Birds of Iowa 2024 Calendar

The Birds of Iowa Calendar is back again this year by popular demand! I’m in the process of taking orders on this one-of-a-kind custom calendar.

Are you looking for a special gift idea for the bird or nature lover in your life? This beautiful calendar features birds I photographed right here in the great state of Iowa.

The price for this calendar is $20 plus sales tax. Any shipping charges are additional. Contact me to place your order. Please include your mailing address when you contact me.

You can pay via check, PayPal or Venmo. Indicate your preferred payment method when you contact me. Once payment is received I will mail the calendar to you. These calendars will be in stock by early November.

This is a limited print run so get your orders in right away!

The Artisan | Jeff Nelson

Jeff Nelson is passionate about fishing. And not just any type of fishing. Jeff enjoys the challenge of tying his own flies and then using them to land bluegills, bass, wipers, strippers, muskies, crappies, and bass. Jeff started fishing in his teens. “For some reason that I can’t fully explain, it (fishing) just clicked with me. It was like I was born with a fishing rod in my hands.”

Jeff began tying flies when he was in his mid 30s. And once he learned the basics of fly tying there was no turning back. “I love the idea of making my own flies and the elegantly simple truth is that flies are easy to tie and are very effective at catching fish.”

““O, sir, doubt not that Angling is an art; is it not an art to deceive a trout with an artificial fly?””

— Isaak Walton

Fly fishing is an art form. “The first challenge is tying a fly pattern that works. That is, it has to fool the fish into trying to eat the fly. The second challenge is presenting the fly in a way that triggers the strike.” Years of experience and practice have helped Jeff hone his skill.

Jeff does most of his fishing from a one-man kick boat at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area. Jeff likes fishing from a kick-boat as it’s a very effective platform for fishing modest sized lakes and ponds. Because Jeff can control his boat with the fins on his feet, it frees his hands to fish.

Jeff’s favorite fly rod for warm water fishing is a 9 foot, 7-weight rod. He has caught several muskies that were in the 40 inch size class, weighing around 20 pounds. “It takes a good half hour to wear out and land a muskie of that size when you are using a fly rod and kick boat. The only way I can land a fish that size is to beach it on a sandy beach.”

For Jeff the thrill of fly fishing is “taking dominion over a wild creature.” Jeff like many fishermen, practices catch and release fishing. “Once we have the fish in our hands, or on the beach or boat, we have taken full dominion.” The vast majority of the fish that Jeff catches are released to fight again another day,

This Artisan project has focused on people who produce something of value in limited quantity with their hands. Jeff is a true artisan. Jeff creates flies that are simple, beautiful and effective. And as any true fisherman knows, the most beautiful fly is the one that catches fish!

Shippensburg vs East Stroudsburg Highlight Reel

I loved photographing the Shippensburg University vs East Stroudsburg University football game on Saturday, October 29, 2022. Here is a highlight reel I put together from the game. Enjoy!

The 2023 Birds of Iowa Calendar

The Birds of Iowa Calendar is back again this year by popular demand! I'm taking pre-orders to help me know how many to print. Are you looking for a special gift idea for the nature lover in your life?

This beautiful calendar features birds I photographed right here in the great state of Iowa.

The price for this calendar is $20 plus sales tax. Any shipping charges are additional. Contact me to place your order. Please include your mailing address when you contact me. You can pay via check, PayPal or Venmo. Indicate your preferred payment method when you contact me. Once payment is received I will mail the calendar to you.

This is a limited print run so get your orders in right away!

The Artisan | Schultz Strings

John Schultz has turned his passion for the violin into a thriving eastern Iowa business. John and his wife Rebecca founded and operate Schultz Strings, a Cedar Rapids business that “provides exceptional string instrument service, sales, rentals and instruction to eastern Iowa and beyond through our highly accomplished team of string specific professionals.”

John and Rebecca launched their business out of their Mt. Vernon home in 2009. “We had 8 violins hanging in our home closet. Before we knew it we had violins piled up in most rooms! We purchased a bigger house hoping that would solve the problem, but the violins kept coming!”

Today Schultz Strings located at 1190 Twist Town Road NE, Cedar Rapids offers instrument repair and restoration, rentals, student through professional instrument sales, lessons from 14 teachers, chamber music, master classes and performances. They service about 30 music programs in eastern Iowa representing over 150 teachers and thousands of students.

John Schultz began violin in the Waukesha Public Schools in Wisconsin during 4th grade. “I was really taken by the fiddle tunes the teachers played at the demonstration and wanted to learn how to do that.” He was not serious about violin until the end of high school when he started to take private lessons. “I then started to play 6-8 hours a day and fell in love with the violin.” John went on to earn a Bachelors of Arts and Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he studied with Dr. Myron Kartman and performed as a member of the Arreaux String Quartet. 

John’s crown jewel is an amazing early violin made in Brescia, Italy around 1550. It’s a prototype of what would become the modern violin. “It came to us when its previous owner could no longer play and the violin needed a new home. We did a full restoration on the violin which took 18 months to complete. It’s a spectacular example of early violin making.” This is the violin that John is playing in the photos below.

The thing John loves most about his job is “working with an amazing team, getting to know amazing teachers across the state and midwest and seeing the joy on students and players faces when they make music!”

This Artisan project has focused on people who produce something of value in limited quantity with their hands. John and his entire team are true artisans. They restore valuable instruments, make beautiful music with a whole variety of stringed instruments and introduce others to the instruments and music that they truly love.

The Artisan | Bob Kettelkamp

Bob Kettelkamp is an Iowa dairy farmer who milks around 160 Holstein cows twice a day, 365 days a year. You might say it’s a labor of love. Bob has been in the dairy business with his twin brother Bill since 1987. They began with ten cows and have never looked back. Today their herd consists of 190 head of milk cows plus another 100 heifers.

Today with the challenge of finding qualified labor, Bob’s wife Cindy has been helping with the twice-a-day milking duties. This is what real love looks like - showing up faithfully day after day to serve the one you love. And this is also what dairy farmers do every day out of the love for their animals.

Bob breeds and raises his own Holsteins. He used to name each one until the numbers became too large. Now he doesn’t give them names but he still knows each individual cow along with its unique personality and preferences. It’s Bob’s love for his cows that motivates him and keeps him going. It’s the thing he loves most about the dairy business and probably the thing he will miss the most when he finally retires.

At the end of the day, the dairy business isn’t just about cows but about milk. And these Holstein’s really produce! During their peak production, each cow produces 100 pounds or about 12 gallons of milk per day. Bob’s herd produces approximately 10,000 pounds of milk per day.

Bob’s Dutch Girl Dairy is classified as a Grade A dairy, receiving unannounced inspections by the Department of Agriculture every five months. In addition, his milk is tested each time it’s picked up and delivered to Wapsie Valley Creamery. The milk samples are tested for antibiotic and bacterial levels as well as butter fat and protein content.

This Artisan project has focused on people who produce something of value in limited quantity with their hands. Bob is a true artisan! Some may call him a dairy farmer who does manual labor with stinky animals. I call Bob a consummate artisan who is driven by his passion for his animals and producing a quality product that others can enjoy. An artisan in deed!

Joel + Allison

A beautiful bride, a stunning venue and a touching love story all came together to help create a memorable day on March 3, 2021. Thank you Joel and Allison for trusting me to capture and tell your beautiful story. Here are a few photos of the day.

Joel + Allison Wedding Day