Ben Olson

Throughout my life, I have consistently been exposed to the natural world whether it was through fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing, or hiking. I am incredibly grateful for those opportunities that my parents generously provided me – especially given the fact that I was raised in the surrounding suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul. At the age of 16, I made the decision to enroll in an alternative high school called the School of Environmental Studies (SES) in Apple Valley, Minnesota. It was there that my life began to transform for the better as I was exposed to environmental awareness, conservation, and an outdoor lifestyle. Shortly after starting school at SES, my grandfather whom I was very close to became terminally ill and gave me my first camera. Little did I know then how much this tool would forever change my life. The next five years were spent discovering and getting acquainted with the forests, lakes, animals, and plants of the surrounding area; my camera, and most importantly, myself. A few years after High School, I decided to begin pursuing a degree in biology with an emphasis in ecology, ethology, and evolution from Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota. Upon moving to Bemidji in 2009, I was immediately elated; it was as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. The stress and anxiety that comes with living in the cities was gone and life became simple. As I furthered my education at Bemidji State, I began to understand the interconnectedness between the natural world and all of its inhabitants. The true importance of the natural world had revealed itself to me through the immense amount of time I spent in the woods and the information passed on to me by my professors. For this transformative period, I will be forever grateful. My life revolves around the wilderness. The majority of my free time is spent out in the forests with my camera. I hope to elicit emotion in others using photography while inspiring them to embrace the wonders of the natural world. I have a bachelors in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology, Ethology and Evolution and a A.A.S. in Digital Imaging Technology. My long term goals are to incorporate my education and photography to promote awareness of the perils the natural world faces today while working towards conservation and environmental restoration. http://www.benjamin-olson.com/ Benjamin Olson (651)-242-2357 https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminOlsonPhotography