Craig Nunn found his muse in Montana, on the open plains and jagged mountains of the Pacific Northwest in the tiny, mountainous East Glacier town of St. Marys. There on a sabbatical, Nunn discovered and fell in love with photography; specifically, the work of Ansel Adams.

“(Montana) is where the desire for black & white photography seeded, as I’ve always had a love for Ansel Adams landscape portraiture. I really enjoy the outdoors (backpacking, hiking, etc.) and wanted to do that full time. Photography, I’ve found, is an extension and means by which I can do that more often.”

Previous career thoughts were abandoned along the mountainous footpaths, and a passion was born.

"I ended up staying in St Marys for 12 months," says the 30-year-old Nunn, who attended Western Michigan University School of Engineering.

Now a freelance photographer in Charlotte, NC and New York, NY, Nunn has compiled an impressive collection in a short period of time.  His camera seems to provoke familiarity from his subjects, as if he has known the people in his images for years and is simply capturing them during a free moment of a family vacation.

“I have never been formally trained in photography and am self-taught,” says Nunn.

“I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to taking pictures in that I don't like to alter the photograph from it's original negative or digital form. When shooting for reproduction, I try to use existing or natural light sources. I shoot to frame and like to keep the frame as simple as possible. I really enjoy black & white editorial and lifestyle — which I shoot almost 90% of the time — because of the enhanced tonal and light qualities that it expresses and the fact that composition isn't lost to the viewer, as it sometimes is with color. My emotional response to a subject plus my point of view helps guide me. When shooting, I use 50% Emotion plus 40% Perspective plus 10% Technique. To be a strong photographer, beyond the 'eye' or 'talent' that everyone seems to think exists, one has to master the art of observation, trust their instincts, and soak in their environment wherever they are at the moment. I really don't think it has anything to do with talent, but just a strong sense of your surroundings.”

"My primary influences are Ansel Adams, Helmut Newton, and Brassai.  I often shoot on the melancholy side including metaphors, irony, contrast in subject and tone, and line in my shots."