I grew up in rural Ohio, and discovered the mountains thanks to a 300ft ski hill called Mad River Mountain. My dad somehow decided that skiing was the perfect Ohio sport, so in the third grade, I burned holes in my fake leather ski gloves while mastering the rope tow. Somehow, that old rope tow and the icy slopes of Mad River Mountain created a wanderlust in me that has caused me to take up residence in Colorado, Eastern Europe and Russia, and now the mountains of North Carolina.

Ever since I got my first camera when I graduated from college, I have enjoyed making images of the people and places where I travel. Much of my time behind the camera has been on nothing more than a humble 'point and shoot.' Not owning professional equipment has forced me to learn good composition techniques and to look for natural drama to fill my frames. I am constantly looking for the best angles to tell the right story. You can often find me laying flat on the ground, climbing a tree or rock outcropping, or holding my camera high above my head to get a better shot.

Many of images in this gallery were captured on a compact Minolta camera that no serious photographer would ever give a second look. Recently, my wife Mason convinced me to get a Digital SLR (Nikon D80).I almost feel like I'm cheating when it comes to taking pictures because it's now so easy to get great shots. Just like the old rope tow, I will always be thankful for starting out with simple gear. It has taught me the valuable lesson of taking whatever I have, no matter how unglorious the resource, and making it beautiful. I currently live in Valle Crucis, NC and can be reached at: eric.heistand(at)uscm.org