1988 fire  •  agelaius phoeniceus  •  anas discors  •  antilocapra americana  •  arachnid  •  ardea alba  •  badlands national park sd  •  bald eagle  •  baltimore oriole  •  birds  •  bison  •  blackbilled magpie  •  blacktail prairie dog  •  bluewinged teal  •  buffalo  •  buteo jamaicensis  •  butterfly  •  cervus canadensis  •  cliff swallows  •  corvus corax  •  cygnus buccinator  •  cynomys ludovicianus  •  elk  •  family anatidae  •  family antilocapridae  •  family apidae  •  family cervidae  •  family hirundinidae  •  family icteridae  •  family phasianidae  •  family sciuridae  •  geothermal  •  glencoe mn  •  goes tigrinus  •  haliaeetus leucocephalus  •  hooded merganser  •  hot springs  •  icterus galbula  •  insect  •  jay cooke state park minnesota  •  keweenaw peninsula michigan  •  lake yellowstone  •  le hardy rapids  •  lophodytes cucullatus  •  mammal  •  mcleod county mn  •  meleagris gallopavo  •  microorganism  •  minneapolis  •  mount rushmore sd  •  mud volcano  •  night skyline  •  odocoileus virginianus order artiodactyla  •  order anseriformes  •  order artiodactyla  •  order galliformes  •  order hymenoptera  •  order passeriformes  •  order rodentia  •  order thysanoptera  •  pelecanus erythrorhynchos  •  petrochelidon pyrrhonota  •  phasianus colchicus  •  pica hudsonia  •  plantlife  •  pronghorn antelope  •  raptors  •  redtailed hawk  •  redwinged blackbird  •  reef aquarium  •  reptile  •  ringneck pheasant  •  sage creek wilderness area  •  saltwater fish  •  shoshone national forest wy  •  shoshone river  •  sky and weather  •  sturnella neglecta  •  subfamily anatinae  •  subfamily meleagridinae  •  subfamily order capreolinae  •  thrips  •  tree clinging birds  •  trumpeter swan  •  upland ground birds  •  upper falls  •  wading birds  •  waterfowl  •  west thumb geyser basin  •  western meadowlark  •  white egret  •  white oak borer  •  white pelican  •  whitetailed deer  •  wild turkey  •  wildflower  •  winterscape  •  wood duck  •  yellowstone national park wy  •  yellowstone river

I am always curious to know more about photographers whose sites I visit, so why shouldn't you be? Here is a brief biography.

I live in central Minnesota with my wife Susan who is also a photographer. I worked as a Quality/Reliability Engineer for 27 years until November of 2010, when I was laid off. If you are curious to see more of my professional background, look up my profile in LinkedIn.

I am a self-taught digital photographer using various Canon equipment since 2003. I was previously a film shooter on a Canon A-1. I became semi-pro selling prints in a local framing shop and with launch of this website in 2007.

My main photographic interest is to capture beauty wherever I see it and I have learned that if I keep my eyes open, it seems to be almost everywhere I go. A lot of my portfolio comes from what I call "drive by shootings" since I always try to keep a camera in the car with me. Traveling the back roads of rural Minnesota to and from work have given me many shots of indigenous wildlife. The changing seasons have provided many different perspectives of landscapes seen every day. Vacation always equates to where can I find the best eye candy for my photographic obsession and has led to a great appreciation of the West and Pacific Northwest.

Primary equipment I use/have used for my work:
Camera bodies: EOS Digital Rebel, EOS 20D, EOS 1Ds Mark II, EOS 5D Mark II.
Lenses: EF 100-400mm f5.6L, 90mm Tamron Macro, EF 24-104mm F4.0L, MP-E-65mm Macro 1:2.8, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, EF 180mm 1:3.5 L Macro.

I have done all my post processing work with Adobe CS/CS3/CS4/CS5 programs.

Thank you for your interest,
- Mike Bates