About

Brett Simison, Coyote Gulch, Glen Canyon, Utah. Photo by Noah Lowenthal. Click on image to view larger.

Brett Simison was born in 1972 in the small farm town of Citronelle, Alabama. "My story is pretty common: I began shooting after my grandfather gave me his old Canon AT-1 when I was 12 years old. I've been photographing ever since."

After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's of Science in Zoology, Brett landed a job assisting National Geographic staff photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols in Charlottesville, Virginia. "I learned a lot from Nick, primarily the business and logistical side of photography. He also forced me to take more chances with my shooting and get away from the 'picture postcard' style that many new photographers adhere to."

During the dotcom boom in 1999, Brett took a break from photography to work in web design and development. A year of corporate work inspired him to strike out on his own, so he started an award-winning animation website that he maintained until 2005. "Working in design gave me insight to the other side of the creative business: photography consumers. I think that's one of the reasons I work so well with my advertising and commercial clients: I've been there and can anticipate their needs."

Brett returned to photography full time in 2006 and shoots a mixture of editorial, commercial, advertising, events, and fine art. "People always ask me, 'what kind of stuff do you shoot?'. I tell them, 'Anything with a paycheck,' and I'm only partially joking. With today's economy and the constantly fluctuating photographic landscape, you have to be flexible, be open to new challenges. Some days, you're shooting a sweet editorial gig in Central America, and others you're shooting a coffee maker on white seamless. That's the business."

His clients and publications include Outside, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Christian Science Monitor, Harcourt Houghton-Mifflin, Time (Asia), Skiing Magazine, Sizzle, Blue Ridge Outdoors, Dirt Rag, Outdoor Traveler, Patagonia, The University of Virginia, Middlebury College, the New England Culinary Institute, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

Today, Brett and his wife Amy live in the town of Middlebury, Vermont where she teaches at Middlebury College. He's often cold.