Bill Lathrop from southern Wisconsin here. I’ve been an enthusiast for a long time, but have become more serious about my photography in recent years. In 2023 I gave up other side projects to focus more energy on photography. It influences my travel destinations, helps motivate me to stay in shape for hiking, and keeps my mind active. I find it a very fulfilling endeavor.

Now retired from a career in accounting and finance, I was lucky enough (or foolish enough) to have a midlife sabbatical as a working artist - I was a landscape painter. That was an incredibly rich experience which included two residencies with the National Park Service - Pictured Rocks and the Buffalo River. As a representational painter, photography often played a significant role in helping create paintings - though painting directly from life was a critical step in my evolution as an artist and greatly helped me learn how to see.

As a photographer, I am most interested in the natural landscape. As there is no shortage of landscape photographers (and very good ones), I have no fantasy of fame and riches from this endeavor. For me, photography is part of savoring life and an excuse to spend as much time exploring the natural world as possible. While I love the big landscapes in the western US and will continue exploring them, I find myself most at home with subjects that are green. Anything near Lake Superior and the mountains of Appalachia are particularly appealing to me, and I spend a lot of energy shooting close to home. My artistic intent is to create images that uniquely express my vision - without cliche.

Travel plans for 2024 include Big Bend NP, Rocky Mountain NP, southern Illinois and Lake Superior. Maine may also make the list - but it already looks to be a busy year.