John F. Russell
For more than 30 years, the passion for impactful photography has guided John F. Russell allowing him to create images that tell amazing stories while capturing the beauty that can only be found in the mountains of Northwest Colorado.
A 1990 University of Colorado journalism school graduate, John found a home in Steamboat Springs and with the Pilot & Today newspaper. However, his passion for photography is not confined to a 9-to-5 job, and he often spends his free time capturing the scenic beauty and wildlife. John primarily photographs local areas ranging from Kremmling to the Sand Wash Basin just outside of Maybell to the west and from Clark in North Routt County to Toponas to the south. He devotes many of his weekends near Maybell taking photos among the sagebrush where wild horses still run free.
His skills at telling stories, both with images and words, have taken him around the world and to three Olympic Games in 2002 (Salt Lake City), 2006 (Torino, Italy) and 2010 (Vancouver, British Columbia) where he followed local athletes and was able to share their adventures in the pages of the Steamboat Pilot & Today.
John has decades of experience covering international winter sports like Nordic combined, freestyle, snowboarding, and Nordic and Alpine skiing, and that has allowed him to write and photograph numerous international World Cup events during his career, as well as deepen his knowledge of the disciplines.
His words and images have told the stories of generations of athletes in everything from prep sports to rodeo, kayaking to mountain climbing and plenty of sports between. His efforts have won him awards from the National Press Association, Associated Press and Colorado Press Association in both writing and photography.
But none of that would have been possible without the passion he has for telling unique stories, capturing exceptional images that truly showcase Colorado’s unique spirit.