Craig Collar was born and raised in Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a degree in mechanical engineering. During his childhood years in Great Falls, he was told that his first full sentence was “the wind blows hard!”

Craig served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submarine officer, and later held a number of engineering/management roles in industry after earning an MBA at Colorado State University.

Many of Craig’s earliest memories are of exploring Yellowstone with his parents and grandparents every summer. Fishing at Slough Creek, seeing Old Faithful erupt for the first time, and watching the bears and bison left an indelible impression, and fostered a lifelong love for the Park. While his career has taken him all around the world, his heart has always remained in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He is grateful to now reside permanently in Red Lodge, where he spends his time hiking, skiing, woodworking, and taking the occasional photograph of this beautiful area.

“I find that the process of composing and making an image causes me to slow down and notice things in the landscape that I might not otherwise pick up on. Likewise, the same scene can be experienced completely differently at various times of the year, or even at different times of the day. I really enjoy returning to the same place over the years, and even throughout the year, just appreciating it in a new, different way.”

Craig tries to visit the Park at least once in each of the four seasons, and spends much of the rest of his time exploring the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness just beyond his backdoor.

You can drop Craig a note and see more of his work on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/craigcollar_in_mt