Wildlife / Animals nominee

This image was shot in the wild, at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Southern California. I found this brown pelican sitting on a fence and was able to spend several minutes photographing him while he watched me. From a lower angle, I isolated him against a solidly overcast sky. This image was rendered in high-key black & white to emphasize the strong design formed by the bird's beak and upper body.

Internationally recognized fine art photographer Dan Zukowski specializes in nature, landscape and wildlife photography. Recent achievements include invitations to the 1650 Gallery in Los Angeles as part of the exhibition "A Winter's Tale", the "Portraits of the Garden" show at the Sturt Haaga Gallery and the "Stories" show at PH21 Gallery in Budapest. Numerous awards include a Gold Award in the Ozone Zone International Photo Salon 2013; runner-up in three recent Chasing the Light juried photo competitions, multi-award winner at Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery competitions and nominee for a 2014 Blue Diamond Photo Award.

A Telly Award-winning video producer and video editor, Dan began his interest in photography at the age of 13 when his parents gave him a 35mm rangefinder camera. He took up photography seriously in 2007. Dan is also a former journalist with bylines in major newspapers and magazines, and enjoyed an extensive creative career in marketing and public relations, heading major brand-name accounts.

Dan grew up in New York City and lived in Southern California for 25 years before relocating to Maine.