Frank Lee Ruggles has about as mysterious and impressive a resumé as one can imagine. He carried a machine gun for four years as a U.S. Army Paratrooper, was a First Sergeant in the Virginia State Guard as a Military Police Officer, and even parachuted with the 82nd Airborne division into Panama....and then, he followed that up with a completely different career; following in the footsteps of his photographic hero; the late, great Ansel Adams. This former military-man-turned-critically-acclaimed-photographer has held the esteemed position as an Official Photographer for the United States National Park Service from 2007 through 2011, a position only held by a handful of people in the 100 year history of the NPS. In combining two such different lives, Ruggles has found himself in the role of Warrior-Artist, and he is using his unique skills to advocate for the conservation and preservation of our National Parks and other natural places. 

Frank feels one of the best ways to share the magic of our Parks is by capturing stunning photographs of America's natural wonders in some of the most rarely seen and hard-to-reach places. His ultimate goal is to create such a compelling body of work that people who see it will want to join him in protecting our Natural Places. Drawing upon his physical strength and endurance capabilities acquired during his Paratrooper training, Ruggles completed a 1000-day, 25,000-mile journey that spanned more than 250 National Parks and Forests through all 50 US  States. 

Prior to his work with the National Park Service, Ruggles provided services for the U.S. State Department, where he was the exclusive photographic printer for Secretary of State Colin Powell. He contracted for the The U.S. Treasury, the FBI, Dept. of Energy, and even performed custom hand photographic printing for the Smithsonian Institution.  Professionally, Frank has had the honor of serving the last five Presidential Administrations as a Soldier, Contractor or Federal Employee. He is currently serving as the first ever Artist Ambassador to the National Park Trust and is also the current Official Photographer for the US Army Historical Foundation. He is also working on pre-production for a new Television Series he will be hosting featuring his photo-adventures in the National Parks.

Frank's  photographic works can be seen in galleries and public buildings across the country. His photographs hang in private collections next to the works of Adams as well and have been featured in countless magazines. He just finished his newest book, CHASING LIGHT" which will be sold in National Parks across the country. 

  In his limited spare time, he teaches Hike and Shoot photography workshops to up-and-coming photographers and enjoys hiking adventures with his wife, Lisa Crow Ruggles and his Great Dane,Wilson, at their home in Great Falls, Virginia.