Jeff Heidel is a landscape and wildlife photographer, born and raised in Newton, KS. His artistic progression began in high school when he was searching for a medium that best suited his talents. During his sophomore year, he purchased his first 35mm SLR camera and was soon working on the school’s newspaper and yearbook staffs. During this time, his style could be described as a journalistic style of photography. After high school, he put down the camera to concentrate on his career as an Printed Circuit Board Designer, but the urge to be behind camera was always there. As an adult, he spent time on his Grandfather’s farm near Manhattan and the beauty of the Flint Hills rekindled his passion for photography. He wanted to capture this beauty and show people that Kansas isn’t the flat and boring place that people portray it to be. To him, the clouds are like mountains and the prairie grass is Kansas’ oceans. He feels that Kansas has some of the most beautiful sunsets/sunrises of any place that he has visited. In Kansas, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and the Flint Hills, especially the area around Matfield Green, are his favorite places to photograph. However, he does not limit himself to just Kansas, he also enjoys the beauty of many other states such as New Mexico and Wyoming and has also photographed in other countries such as Canada, Greece, and Tanzania. Mr. Heidel currently resides in McPherson, KS, with his wife Anne and his stepsons Matt and Jake.