Just me and my camera, having fun!

I’m an Iowa native and former photojournalist. Now I shoot for fun.

I was 15-years-old when I bought my first real camera, a Canon AE-1. Back then I had thoughts of being a nature photographer. I soon found myself shooting photos for the high school yearbook and school newspaper. That opened a new door for me.

I started at Iowa State University as a biology major, but by the end of my freshman year I switched to journalism. The photojournalism bug had bitten. Started working as a photographer for the Iowa State Daily, then soon found myself shooting part-time for UPI, AP and the Des Moines Register. I did internships at newspapers in Rawlins, Wyoming, Jacksonville, Florida, and Colorado Springs before returning to Iowa State to finish my degree.

I did a post graduate internship at the Palm Beach Post then did stints at papers in South Carolina, Nebraska and Minnesota before returning to Iowa in 1997. During my career I won more than 100 photojournalism awards in state and national competitions and was a two-time recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the Minnesota APME Association. Sports photography always seemed to be my main strength during my newspaper days.

Then the newspaper industry started collapsing. My photojournalism career crashed and burned in 2018. My professional career was one hell of a ride though. For three decades I got paid to live my dream.

Photography is mostly a hobby now. I have a job in the travel industry that involves some photography, but most of what I shoot is for fun. I’ve played with different techniques, tried new things, but lately I’ve found myself doing a lot of nature photography. I lived my professional dream, now I get to live my teenage dream.

I still feel like I’m trying to rediscover myself as a photographer. Maybe it’s a process that never ends, and that’s not a bad thing.

Thanks for visiting!

Jim Lee, Photographer

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