The natural world has been an inspiration for Cathy & Gordon Illg from early childhood exploring the Northern Wisconsin woods and the Sonoran Desert that surrounded their childhood homes. They graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson—Cathy with a degree in Business and Outdoor Recreation and Gordon with a degree in Wildlife Biology. Between hiking and backpacking extensively throughout the West and Gordon’s immersion in wildlife biology, they developed an intense love and desire to share images of wild places and the animals who live there.
For over two decades they have been working as full-time nature photographers, and their work is widely published, including numerous covers of magazines like Backpacker, Defenders, National Geographic Kids, National Wildlife, and Ranger Rick. Several of their images decorate the tails of Frontier Airlines’ jets and their books, Dynamic Wildlife Photography and Worshipping With A Camera, Other Nationals; The Creatures Who Share This Planet With Us (ebook), have been well received. They have also done well in photo contests, the pinnacle of which was being flown to London to accept an award in BBC’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.
