Timberdoodle Photography/Writing highlights the beauty of the Driftless Area

Lost Ghosts of the Rio Grande

The cold wind sweeps across my lips

A desert sunset colors my heart.

Raven soars with the night pinned to his back,

He croaks the words of vanished souls as

Coyote searches for lost ghosts of the Rio Grande.

It is a lonely, patient life in the desert.

Forgiveness is scarcer than rain here so

I revel in my second chances,

Await the new moon to renew stars that

Shine like memories shared with old friends. 

– Brian Gibbs

* * *

By Caroline Rosacker

Many of us spend too much time on our electronic mobile devices. We allow the tiny screens to create our reality and forget to turn our attention towards the natural world. Brian Gibbs, nature photographer and self-published poet, was drawn to the beauty and wonder of the outdoors, and inspired by nature and romanticism writers at an early age. Gibbs resides in Elkader with his wife, Emily, and their three-month old son. He is employed by Fayette County Conservation as their naturalist, and also has his own freelance photography/writing business called Timberdoodle Photography. He spends his free time reading and writing about nature, fishing and paddling, and gallivanting up the bluffs of the Driftless Area.

Early inspiration

"I played outdoors a tremendous amount as a child.   I had what some may call a strong play instinct. I had an overactive imagination that played out best in Nature," said the freelance photographer. "Nature was also an incredible healer that allowed me to process my parents' divorce. I built a lot of forts as a child. You name it – snow fort, dirt fort, stick fort – I had one!" he added.

Spending time exploring nature led Gibbs to a life-long friendship. He recalled, "I remember digging up a 1901 wheat penny with my first friend and neighbor in life, Riley. I lost the penny, but Riley is still my best buddy 30 years later."

Gibbs' parents inspired his love of the natural world. "My mother frequently took me out to my hometown park, Ledges State Park, in my youth, while my father would often bring me up to trout fish at Yellow River State Forest, or out to the wide-open spaces of the Western states. In their own separate ways, both on a local and national scale, my parents were great at exposing me to the natural world — I'm thankful for that," he said with gratitude.  

Formative instruction

Gibbs' writing talents were nurtured in his formative years. He said, "I was fortunate to have some truly empathetic and inspirational mentors throughout school." He went on to say, "Jean Prestemnon, my fifth grade teacher, always pushed me to write poetry that frequently drew upon things in nature. She knew that I was a handful in the classroom, but always encouraged me to keep on writing about nature; she even took me to the young writers' workshop. We still keep in touch to this day." 

A former high school teacher introduced Gibbs to a higher level of appreciation for the written word. "Karen Hesser, my high school English teacher, who sadly passed away last year after another round of fighting cancer, introduced me to Henry David Thoreau, who I instantly took a liking to. Karen also shared with me her stories of living in a tent in the remote wilds of Alaska." He added, "She would require me to read many of the Romantic poets such as Blake, Wordsworth, Shelly, Keats, until finally introducing me to the spontaneous free-verse of Walt Whitman."

Gibbs took an individual studies class with Hesser during his final semester in high school. He shared,  "Under her careful watch, I read nature writers and then created my own poetry or lived experiences to write about for the class. It was also during this time that I became very interested in photography and would carry a disposable camera with me on many of my outdoor adventures."

Kalispell, Montana internship

Gibbs attended the University of Northern Iowa and earned a degree in Outdoor Recreation. He was inspired by an additional educator and connected to a higher level of discovery. He explained, "Kathy Scholl, my outdoor recreation professor and academic advisor, was instrumental in encouraging me to discover the more adventurous side of nature such as hiking, biking, camping, rock climbing, and eventually mountain climbing on my senior internship in Kalispell, Mont., which was conveniently located next to Glacier National Park."

Gibbs continued his pursuit and purchased his first digital camera. "I hiked and climbed a lot that summer. I also bought my first digital point-and-shoot camera, a 6MP Pentax Optio. I took many photographs of plants, trees, and animals." He laughed, "I also took one too many mountain-top selfies. I spent every weekend of my internship in the mountains exploring and taking photos."

Gibbs' career path as a naturalist first took him right outside his hometown of Boone  to work under the tutelage of Mike Havlik at the Des Moines Y-camp. Here, Gibbs learned how to fine tune his observations of nature while developing his teaching skills in a residential setting.  “Mike was an amazing mentor to me and still is to this day. His love for sharing the joy of birds is something that I practice every where I go, said Gibbs.   

