About the Artist

How It All Began

Hello Reader! I’m Caleb Hoover, professional wildlife photographer currently based around the southeastern United States. Wildlife and the natural world has always played a role in my life but the ways in which I have connected to it have not always been the same. Prior to my career in wildlife photography I was deeply involved in other forms of art; ‘hyper realistic’ drawing and painting chief among them. My work usually depicted intricate scenes of nature, and all sorts of wildlife and their habitats. Soon enough I was able to make it a thriving business as I sold pet portraits, and various commissioned pieces. As this went on I found myself somewhat disconnected from the subjects I depicted. Pencils and paper no longer filled the void of nature in my life leading to my interest in Bird watching in 2014. I was living in Florida at the time, and as my interest in birds grew I started taking a camera with me to document the feathered friends I found along the way. However, a few years and a few hundred bird species later, I struggled to find the same artistic discipline in photos as I did on paper or canvas.

A turning point came while at 14,000 feet elevation, atop a mountain in northern Colorado. It was a brisk windy evening and before me stood a species I had dreamed for years to see. A White Tailed Ptarmigan (A species of high elevation grouse native to North America.) no further than an arms reach from me. The rocky mountains stretched out for an eternity behind it and with the setting sun painting the landscape it was an experience I would not soon forget. I so desperately wanted to capture the experience in its entirety, showcasing what it meant to me in a single photo. However, I came away dissatisfied. With just a singular new species to add to my book, and no quality images, I felt as though my inadequacies as a photographer meant I had little to show for the experience that just unfolded. That moved me to devote myself to the craft. I purchased new equipment, and spent as much time as I could in the coming years learning and developing myself as a photographer.

“Flying With Swallows.”

A Flock of Cliff Swallows, one of the planets furthest migrants nest above a river in rural Tennessee

‘My Mission’

My goal with photography is to create images that are not only visually stimulating, and artistically sound, but also tell a story within each frame. I’ve found that the convergence of the two creates a work of art that the viewer can be truly lost in. The art draws the eye while the story engages the viewers mind. Images like this bring me a great deal of joy, and intrigue.

While my main focus and introduction to the field was through bird life; I’ve since found myself enthralled with subjects of all types. From the largest mammals to the smallest of insects, Landscapes, people, abstract, and macro have all attracted my eye at one time or another. I have adopted what I’d call an experimental yet playful approach to photography.

“Kerfuffle”

Two White Ibis clash mid-air over dwindling resources and an ever shrinking seasonal pond.

Where Am i Now?