Chris Coffey

Like a lot people, my life was shaped by the experiences of youth. I learned that I loved all things outdoors while wandering the woods and bogs of Michigan armed with a butterfly net, and later on Boy Scout expeditions to the backcountry. My love for the west was sparked by my mother’s stories of growing up in New Mexico coupled with our cross-country trips via train to visit family. I returned to the west repeatedly when time and money allowed, hiking most of the 4-corners areas, especially the Grand Canyon. Moving to northeast Ohio in 1995 I met, courted, and married my wife and the Cuyahoga Valley. The photographic journey has been a circle for me: In the beginning I was looking out at the world through the lens and have discovered that when I am truly making my best work the camera is pointing back at me. Initially I was taking my camera places and now the camera takes me to worlds I never thought I’d be interested in.