Exploring nature with artistic intent

By Jackie Lee | Sun Arts

It’s generally understood that photography at its highest level is art, and that is nowhere more evident than in Mark Zukowski’s panoramic photographs.

His works emphasize unique perspectives, clarity, depth and light difficult to capture in 2-D form.

   Mark’s interest in photography began at the age of twelve with his parents’ Kodak Reflex box camera. His dedication to learn about it led him to set up a modest dark room in his mother’s laundry area, which, due to the overpowering solvent smell, had to be returned to its previous utility every day when he was finished.

   After earning a PhD in Genetics and subsequently working as a research scientist, Mark changed horses in mid-stream and became a peripatetic photographer, trading cultures in the lab for cultures around the globe. Traveling to far corners of the planet to get that One Perfect Shot, he is accompanied by Jaime, his wife of 40 years, who studied cultural anthropology and enjoys the jaunts as much as Mark.

   While working Strasbourg, France for three years, he had easy travel access to many European and Mid-Eastern countries, and he was struck by the beauty of nature everywhere in landscapes and wildlife. He felt then, and still feels, the deep emotion of the experience.

   In May 2016, Mark and Jaime joined the National Geographic Lindblad Explorer expedition up the coast of Norway to the Arctic. It was daylight all the time, and along with guides bearing rifles, they were able to photograph polar bears in their natural habitat. He says thankfully, the rifles were never necessary.

   Asked if he had ever been in danger in remote areas, he said no, not really, because he was always with at least one other photographer so that someone always had his back. He laughed, saying he’s in more danger on the streets when he carries so much valuable equipment, and two people walking together are

definitely better than one in that situation.

  On a separate trip to Iceland, he trekked twenty miles over rugged terrain to take photographs of one specific waterfall. Clearly, this is not for the faint of heart. Mark quotes an old adage: “If you want to take more interesting photographs, stand in more interesting places.” For him, it’s all about being there and exercising patience waiting for the right time to click.

  Mark and Jaime joined another NatGeo expedition in India, through Jaipur, New Delhi and an area close to Pakistan. Immersed in the explosive colors of India, he learned a new form of photographing people and the teeming streets.

   Their next trip this year will be to Namibia, Botswana, and the Republic of South Africa. As a small group of only seven people, they will be afforded more opportunities to go into unknown places. He explains that access is key. Any tourist who’s languished in never-ending lines with twenty other travelers will agree.

   How does he come by the perfect moment? It’s mostly luck, he says, aided by opportunity, knowing the area, making an educated guess, and waiting, waiting, waiting. He spent many cold, dark hours standing in one place at Machu Picchu waiting for the sun to rise and refract over the horizon, then waited again for the long exposure it required. The result is a one of a kind luminous scene that takes your breath away. Despite the long setup and several hours in its process, he remembers the emotion of that moment and the experience of being in that time and place in nature.

   Mark has been to 23 countries so far, with plans to go to three more within a year, and has at least five more after that on his bucket list. He says he grew to truly appreciate the people he met all over the world and the cultures they represent; he feels privileged to share this planet and its beauty with everyone.

   He is concurrently the Vice President of the Arts Guild of Sonoma, the guiding light with their computer programs and managing the annual national juried show among other things, and a treasured resource appreciated by all. As well, he exhibits his photographs there year around.

   And with that, hat plopped on his head, with a wave, he’s off to find the next great vista.

 

 

Jackie Lee is an artist living in Sonoma. A supporter of the local visual arts scene in all its forms, her focus is on showcasing individual events and artists as well as those represented by established galleries. JackieLeeArt@comcast.net.