Being surrounded by photography all his life, Dan Nelson grew up with a camera in his hand. He began by assisting his stepfather in the darkroom and out in the field. He honed his techniques and later developed his own style while growing up and photographing in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

For a change of pace, he moved to Phoenix and began traveling and photographing the American Southwest visiting places he'd only seen in books by Ansel Adams, Elliot Porter, and Edward Weston. Along the way, he continued to work on his personal style and developed a true love and respect of nature which he tries to convey through his photographs.

He relocated to Colorado 3 years ago to capture the beauty and grandeur of the Colorado Rockies in an effort to express to people the need to preserve and protect the natural landscape.

His work has appeared in galleries in South Dakota, Arizona, and Colorado and he is currently working to produce a calendar that will be available next year. He is also looking to revisit the Pacific Northwest for an extensive photographic journey.