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Greg Lasley's Biography Information



Greg first pointed a camera at a bird in 1971, a Horned Lark at Great Salt Lake, Utah, while he was in the U.S. Air Force.  By 1976, as a novice, but enthusiastic bird-watcher, he became interested in documenting appearances of rare birds by photographing and tape-recording them.  From the late 1970s until the late 1980s, most of Greg's wildlife photography focused on documenting rarities and obtaining slides of birds to illustrate his lectures for Audubon Societies or other nature-oriented groups. For more information about rare birds in Texas, please visit the Texas Bird Records Committee website where information about that organization can be found. In 1983, Chuck Sexton and Greg took over the editorship of the Texas Region for American Birds, later known as Field Notes, and now known as North American Birds, a publication of the American Birding Association. Greg continued to be the Texas co-editor of that publication through the year 2000 and was the Secretary of the Texas Bird Records Committee of the Texas Ornithological Society from 1986 until 2000. Greg also served on the Bird Records Committee of the American Birding Association for two terms, ending in 2005. In these various capacities he became more involved with rarity records in Texas and the rest of North America. In 1988, Greg took some photos of the Golden-cheeked Warbler, an endangered species which nests only in Texas. One of these photos was published on the cover of a birding guide-book, which led to other requests to publish Greg’s bird photos. In the next several years many of Greg’s photos were published in Texas Highways Magazine, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine, American Birds, Wildlife Conservation, and a few of other publications. After these initial publication successes, Greg became more serious about his photography. Over the next few years he continually upgraded his camera equipment, developed the skills necessary to become a good wildlife photographer, and traveled the state of Texas and much of the United States photographing birds. Through the 1990s, hundreds of his photos found their way into various publications. 

In 2000, Greg, along with Larry Ditto of McAllen, Texas, a fellow photographer and friend, entered the Valley Land Fund Wildlife Photo Contest as partners. The contest was a six-month-long wildlife photo competition in far south Texas.  Participants included more than 100 other accomplished photographers from around the country. Greg and Larry spent long hours on a single piece of land, working to capture wildlife images in 50 different categories. This contest forced Greg out of his "photographic comfort zone" of birds and into the world of spiders, dragonflies, mammals, and other types of wildlife. Greg and Larry won first place in this prestigious contest in 2000 and finished third in 2002. Since then Greg has continued to branch out with his photography, finding new subjects at which to aim a lens. Dragonflies and damselflies have been a favorite subject for him in recent years, however birds are still a prime focus as well. Butterflies, mammals, and other wildlife are photographed as well. Greg's photo credits now exceed 2000 published images in more than 100 different books and magazines. Please see Greg's photo image use page for a listing of these publication credits.

Greg spent 25 years in law enforcement, retiring from the Austin Police Department in 1997 as a lieutenant. From 1997 through early 2005 he divided his time between photographing wildlife and leading bird-watching trips over much of the western hemisphere for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. He had also led trips for VENT part-time from 1985 to 1997. In March, 2005, Greg decided to take a sabbatical from regular tour leading and now concentrates on photography and other wildlife pursuits. He still leads occasional trips for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT). His photos appear regularly in a variety of nature and wildlife-oriented books and magazines. He and his wife, Cheryl Johnson, reside in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Please visit the image use page for information about obtaining image license for any of Greg's photos.

Photography Awards, Books, Exhibits and Publication Credits

2000: Valley Land Fund Wildlife Photo Contest 2000 Vannie Cook Award "Wildlife Photographer of the Year". Greg Lasley and Larry Ditto

2002: Valley Land Fund Wildlife Photo Contest 2002. Third Grand Prize. Greg Lasley & Larry Ditto

2006: Valley Land Fund Wildlife Photo Contest 2006. Fourth Place overall finish.

2006: Exhibit, Colors of Nature, Texas Wildlife Images. Greg Lasley and John Ingram. Texas Natural Science Center, University of Texas at Austin.

2007 - 2008: Exhibit, Colors of Nature: Antarctica: Life at the Bottom of the World. Greg Lasley. Texas Natural Science Center, University of Texas at Austin.

Fall, 2008: Greg Lasley's Texas Wildlife Portraits, published by Texas A&M University Press.

Fall, 2009: Birds of Central Texas; A Guide to Common and Notable Species, published by Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., Austin, Texas

Spring, 2010: Birds of Texas Big Bend Country; A Guide to Common and Notable Species, published by Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., Austin, Texas

Summer, 2010: Birds of North Texas; A Guide to Common and Notable Species, published by Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., Austin, Texas

January, 2011: Exhibit, Greg Lasley's Texas Wildlife Portraits. Texas Natural Science Center, University of Texas at Austin.



For a complete list of photo publication credits please see my copyright and image usage page. For a complete list of all my written publication credits, go here. Thanks!

Additional Information

Okay, if the above does not prove too boring for you, I've added a few photos and other information about me, my birding and my photography. You are welcome to take a look at: 1960s & 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010's if you are interested in photos of yours truly through the years.

"Other Stuff"

I have added information I have on my family genealogy in the hopes that someone might be able to provide some additional details. Investigating my own family history has been a hobby for a number of years.