Rob Curtis became interested in photography when he went to Florida to do art & craft shows in 1987. At this time his media was lapidary and metalsmithing. Upon arriving in Florida he immediately noticed the large herons that seemed everywhere. Noting that there seemed to be several types, and armed with a field guide and binoculars, he set out to identify the different species. Wanting people back home to know about these amazing birds, he photographed a green heron with an Instamatic camera that had been a gift. Getting the prints back though, he could hardly find the bird in the picture, so small was its image. Rob then bought a decent 35mm camera and became obsessed with photographing birds for the six months he was down there. Every free day, from dawn to dusk, he would seek out new species to document, traversing the state many times, from the Keys to the Everglades to the northern forests, enduring bites from the mosquitos, ticks, chiggers, no-see-ums, spiders and fire ants that permeated the habitat of his subjects.

Knowing nothing about photography, he kept careful records of all his camera settings, and learned from his mistakes. This first year all his shots were on 400ASA film and shot with a 300mm lens with a 3x multiplier. All shots were thus very grainy and not of professional quality, but the essence of photography was picked up. Back in Chicago, he got a very good deal on a used 600mm Nikon lens, and he took this as a sign that this was an opportunity to take expert quality photos. He returned to Florida the following winter and again spent every free day from dawn to dusk for 5 months photographing wildlife, chiefly birds. This time, the pictures were of professional quality and could be submitted to magazines. The first one published, of a Painted Bunting, was used on a cover of the National Audubon Society magazine, American Birds. It was later re-used as the frontispiece logo to promote the magazine. Among the many other pictures that were taken that year and used by magazines, three more were used for covers.

Since then, Rob has expanded his choice of subjects to other wildlife, including insects, flowers and scenics, and photography is now his main occupation. He has had thousands of photos published in nature magazines and books in the US and the UK, including 8 covers.. Major contributions included 39 shots to the newly revised National Audubon Field Guides to the Birds. and 49 photos in the Stokes Bird Field Guides. A double page Natural Moment" feature in the Natural History magazine  entitled "Snowball" , of a Bluebird fluffed out in the snow, became one of my most popular shots.  Soon to be published  is the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects with over 300  of Rob's shots used, the largest contribution.

Other credits include the first photographic exhibit at the prestigious art gallery "One Touch of Nature", 2nd place prizes twice at the Broadway Art Fair, and "Best of Show" prizes at the Wright College Art Fair and the Chesterton "Wizard of Oz Festival". First prize was won at the Downer's Grove Art Fiar and other awards include from the Gold Coast Fair, and Glenview Art Fair .

Rob's greatest hope is that his photos will add to the awareness of the diversity of life and nature that is being lost daily. Perhaps a photograph may induce a viewer to care about the subject and contribute to some of the many organizations that are trying to protect endangered species and their habitats.