I bought my first digital SLR in the fall of 2002 to photograph my kid's sporting events.  Soon after this I was motivated to give nature photography a try.  I started with a trip to the Smoky Mountains and from there I was hooked.  I found that spending time in the outdoors at the edges of the day was inspiring...it moved me spiritually.

Over the next few years I made repeated trips to the Smokies as well as trips to the Rocky Mountains, the Highlands of West Virginia, the coast of California, Florida, and New Mexico.  I also attended photography workshops in the UP of Michigan, the Badlands of South Dakota, Maine, and California.  I had grand visions of photographing all the famous scenic treasures of the United States....Yosemite, Yellowstone, the desert Southwest...the list goes on and on.

What I soon realized was that two things stood squarely in my way:  a lack of time and money.  I also discovered another thing...it's pretty easy to take a picture of the great icons...you just show up around the right time, get lucky with the light, and take the picture.  There are even newletters and websites that tell you the lens to use and where to put your tripod!  The real challenge is taking a unique image of these famous places.  To do that you need to spend lots of time in the field and that's a luxury I didn't have.

Based on these issues I made a decision to change the emphasis of my photographic efforts.  I decided to spend the vast majority of my time in Indiana and build a body of work that captures the hidden natural treasures of my home state.

With that I have created "Images of Indiana"...my humble attempt to present unique images that might inspire others to get outside and experience the places between the corn fields. 

Enjoy......

Michael Leakey

October 2009