Dan’s Photographic Journey
My name is Dan Thomas. My journey to explore and capture moments in time can be traced back to my childhood love of nature and the outdoors. I have always enjoyed the adventure of discovery on the roads less traveled. Growing up in Montana, surrounded by forests, mountains, rivers and lakes, I learned to respect nature and wildlife and came to understand that each ecosystem is vitally important to the health of the natural environment.
Most of us lead very busy lives which prevents us from spending time in the natural world that I loved as a boy. My hope is that my images bring joy to others and remind them that nature is all around us. We can only appreciate Nature, once we understand it’s importance in our lives.
Dan Thomas
Taking Photographs in Santa Cruz, CA
I live in central California and enjoy diving in Monterey, hiking in the Sierras, and traveling. I have enjoyed photography most of my adult life. I have been a dedicated student of the process for the last 15 years. It started with underwater photography. I have traveled to many destinations in the South Pacific, Mexico, and the Caribbean. More recently I have added land based photography as I have returned to the roots of my youth.
As a photographer, I discover things I didn’t know as I photograph different species. I have learned that Blue Herons add guard rails to their nest as the chicks grow up to keep them from falling out of the nest. I have learned that Coots encapsulate the food they find for the chick with a viscous membrane to either help with swallowing the food or to keep the food from being dropped and lost back into the water during a feeding moment. I also didn’t realize that mother sea otters sometimes have an older adult sea otter with them when taking care of a new pup. Is that oversight, or security…? Some days there are more questions than answers. That is the beauty of nature!