Douglas Leighton grew up in the Canadian Rockies, a lucky fate which has inspired his lifelong fascination with nature and natural landscapes. Prior to starting a full time freelance photography career in Banff in 1985, he worked as a park naturalist for eight years in British Columbia, where he developed his photography skills while shooting for interpretive slide shows. His photographs have been published by the National Geographic Society, Audubon Society Books, Time-Life Books and in Canadian Geographic, Nature Canada, Equinox, and Beautiful British Columbia magazines, among others.