My name is Jim Braswell. I am a life-long resident of Missouri and now reside at the Lake of the Ozarks. I attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where I obtained a B.S. in Biology. For 31+ years, I worked for a major pharmaceutical company. I retired on February 01, 2007 and am now focusing on nature photography full-time.
I photograph about anything nature-related. My favorite subjects are wildlife and wildflowers, but recently have really enjoyed learning night photography (meteors, astrophotography, etc.). Through my images, I strive to convey the complex daily lives of the subjects I photograph. Whenever I photograph, it is always my intent to capture the actions and behaviors of my subjects. My objective is to educate others about the wildlife that surrounds us, including their behaviors, feeding habits, raising of young, and how they coexist in our complex world today.
Since 2007, I have become very active in photographing local wildlife from a kayak (which I’ve nicknamed “Rubber Duckie”). The kayak allows me to get closer to wildlife, and allows me to enter the world of aquatic mammals and birds at their level, seeing things from their perspective. I currently have several beaver families that I monitor and photograph on a regular basis. And during the spring and winter bird migrations, I often get unusually close to various waterfowl. Seeing things from the kayak level is a whole new adventure!
I am a member of the Great Plains Nature Photographers (GPNP) and of the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA). I am also a Master Gardener with the Cass County Master Gardener organization. I am a member and supporter of the Missouri Prairie Foundation, an organization devoted to preserving our dwindling prairies in Missouri.
While living in the Kansas City area, I was a member of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City (ASKC), learning about astronomy and using the information to assist with my astrophotography projects.
I taught various photography classes at the Cass Career Center (Harrisonville, MO) until moving to the lake . In the spring and summer, I conduct a lot of half-day wildflower photography workshops in rural areas.
Publications/Places my images have appeared in:
- 2005 Missouri Lottery Calendar (February calendar photo)
- 2005 University of MO Horticultural Calendar (September calendar photo)
- 2005 Kenai (Alaska) Peninsula Tourism Brochure
- 2006 – 2016, 2018 Self-published nature calendars
- 2006 “Bild am Sonntag” article on Alaskan bears (German publication, circulation 2.3 million)
- 2007, 2008, and 2010 Dolphin Charters Tourism Brochures
- March 14, 2010 Orange County Register (California) photo for article on Alaska travel
- 2013 Permanent display of “Vanishing Flora & Fauna” in the Los Angeles County area, via the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- 2013 Glacier National Park purchased grizzly bear image for use in an outdoor “Bear Safety” kiosk
- 2014 Iceberg image purchased/used by a Washington state water purification company
- 2014 – 2015 Images exhibited in a Kansas City art gallery and at the Missouri Conservation Department’s Burr Oak Woods Visitor Center (Blue Springs, MO)
Stock Photo Listing of My Photographs (Images available on request):
- Mammals (sea and land)
- Birds (songbirds, birds of prey, wading birds, other birds)
- Cats of the World (tigers, mountain lions, bobcats, snow leopards)
- Reptiles and Amphibians
- Flowering & Non-flowering Plants, specializing in Missouri wildflower images
- Scenics (Alaska, Midwest, Florida, sunrises, sunsets, weather-related)
- Astrophotography (Perseid meteor showers/Milky Way)
Below is an image of me at work, photographing a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in southwest Oklahoma. We had just pulled into the parking lot of a prairie dog town when the rattler scooted across in front of us and coiled up in a striking position, under a broken curb stop. I grabbed my camera and took some images of the 5-foot reptile. Karen, my late wife, on the other hand, was busy catching this little fellow sneaking up on me (or, did he think I was protecting him?):