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Ken Jacobsen is an avid nature enthusiast and nature
photographer. His photos and writing have been published in
“Nature Photographer”, “Michigan Natural Resources” and “Birders
World” magazines. He was also highlighted in the book The Best
of Nature Photography. Additionally, his photos have been
incorporated into corporate marketing, calendars, and private
art collections. Despite this wide application of his work, Ken
still describes himself as an amateur photographer, as he
engages in nature photography for pleasure rather than for
financial benefit.
I grew up on a creek on the edge of the
developed suburbs of metropolitan Detroit. My days were spent
playing along the creek and in the woods and wetlands it
watered. My love of nature and camping was further cultivated on
camping trips with my family and the Boy Scouts of America. In
1986, Ken earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in
Scouting. –Ken Jacobsen
When Ken was 17, his Dad lent him his camera to use on a trip
to Europe. This sparked an interest in photography, which merged
with his love of nature, and resulted in a passion for Nature
Photography. While attending a photography workshop twenty years
ago taught by Rod Planck, Ken went for a hike with Rod whom was
identifying birds by song.
I couldn't believe someone could do that. Then
we sat on the cliffs of Picture Rocks on Lake Superior watching
peregrine falcons and a bald eagle ride the winds along the
cliffs. I was hooked and also became an avid birder. –Ken
Jacobsen
After earning an MBA from Wayne State University, birding led
Ken to a summer internship with the Whitefish Point Bird
Observatory (WPBO) where he fell in love with Michigan’s
eastern Upper Peninsula.
This also resulted in some land preservation
accomplishments for which I am proudest and ultimately led me to
meeting my wife, Stephanie. –Ken Jacobsen
When Whitefish Point became threatened with over-development,
Ken and some friends, including Joe Kaplan, Louie Dombrowski and
Adam Bryne, successfully convinced the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service to take ownership of the majority of the
Whitefish Point Lighthouse Property as a unit of Seney National
Wildlife Refuge. The rest of the property divided between The
Great Lakes Historical Society and Michigan Audubon Society. It
was while passing out petitions for this campaign that Ken met
his wife Stephanie on a hike at Proud Lake Recreation Area with
The Sierra Club. A mutual friend, Joe Kaplan, had invited her to
come for the hike and about a year later they were married.
After the successful Whitefish Point property campaign, Ken
was elected to WPBO's Board of Directors, and he started the
Stewardship Committee. Using extensive knowledge of land
conservancies which he had acquired during an internship for The
Nature Conservancy while an Advertising and Public Relations
undergrad at Michigan State University, Ken put that knowledge
to use at Whitefish Point. Over the years, he has been involved
in six projects in the peninsula that have protected hundreds of
acres of land and several miles of Lake Superior Shoreline at
Vermilion Point. The cost of these properties was more than $10
Million and was funded mostly by The Nature Conservancy, Little
Traverse Conservancy, Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and
the North American Wetland Conservation Act.
After serving two terms on the WPBO Board, Ken ran for
Michigan Audubon Society's (MAS - WPBO's Parent Organization)
Board of Directors and was ultimately elected to two terms. He
even served on the MAS Executive Committee and became Treasurer,
but eventually resigned from the board to devote more time to
his family and kids.
As the kids grew, my volunteer activities have
again increased, but now as a Boy Scouts of America Leader. –Ken
Jacobsen
Ken became the official pack photographer, Assistant Cub
Master, and in 2010 will become Cub Master for Pack 631 in
Commerce Twp., Michigan. During this time, he also managed to
keep his hands in land preservation and most recently initiated
an effort to purchase and preserve approximately 100 acres of
Lake Michigan back dunes as part of Muskegon County’s Meinert
Park. This project is being spearheaded by the West Michigan
Land Conservancy.
While on MAS's Board, Ken and Stephanie Jacobsen also started
NaturePhotosOnline.com in 2005 to showcase his nature
photography and other photographers’ work. They also decided to
help preserve the natural world by donating five percent of
photographic print sales to various environmental non-profits.
With maximized search engine optimization,
NaturePhotosOnline.com currently averages more than 6,500 visits
per month and 190,000 hits per month.
Originally created as a place for photographers to showcase
their art and offer prints for sale to the general public,
NaturePhotosOnline.com now also allows photographers to sell
Royalty Free and Managed Royalty images.
We had about 50 photographers’ work and
thousands of photos exhibited on the site when we decided to
scrap the original database and re-launch the site in 2009. The
site now allows featured photographers to administer their own
images, which saves us a lot of time. –Ken Jacobsen
If you are interested in being a photographer on Ken and
Stephanie’s site, please visit
http://www.naturephotosonline.com/photographers.html
Although, nature photography and Nature Photos Online are a
passion and avocation for Ken, his avocation primary vocation is
Director of Sales and Marketing for The TM Group. Established 25
years ago,
The TM Group is one of the oldest and well established
Microsoft Dynamics partners in the world. Microsoft Dynamics is
an award-winning suite of adaptable business management
applications used by more than 500,000 customers with over
2,000,000 users worldwide. Because Microsoft Dynamics has a
familiar interface like Microsoft Outlook and Office, Microsoft
Dynamics has less of a learning curve for most users so they can
get up and running quickly and stay focused on what is most
important for the business. By automating, integrating and
streamlining business processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings
together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the
productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you
drive business success. The TM Group works with a wide variety
of clients including distributors, foundations, professional
associations, manufacturers, physicians, hospitality &
entertainment organizations, and family wealth groups.
I particularly enjoy working with small- to
mid-size companies in the selection and implementation of
customer relationship management (CRM) applications and
assisting them in developing their sales and marketing
automation strategies. – Ken Jacobsen
Before joining The TM Group, Ken’s previous positions
included e-Business Practice Development Consultant for Plante &
Moran, Marketing Analyst for the Eastman Kodak Company, and
Director of Sales and Marketing for a consumer products
manufacturer representative handling such lines as ECKO,
O'Sullivan RTA furniture, and Melitta Coffee with the Kmart
Corporation. Ken holds a B.A. in Advertising from Michigan State
University and a Masters of Business Administration from Wayne
State University.
VIEW IMAGES
BY KEN JACOBSEN
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