Natural wonders: Photos by Sultan’s Jim Stiles

Jim Stiles of Sultan often shares terrific photos with us on our Facebook page and in our reader galleries. We asked him if he would collect some of his favorites for us, and he was kind enough to send us this amazing gallery.

Stiles was featured in a 2011 column by Kristi O’Harran when his photo of a Sumatran tiger appeared on the cover of the Woodland Park Zoo’s 2012 calendar. Here’s what he had to say about his photography.

I began shooting in September 1980, just a couple of months after getting married. My wife wanted a camera so she picked out a Canon AE-1 and I set out to help her understand how to use it. Having never done anything photographically I was intrigued; she quickly requested a second camera since I “stole” hers. She never got to use the second one either as I was totally hooked!

I work a full-time job unrelated to photography and shoot in the evenings and weekends with frequent travel around Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, Canada. On longer weekends and vacation I travel to more distant locations. I’ve driven to the Arctic Ocean three times, have photographed extensively in western North America and have traveled to South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Photography is probably my one and only creative gift from the Creator of all things, and I am delighted to share the beauty of His glorious creation with others.

I shoot with all Canon equipment; my two main cameras are a Canon 5D Mark III and a Canon 5D Mark II. I have a wide variety of lenses, all of which are Canon “L” series.

You can find more of Stiles’ photos on his website and find prints of selected images on his page at RedBubble.com.

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