Lana
Hays
I grew up on a farm in Central Ohio and quickly developed a
fascination for nature. I graduated from college in
Kentucky and completed a biology teaching certification
from Xavier University in Cincinnati. This fall I will
start my 35th
year
teaching high school biology.
An interest in photography started during my first few
years as a teacher. My first camera was a Minolta SRT201
that I used to photograph anything that could be used to
enhance my teaching. After taking a graduate field class in
Marine Biology, I learned the value of fieldwork and the
importance of sharing my experiences through slide
presentations in the classroom.
Over the years I expanded my photography to include
sporting events, activities at school, and later my twins
as they grew up. For ten years I studied
molecular biology through fellowships and workshops during
the summers. When I retired (for 12 days) from
public school and took a teaching job at a private Catholic
high school, I was asked if I could develop a Nature Trail
at the school. After winning the Christa McAuliffe
Fellowship to accomplish the goal I realized how much I had
missed the outdoors during the previous years.
I began studying ecology and developed an interest in
birds. Soon my photographic interest expanded beyond
sporting, school, and family events. I switched to
digital when birds became my primary subject.
Today I shoot in the tri-state (Ohio, Indiana, and
Kentucky), as well as travel to such places as Florida,
Alaska, New Mexico, Michigan, New Jersey and Newfoundland
in search of birds. I recently organized my images into
this website for family, friends, birders, and especially
use in the classroom.