Franklin Hessler is originally from Minnesota and ended up in Montana via Yellowstone National Park like many other savages (as concessionaire employees are referred to in the park). Just out of college he got a job working in the park and spent a few seasons before going back to Minnesota to pursue a M.S. degree in Educational Leadership. He headed back to Montana in 2013 and worked as a Park Ranger in Yellowstone before finally realizing that guiding was more his style.

He has been into photography since getting his first film camera as a teenager. Over the years, he learned techniques on his own and figured out how to use his camera effectively. He has always used a Canon in manual mode. When taking photos, he also uses manual focus and mainly film camera lenses. For macro photos, like the cover, he uses a screw on filter. 

He has traveled to Ghana and Australia as well as to Alaska for an internship in Wrangell Saint Elias National Park and Preserve. He currently works Yellowstone Guidelines, a Livingston-based company. They do a large variety of tours in the first national park including wildlife, geology, hiking and backpacking tours.

Franklin and his wife Tami are currently in the process of opening a shop in Livingston called Rock N Knit. It is located on the corner of Main and Callendar in downtown Livingston.

If you would like to keep up with what’s happening with Rock N Knit follow RockNKnit on Instagram and Facebook, their website is: www.rocknknit.com. They plan on opening their shop in early June 2019.