Stamates has been creating photographic images for more than 30 years. He started out photographing rock-and-roll personalities like Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and Richie Havens. In 1980, his love of nature and interest and its preservation compelled him to launch a career in wildlife photography. Today Stamates shoots throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America, portraying breathless landscapes and priceless images of animals in the wild.
Stamates believes in "low impact photography." This philosophy means recognizing that you are a visitor in the wild, respecting the nature around you, and being more concerned about the well being of the subject than getting the photo. "There are plenty of times when I have sensed an animal is uncomfortable with my presence, so I’ve backed off," said Stamates. "It meant sacrificing what I thought would be a great shot, but it was the right thing to do."
Stamates champions his low impact field techniques with his entertaining and informative lecture, “The Theory of Rhythms.” "Rhythms" focuses on our relationship to the natural world defining, in a humorous way, the difference between natural and artificial rhythms. The message: slow down, get in tune with nature, and amazing things happen.
Stamates’ images have been published worldwide and when he is not on assignment he guides tours to Costa Rica through In The Rhythm Tours™. He also gives photo workshops locally and in the Rocky Mountains.
