WLM Fall 2013 | Page 32

WLM | my Wyoming craving will get out there, explore, photograph, and share these areas as well. After three and a half years home, and hundreds of those days out exploring and photographing, I might be in my first steps in regards to achieving that. But it’s a lifetime goal so I won’t be stopping anytime soon. WLM: Is there a particular area of Wyoming that you enjoy capturing? NW: I’d say everything west of Casper, if you draw a line south to north through the city. Head east of that line and you get into a lot of hassles with navigating private land. Much of the public land is landlocked, and I try to avoid the frustration as much as possible and opt for the places I can explore legally without requiring permission (except during the severe weather season). I’m stuck photographing from county roads most of the time, but the farmers I’ve encountered in south east Wyoming are all pretty awesome people. Luckily, a majority of the land west of the Casper Arch is public, which is where I spend a majority of my year. Almost all of the Wilderness Study Areas and national forests are west as well. WLM: Do you travel outside Wyoming for photography? NW: Nothing compares to Wyoming in my opinion -- although this part of the country is pretty awesome. We are surrounded by states with several wonders of their own. If I decide to photograph outside of Wyoming, I won’t have to go far to do it. As far as exotic places, I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Similan Islands in Thailand. Been around quite a bit of Europe, and spent six years working as a contractor in the Middle East. Certainly have not seen it all, but I’m quite partial to the rugged beauty of Wyoming, and feel I’ve seen enough of the world to realize how unique this land is. WLM: Tell us about your time lapse project. NW: Over the past couple of years I’ve become more interested in time lapse and its use as a way of telling a story without narration. Time lapse seems to go over better with audiences compared to still photography -- for now, at least. You can usually hold someone’s attention for a few minutes, give the scenes time to sink in a bit more. Ron Fricke and Tom Lowe are the two individuals who got me most interested in the medium. Scan the QR code to visit LightAlive’s time lapse video, Wyoming Wildscapes – or visit www.lightalivephotography.com and click on “Wyoming Wildscapes” 32 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Fall 2013