Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Craig DeForest. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Craig, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I started to get interested in photography about 3 years ago after visiting Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Taking pictures with my cell phone just wasn’t cutting it , so I purchased a kit camera from Canon. I found out quickly that that camera wasn’t going to meet my needs moving along. So, I purchased a Fuji XT-3 and started to get into landscape photography. I was quite satisfied with that camera until I started to get back to doing more bird and wildlife photography . So again, I switched camera platform to Nikon, which has a better selection of lenses for wildlife. So having to learn 3 different camera platforms and editing has been a adventure to say the least

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born and raised in Michigan. In 1999, my wife and 2 young daughters moved to the Mountains of Western North Carolina. I worked in construction most of my life and my work schedule didn’t permit me much time with my growing family. The move to the mountains proved to be a great choice . Both of our girls had far more opportunities than if we hadn’t moved. The pace of life was slower which really helped on the stress level.
As far as getting into photography , I was in my late 50’s and the year before had a health scare that made me think about life. I wanted to be outdoors more with travel and hiking and seeing the many beautiful sight around where we live. I knew I wanted a hobby that would go along with all this , so photography seemed to be a perfect fit.
Am I a good photographer? I’m still learning.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

the opportunity to travel and see the sights and really study the composition , and not take it for granted .

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to have those who view my photography to be drawn to the details and beauty that in nature that we too often take for granted

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @craigdeforest
• Facebook: @craigdeforest

Image Credits
copyright @craigdeforest