As a young boy in southern Iowa I used to enjoy the sounds of the birds in the spring and was saddened when winter would set in and most of those sounds were absent. In the spring I would sketch birds and add any different species to my list I also took art classes but soon realized I was not very good at art. When the opportunity came along to take pictures I realized this was what I could do to express myself. I am basically a self-taught photographer. When I got married I purchased my first 35mm camera to record our kids growing up. This evolved into doing weddings and portraits. I used the wedding and portrait work to support my nature photography and pay for my equipment and enjoyment. I began concentrating on nature and bird photography about 10 years ago. You can see this reflected in the number of bird images I have on the website.  I have won at the State Fair photography contest, and am a member of the Des Moines Camera Club, Audubon and Nature Conservancy. I have worked with several county conservation directors to hold workshops and slide shows on nature and photographic techniques. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I have enjoyed taking and sharing them. ~ Curt Gracey