You are probably asking yourself, "What does 'Uma Rapiti' mean?"  Uma Rapiti means, "Run Rabbit" in the native tongue of the Maori...the indigenous people of New Zealand.

How did I come up with that name?  In 1997 I served with a US Army Special Operations unit in Bosnia.  One of my fellow officers was a Kiwi officer (New Zealand).  Uma Rapiti is a children's song that we taught to the local children of Banja Luka, Bosnia.

Combine the above with the fact I have a passion for sight hounds...specifically, whippets and I ended up with, "Uma Rapiti Photography."

Currently, I have two whippet girls, a whippet boy and a greyhound:  Deja, Giselle, Linus and Elena.  To learn more about the Uma Rapiti Hounds, please visit our kennel web-site:  www.umarapitihounds.com.

My inspiration for Uma Rapiti was MAJ Steve Tamaona, NZ (3rd from left, back row).  I am in the front row on the right.  This picture was taken in 1997 at the Metal Factory in Banja Luka, Bosnia.

My full time job is as an officer in the United States Army.  I am married to my wonderful wife, Elizabeth, who puts up with all my activities.  I am a proud father of three lovely girls and one boy:  Eileen, Iris, Viveka, and Patrick. (If you have ever been to a lure coursing event we are at...you cannot miss us.)  When I have nothing to do I go running with my hounds and work on my house. 

I love photography, but some time ask me about my extracurricular activities:  brewing beer, making wine, building computers and roasting my own coffee beans.  I am a bit of a purist, preferring things I have crafted with my own hand.

Sighthounds

Graceful, sleek, swift, muscular, efficient, and loving...all things that attracted me to sighthounds, particularly whippets.  About five years ago my wife was searching for a reputable whippet breeder.  She came across the, "Hound Hollow" web-site which is the kennel name for M.E. Robin Barry.  My wife contacted Robin and I visited her at a dog show.  Well, it did not take long for me to fall for a very special whippet...our first furry whippet kid was a spunky, dead on prey drive girl named Deja.  Since acquiring Deja we have added two more whippets to our family:  Giselle and Linus.  Not only is Robin a discriminating breeder, she also offers great hound counsel, and is a wonderful friend to our family!  Thanks for everything Robin.

Photography

I am not a professional photographer, nor is this my career; whatever I earn is used to cover the cost of my equipment and maintain my website, nothing more.  I shoot coursing events for two reasons:  my love of sighthounds and my love of photography. 

This passion started when I was a fifth grader.  At the young age of ten I had my first darkroom class and immediately fell in love with the creative process that was photography and darkroom editing.  In high school I was the yearbook photographer and darkroom editor.  I also worked for my hometown newspaper as a photographer and darkroom technician.  All the time I was shooting pictures with my reliable Canon AE-1 camera.  My love of photography was placed on the backburner for nearly fifteen years as I went through college and graduate school, joined the Army and served in Bosnia as part of the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR) and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and finally, got married and started a family.  What brought me back into photography?  That's easy.  I went to one lure coursing trial with my whippet and was hooked.  I wanted to capture the very essence of the sighthound athlete and loved the challenge of photographing such swift moving animals.

Thanks for visiting Uma Rapiti Photography!