After the Y-camp  Gibbs worked as the Clayton County Conservation Board Naturalist for Northeast Iowa, then as an adjunct instructor at UNI where he taught one of Dr. Scholl’s outdoor recreation classes that he once took as an undergrad.  He also served as a National Park Service Ranger in Glacier National Park for several years before returning to Northeast Iowa. He worked as a park ranger at Effigy Mounds, and as a Program Director for Treehaven, a natural resources field station of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point College of Natural Resources.

Glacier National Park

He noted, “Working in Glacier National Park was a career highlight for me. I was very blessed to work out of the Many Glacier district one summer, which allowed me to take people from all over the world on day-long hikes in the mountains where we would see Grizzly Bears, Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Goats, Moose, Glaciers and endless fields of wildflowers.” He continued, “I took thousands of photographs, read Thoreau’s journals, wrote profusely, and most importantly recognized just how much I missed and loved my girlfriend, now wife, once she hopped on the train to return to Iowa.”

A re-connection with an older sibling was made possible in the National Park. “Glacier was also the place I was able to reconnect with my older brother after spending much of our adult lives estranged from one another,” said Gibbs. “I have countless memories with friends who came to visit me as well. That’s the great part about working in a famous national park – everyone wants to come visit you!” he said with a smile. 

A moderately-priced camera captured some of Gibbs’ favorite photos. “I never had a camera setup that was over $400 during my time working out in Glacier – yet some of my favorite photos were from those park service years. I not only photographed the sheer mountain majesty in the landscape scenes, but also captured the intricate macro shots I took of all the wildflowers,” said Gibbs. 

Currently Gibbs uses a full-frame Nikon D750 with macro, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses,  often mounted on a tripod. On more adventurous outings, he takes a mirrorless Sony Alpha 6000 with him. The affordable, extremely light camera is perfect for spending time in the woods. He is also pretty amazed to see what today’s phone camera’s can produce.

Gibbs described his technique. He said, “I try to let the rule of thirds guide my work and I am constantly chasing the light! I really enjoy photographing scenes that have a high degree of contrast and detail. I love landscape and macro photography and just recently upgraded some lenses to try my luck at wildlife photography.” He also noted, “It’s fun to look back on the simple point and shoot camera that photographed a black bear in a cornfield up by Harpers Ferry – up to the more expensive and super bulky camera gear that I’m using to photograph critters with today!” 

Featured photographer

The talented photographer/writer has had his work appear in the Wapsipinicon Almanac; Big River Magazine; Travel Iowa Magazine; Iowa Outdoors Magazine; and his photo of Wildcat Den State Park was the featured photo on the 2020 Iowa Department Of Transportation Map that recently celebrated 100 years of Iowa State Parks. A dozen of his photos were used in the book “Iowa State Parks: A Century of Stewardship”. Additional nature photos have also appeared in The Guttenberg Press, Clayton County Register, Cedar Rapids Gazette and Des Moines Register, in addition to self-publishing a 48-page book of his poems and photographs in 2015.

He commented, “I’ve also participated in several art shows including ‘Art on the River’ and ‘Art in the Park.’ I really enjoy meeting people at art shows and viewing other artists’ beautiful work!”

Artist perspective

Gibbs shared his perspective. He said, “I focus on photographing images that portray beauty in nature. I want viewers to feel like they are part of the scene and not separate from nature. I’m constantly using my photographs to help others learn about, and relate to the natural world. My eye tends to gravitate towards birds, trees, wildflowers, rocks, ridges, and rivers. This is why I love the Driftless Area so much – all of these things mesh so well together here! The environment is my muse and photography is my passion.”

There have been a few mishaps along the way. He mentioned, “I know when I’ve missed the perfect shot. When I didn’t have a camera in my car, or I forgot the tripod, or memory card, or my battery is dead. But honestly, nature always gives us the perfect shot. It’s up to us to use as many of our senses to capture as much of it in the moment as possible.”  

Gibbs’ close friend, Gary Siegwarth, a Fisheries Biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IA-DNR), recently told him that he knows when the artist has taken a great photo. “When I see him running full speed in a fun, but awkward-looking gallop toward that next solar or lunar nano-moment, with his coat unzipped, one shoe untied, yelling out some joyful randomness, and laughing that high-pitched, jubilant laugh, I know he’s captured the perfect shot,” said Siegwarth.  

Gibbs concluded, “Yes, I’m a pretty spontaneous photographer, but once in awhile persistence wins out and I arrive early to the perfect scene.”

Gibbs is currently working on a new website to display his photography, and will also have his work featured at the new Collective Art Gallery in Elkader, later in March. He also has plans to be an artist at Elkader’s annual “Art in the Park.” Gibbs work can be found on Instagram at theardentadventurer, www.timberdoodle.com and his Timberdoodle Photography Facebook page.