Howdy, my name is Ken Conger. I am a 51 year old Virginian. My home is in Lanexa, which is approximately 20 miles west of Williamsburg, VA. I am married to a William and Mary college librarian and have one son who graduated from college this month.

When I was young, during summer vacations, my family camped in national/state parks throughout America. On those trips I always admired the park rangers for their wonderful job responsibilities and work locations. The early motivation to achieve employment in the conservation field continued into high school. I went to college and obtained a BS degree in Environmental Science/Wildlife Management. After graduating, I was fortunate to obtain employment as a park ranger in Richmond, Virginia. Working two years as a ranger helped me discover my true calling to become a game warden and concentrate on wildlife protection. I have been blessed to have had a career as a conservation officer for the past 26 years. My current rank is Lieutenant and I work primarily in our region office. In addition to wildlife photography, my free time is spent backpacking/camping, fishing and volunteering with the scouts (12 years as Scoutmaster) and at my church.

Other than a photography class in high school, I have never had the benefit of a formal photography class/tour.

As a preteen my parents made available my grandfather’s Argus camera. I was instantly captivated with taking pictures. During that period of my life, most of my free time involved photographing birds that visited our feeders and critters that were viewed on camping trips. A high school photography class inspired me to further my interests and I built my own darkroom. After graduating college and beginning a career as a warden, photography took a back seat. In 2005, I decided to pursue my passion for wildlife photography again and purchased some quality equipment. All of the photographs I take are of wild animals in their natural environments. None of my photos are of captive, zoo or game farm animals. I believe in the integrity of a wildlife photograph, so when you view wildlife in one of my galleries, you know it was not caged or staged.

• Canon 20D
• Canon Mark IIN
• 400/2.8
• 400/5.6
• 70-200mm/2.8
• 24-70mm/2.8
• 10-22mm/3.4
• 1.4x & 2x converters
• 550 & 580 flashes
• Gitzo 1548 tripod w/Wimberley head.
• On the wish list are a Canon Mark III and a 600mm lens.

National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges are my favorite photo locations. I prefer parks because the wildlife doesn’t have a general fear of humans and roam within native habitats.

No photographer was a photographic influence, but National Geographic magazine was certainly stimulating. Photographers that I currently admire and aspire to their level of expertise are Art Wolfe, John Shaw and Art Morris. They all possess similar influential aspects of producing stunning images, they possess the ability to write instructional photo books and all have the opportunity to conduct worldly photo tours. The opportunity to share your knowledge with others, who have a similar growing desire to learn, while conducting photo tours within some of the premier wildlife habitats, must be a humbling lifestyle.

I signed up with Smugmug in September of 2005. Exceptional templates and the expeditious technical advice are the prime reasons I consider Smugmug to be the premier photographers’ web provider.

Simply, Smugmug has created an exceptional opportunity for me to share my passion of capturing wildlife in the outdoors, with others.

It’s all about the light. Using early morning and late evening sunlight is advantageous for dazzling images.

No matter what aspect of photography you are potentially considering, if it is a developing desire follow through and you will excel. It’s not necessarily the equipment used but the skill of the photographer behind the camera.

And, if you are still a film guy or gal, go ahead and make the transition to digital, you won’t regret the decision.