About Jim Harmer

That’s me! With a giant 600mm lens shooting wildlife in Yellowstone.

Welcome to ImprovePhotography.com.  I created this website because I absolutely love photography–both as a profession and as a hobby.

I’m grateful that photographers have enjoyed ImprovePhotography and joined the community here.  This site has become quite popular since I created it on February 17, 2011.  In fact, you are one of 15,000 photographers who will visit this site today.

Even though Improve Photography has become so popular, I am not sponsored by anyone, and I don’t accept advertising money from anyone.  So if I mention a brand of gear on the site, you know it’s strictly because I like and use it.

Here’s how the site was created, and a little about me…

In 2009, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho and then began law school in Florida.  All day long during law school, I read cases where the litigants were willing to ruin one another’s lives for money, or I’d go to the courtroom when I worked at the prosecutor’s office and pour over the disgusting details of criminal prosecutions.  I found that the only things that helped me see the good things in life were (1) my wife and kids, and (2) going out at night to do landscape photography.

One of my favorite landscapes that I took at night in Florida.

I soon realized that photography was what made me HAPPY in life, so after graduating from law school, I gave up my career in law and chose to pursue my photography full time.

I have been blessed to see so many people enjoy my photography.  My photos have been purchased by fine art buyers and businesses, and have been published by well known publications such as Reader’s Digest, Nikon USA, Time Magazine, as well as other magazines and newspapers.

In 2011,  I hired Dustin Olsen to work with me.  Dustin has become a great friend, and an inspirational artist to work with.  We run a photography studio in Caldwell, Idaho, where we teach photography through ImprovePhotography.com, teach workshops, and run a portrait photography business.

I love all different kinds of photography, but I still consider myself a landscape photographer.  There’s just nothing like waking up at 4AM to get in position for the morning light in the mountains.  At the same time, I do a lot with lighting and studio photography, and I enjoy that too.  Because I enjoy so many different types of photography, I haven’t pigeon-holed this website into just landscape or just portrait photography.  I write about it all!

There are HUNDREDS of photography articles on ImprovePhotography.com, and I don’t want you to miss out on my best bits if you’re new, so I wrote this list of “The Best of ImprovePhotography.com“.

I also teach online photography classes.  I started doing the classes in July 2011 and they became AMAZINGLY popular.  In our online classes, we give students one video lesson every day for a month, and we are COMPLETELY accessible to our students for questions.  We even give them our cell phone numbers, Skype usernames, and personal email addresses so they can get feedback on how they can improve, and get their questions answered.

How to Keep Track of Jim

First of all, you GOTTA subscribe to the podcast.  The Improve Photography Podcast is a free 45-minute audio show that you can subscribe to on your smart phone or mp3 player, or listen to from a computer.  With the podcast, you can get your photography fix while commuting, driving, working, etc.  The podcast is the hub of everything we do here.

If you LIKE the Improve Photography Facebook Fan Page, you won’t miss a thing!  I’m on the Facebook group multiple times per day and read every single message posted on the wall from over 30,000 fans.

I also spend a lot of time on Google+ these days.  Check out my Google+ profile here.

Oh, and I LOOVE Pinterest!  Follow my pins here.

If you’re a Twitter guy, check out my twitter stream here.

On A personal Note….

I live in Caldwell, Idaho, USA.  I have an AMAZINGLY supportive wife, Emily, and two children: Ruger (4 years old), and Cole (2 years).  I distinctly remember telling Emily one night during law school that I was considering not practicing as an attorney, but instead continuing my work as a professional photographer.  I think a lot of people wouldn’t have understood that, but as a testament to Emily’s character, she supported me 100% and has made it all possible.  What a woman!

Aside from my photography, I love flying my RC helicopter, sneaking in a game of airsoft on Saturday mornings, and playing with my kids. Every morning before coming in to the studio, I teach a morning Bible study class for the teenagers at my church.

Oh!  And I hold the world record for the longest distance ever traveled while shooting tiddlywinks!  No, I’m not kidding.  I went 11 miles and 2.5 inches.