to get to beautiful locations to capture stunning photographs the way I dream. However, I'm very persistent. I'm determined to travel to these places every free moment I have.

My earliest memories in life include running around with a camera in hand. I loved taking pictures from almost day one. And I remember when I decided to become a professional photographer like it was yesterday. The ocean has been my favorite place for as long as I can remember. So, I learned to scuba dive during my first year of college. At first, I brought a camera on every dive to show my mom the beautiful creatures I saw on my adventures.

I initially captured washed-out (and often very green) underwater photos. I had yet to learn about lighting a scene underwater. One weekend, I was assisting with a workshop off the coast of San Diego, California, with a group of scuba friends.

I recently purchased a new point-and-shoot camera with underwater housing and brought it on the trip. About halfway through the day's first dive, I noticed hundreds of Brittle Stars, a relative of the starfish, across the rocky bottom. They reminded me of creepy Halloween fingers reaching up through the rocks on the ocean floor. I immediately knew I had to take a picture!

At this point, I could feel the cold water through the squeeze of my dry suit. My buoyancy was perfect, so I didn't want to add air to my suit. And I knew I needed to take this picture before the rest of my group swam away, and the moment was gone.

I got up close and took a deep breath to try and steady myself. I focused my camera and slowly pressed down on the shutter. I startled myself as the flash accidentally went off, "Ahhh! I thought I shut that off", I thought. I quickly looked down to adjust my settings just in time to see the preview screen of the shot go dark. For what seemed like a millisecond, I saw a flash of colors. "What was that?" I said out loud into my air supply as I saw the underwater scene in full color for the first time.

At first, I froze, not believing my eyes. Then, my heart began to flutter. I swam over to my dive buddy and frantically tugged on his shoulder like a child in a candy store. I motioned at my camera to show him my achievement. I pressed the little red preview button on the back of my camera's housing, illuminating the screen. His eyes light up with excitement.

The photo showed blue, yellow, and orange brittle stars clinging to purple rocks in the brightly lit scene. I was utterly captivated by my first picture under the sea using a flash! I felt immensely privileged to see this view that 99% of the world never got to. I immediately wanted to bring the unique beauty of the underwater world to the surface for all to appreciate. I knew then, with a firm certainty that has never left me, I am on this earth to capture the extraordinary and bring it to the world who may otherwise never get to witness its absolute magic.

Life progressed with compounding responsibilities. I became absorbed with work, studying, and caring for others. Although I wanted photography to be my main focus, it began to drift further and further away.

Adult obligations kept me close to home. Getting outside to connect with nature became impossible, let alone making it to the coast for a dive. I didn't realize it then, but I was allowing life to speed by unnoticed, with my passions on the back burner.

Life changed considerably for me in early 2020. Out of nowhere, I had more time than I knew what to do with. And for the first time in my life, being at home felt like being locked in prison.

In June of that year, my husband and I purchased a travel trailer to escape from the confines of home and get out of the house. Before I knew it, we were off camping in the woods and at the beach nearly every other weekend. The day we picked up our new home on wheels, I saw freedom on the horizon for the first time in many years. My life changed in that moment.

The ability to get outside and near the ocean again changed my perception and allowed me to prioritize outdoor adventures and photography high on the list.

At the same time, my meditation and mindfulness studies began to open my eyes to all the beauty above water, too. These experiences allowed me to expand my photographic endeavors to all that nature offers. Redwood and Sequoia forests, beaches, and seascapes have also become my favorite things to take photos of.

I now spend several weeks creating art versus only a few days each year. I have now sold over 100 of my photographs as art. Seeing others enjoy my photography as much as I love creating it makes all the effort worthwhile. It makes my heart sing to be able to share my photos with the world and support conservation efforts for the things that I love most.