Hi. I’m Ilene Bandringa and SnapShotsWest.com. I am a freelance technical writer by trade but my passion is photography and, in particular, nature photography. I have been an explorer and Nature lover all my life and it is my love of these two things that sparked my interest in (and now love of) photography.
I had already been using a camera when I met my husband 20+ years ago but it wasn’t until we started to travel the world together that I really started to work on my skills in using it. From these travels, we created several travel guides, have a travel blog at BackRoadsWest.com and a YouTube channel. We also started our own company, content-smith, LLC. All of our products include lots of pictures (both his and mine) and from those came encouragement from my friends to do more with my photographs.
I have been learning ever since and came to realize that my eyes are naturally drawn to patterns, colors, shapes, and textures. I am constantly challenged as I attempt to capture, in a photograph, what my eyes see as well as the feeling that image brings to me. Over the years, I have expanded my “view” to include other interesting subjects besides those found in Nature but my deepest love will always be for Her. Nothing moves me and inspires me more.
My husband and I are both native Californian’s but currently live in beautiful southern Utah were we spend every possible moment outdoors exploring this paradise of blue skies, red rocks and endless photographic possibilities. We love the desert and exploring the southwest and are always seeking out the solitude of the less-traveled roads and trails. These unique, out-of-the-way places are what I love to photograph because they are different and most people will never see them.
I hope that, through my photographs, I am able to share my vision of and passion for the wonders presented to me by Mother Nature and by the places in the world that I visit. Thank you for stopping by.
