Georgia and Arkansas photographer specializes in event, nature, wildlife, and hunting photography.

Why and how Stephen got started:

“Late one afternoon, while on a trip to shoot ducks in the fall of 2006, my hunting partners and I stopped to glass a recently cut corn field holding several thousand mallards. After watching duck after duck pour into the field, we pinpointed our location and talked strategy about how we were going to set up the hunt the following morning. A few moments later, we turned back toward the truck and witnessed one of the most awe inspiring North Dakota sunsets that mother nature had to offer. I rushed back to the truck in search on my camera only to find that I have left it at home, 1000 miles to the south. It was then that I realized that after 14 years of wing shooting, I only had a few jumbled memories of my travels in my head.

On opening day of the 2006 Arkansas duck season, I again found myself without a way to preserve the memories of another fine day’s hunt. I watched a now good friend of mine, Ramsey Russell, maneuver around my clubs picking shed snapping pictures of everything imaginable from every conceivable angle. After supper that night, I asked Ramsey to see some of the pictures that he had taken earlier that day. What I saw was not only shocking, it was inspiring! I remember thinking, “I want to take pictures just like that!” By the time the weekend was over, I had annoyed Ramsey with a million questions and went back to Cabot with a list of equipment. I spent the next 3 days patrolling the internet for hours upon hours in search of information, shopping prices and figuring out who could get the equipment to me the quickest! I returned the following weekend with a bag full of Canon equipment determined to perfect my new found hobby.

I spent the subsequent weeks with my new camera and lenses in my company car or personal truck riding the roads of Northeast Arkansas photographing anything and everything I could find; sunsets, sunrises, flying ducks, sitting ducks, flying geese, standing geese, dogs sitting, dogs running….you name it, I shot it! Early on, I wanted to photograph everything and tried to do so! As the duck season of 2006 progressed, the duck and goose numbers started dwindle and I found myself photographing club members dogs each afternoon. It was then that I realized my true passion for helping hunters capture their dogs doing what they do best….work!”

Please visit www.gundogstudio.com to view his work…