About the Photographer

Mike McBride has a passion for wildlife and nature photography. He loves the interaction with nature in creating beautiful images. While he first began learning photography in 1982, his serious pursuit of wildlife and nature photography began in 1991. He loves to be alone in nature working with a wild animal, a storm or magical light.

Mike grew up in the mountains of Northern Utah where he spent time hunting, camping, hiking and fishing. This gave him a good foundation from which to expand his knowledge of nature and apply it to his photography. He now lives in Star Valley, a mountain valley in Western Wyoming, which is nestled between the Caribou, Bridger and Teton National Forests. This area is part of the Greater Yellowstone Eco System and provides numerous photographic opportunities.

Photo by Christopher Balmer

Mike's photography took an important turn in 1993. At first, Mike tried to hunt and photograph at the same time. One evening as he sat on a game trail, decked out in camouflage, he began to wonder what he would do if a large mule deer buck came down the trail. Would he choose the bow and arrow or the camera? Or, would he try to pull of the miraculous and some how do both. That evening he chose photography.

Mike's uncle used to joke about shoot-and-release hunting, a play on the popular catch-and-release fishing practiced by avid fly fishermen. Mike has decided that photography is exactly that, shoot-and-release hunting. One of the benefits of this type of "hunting" is more time with the animals which usually aren't scared off as they would be with a gunshot. Mike has learned a lot more about animal behavior and enjoys the time spent with the animals. Another advantage is that everything is fair game and there are no seasons allowing a year-round pursuit of the art of wildlife photography.

"I hope you enjoy your visit to my web site. If you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance, please let me know. Thanks for visiting." - Mike


All photographs appearing on this site are the property of Mike McBride. These photographs are protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. They are not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way, without the written permission of Mike McBride, dba Wild Encounters Nature Photography. By entering this site you accept these terms. If you need to contact us please call 1.307.886.9345.