About this episode
monte stilesI am not a photographer by education or formal training. I often describe myself as an “accidental photographer” since most of what I know is self-taught - born out of a pure love of the outdoors and the beauty of creation.My journey into photography began near the end of my career as a federal drug prosecutor where I supervised the Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force – a group of agents, analysts and prosecutors who investigated and prosecuted high-level drug trafficking organizations. During that time, I was an eyewitness to some of the darkest aspects of society. Although my legal career was exciting and challenging, the investigation of these cases put me in direct contact with all forms of greed, addiction, violence, abuse and neglect of children, and the loss of dignity, health, freedom, and even life itself. Without recognizing it, all of those things weighed on my heart, mind and soul in ways that I couldn’t imagine at the time.It took a mid-life crisis to bring me into the world of serious photography when I realized that decades of exposure to the darkest side of humanity had impacted my ability to recognize many of life’s simple pleasures.Up to that point in my life, my wife and I had experienced blessings that are found in a blur of family activities – ballgames, school, church, Scouts, camping, hiking, birthdays, holidays, and occasional vacations. But as our children left home to attend college and raise families of their own, I found myself working longer hours and enjoying life less.Now, many years later, I am blessed with opportunities to speak and train at local, state, regional and national conferences on a variety of subjects relating to the law, law enforcement, drug education, building strong communities, protecting and nurturing children, and photography.Because of my law enforcement background, many of my presentations require me to describe the grim realities of bad choices that negatively impact children, families and communities, but these opportunities also allow me to provide positive messages and solutions that can overcome feelings of hopelessness, pain, surrender, and despair.This is especially important in working directly with youth (ranging from those who are severely “at risk” to kids who seem blessed with every opportunity in life). At both ends of this spectrum I find that young people are eager to be “seen” AND heard by adults, and when given the right information and encouragement, they become eager to serve AND to lead. Increasingly, my youth workshops include teaching about photography and the great outdoors. My best days involve a photography/nature workshop followed by an outdoor excursion with a busload of kidsOne of my favorite photographers, Galen Rowell once said: “You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photogr
