About Steve Jessmore

Steve Jessmore is an award-winning Michigan bird photographer and conservation storyteller whose work explores the lives of birds and the freshwater habitats they depend on. A five-time Michigan Photographer of the Year and three-time National Audubon Photography Award winner, his photography has been featured by National Audubon, Smithsonian magazine, Ducks Unlimited, Michigan Audubon, and numerous conservation organizations.

After more than 35 years as a newspaper photojournalist, Steve discovered a new calling during the COVID pandemic. With assignments disappearing almost overnight, he launched a kayak and began photographing birds close to home. What started as a creative outlet quickly became a passion—and ultimately a mission.

Today, Steve documents authentic bird behavior through his trademarked Birds Doing Stuff® project. Rather than creating portraits, he photographs birds hunting, raising young, defending territory, migrating, and surviving in the wild. His goal is simple: to help people understand what birds are doing, why those moments matter, and why healthy habitats deserve our protection.

His work is built on patience. Steve often returns to the same location hundreds of times, believing the best wildlife photographs come from understanding a place rather than simply visiting it. That philosophy inspired The Splendor Next Door, a five-year project documenting birds along a single public boardwalk at Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. After more than 250 mornings in the same place, the project became a book inviting others to discover extraordinary nature close to home.

Today Steve photographs throughout Michigan and the Great Lakes region, focusing on freshwater ecosystems, disappearing habitat, and the conservation stories that shape the future of birds. Whether documenting endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers or the everyday lives of backyard birds, his work encourages people to slow down, look closer, and become stewards of the places birds call home.

Recognition

• Three-time National Audubon Photography Award winner

• Five-time Michigan Photographer of the Year

• Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame member

• Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award recipient

Published By

National Audubon • Smithsonian • Ducks Unlimited • Michigan Audubon