Jacob Bruess

Born May 31, 1987 to two loving parents in a small town (Protivin) in Northeast Iowa.  The oldest of four children, I was always taught to work hard for what I want, and to appreciate it once I've achieved it.  I attended high school at Turkey Valley and chose Upper Iowa University for my collegiate studies.  While there I earned bachelors degrees in Conservation Management and Environmental Science as well as an associates degree in Biology. It was in this time I discovered my love of photography through documenting my experiences in nature.  After college I was invited by classmate and best friend Dano Grayson (fellow biologist and photographer) to work side by side as interns catching pythons in the Florida Everglades.  Here we had an abundant and wide range of exotic animals and scenic landscapes in which to hone our skills. Since then Dano has frequented the Amazon Rainforest as a photographer and I have had the pleasure of accompanying him on three separate trips, working in some of the most beautiful and remote locations in the rainforest, which, in terms of photography anyway, are also some of the most difficult conditions. Shooting for a total of 3.5 months in the rainforest not only challenged me to learn all I could about my camera and equipment, but also to rise above some of the harshest conditions, only building my confidence so that I am able to capture a beautiful image anywhere, at any time.  I'm passionate about preserving what remains of our natural environment and try to use my photography to open up people's eyes and minds to natures beauty and a cleaner, more responsible way of living for the good of both mother nature as well as ourselves.