It all started with the family summer vacations around the country - the station wagon, four kids, mom and dad - visiting national parks and seeing the country that led John Dukes to a love of nature and exploration. After graduating from Rollins College in 1992, John took up nature and exploration on a professional level by crisscrossing the country, visiting and revisiting our natinal parks and monuments. He has held seasonal outdoor education jobs or taught photography while taking pictures in various corners of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Equador. Photography is a natural extension of John and his means of discovery. Except for this self-portrait, you will rarely see people or evidence of civilization in a John Dukes photograph. A purist in his belief that wilderness has a beauty and inherent value, in and of itself, John will not shoot a windmill, fence line, road, or anything that distracts from nature's own glory. Similarly, John is a purist within the photography realm; he does not use special filters or darkroom techniques to artificially enhance his pictures. John believes that nature needs no enhancement.

John Dukes Photography strives to reveal nature as a vivid, emotive, inspiring, and curious spectacle. In John's words, "I feel my photographs succeed, regardless of whether the subject is a fly, a sunset, or a tree on a hill, when they reveal the subject as something so interesting, beautiful, or mysterious that the viewer is left wanting to explore, witness, hold, or share it with others." Using photography to raise interest and appreciation of our natural surrounding, John finds that fascination is an excellent first step toward appreciation, which is a necessary stepping stone toward protection. Your appreciation, ownership, and sharing in this protection will extend John's fondest hope. Email John