“I am drawn to scenes often passed by. If something holds my attention, I believe it has something to say, even wisdom to offer. If I’m open, the meaning may become clear. Other images stay with me for years before I am ready to hear them, to translate their offering.”
Jak Wonderly is an award-winning photographer whose work has been published by National Geographic Magazine, Smithsonian, TIME, BBC, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He worked as an animal photographer for the National Geographic Society, and his images have appeared in dozens of their books. Jak won first place in the prestigious BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition for his mandala-esque image of birds, which went viral on social media and was published by media outlets around the world, and has been exhibited in several museums.
Early in his career as a professional photographer, Jak discovered the joy of using a vintage Rolleiflex TLR film camera. Over many years of experimentation and reflection on this deliberate way of working, Jak developed Photonoetics (TM), a philosophy of photography applicable to both individual frames and long-term projects.
He is a public speaker on photography, teaches workshops, and coaches photographers looking to build a unique and meaningful portfolio.
Jak has also been a photography tour co-leader for wildlife and cultural trips around the world, carrying both his digital gear and several Rolleiflex cameras to Africa, India, China, Tasmania, Borneo, the Amazon, and more. His photographic expedition to the Himalayas for the Snow Leopard Conservancy is featured in the coffee table book Searching for the Snow Leopard.
Jak has lectured on conservation photography at Stanford University, for the California Academy of Sciences, and worked on projects with Wild Wonders of China, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, and a number of wildlife rescue organizations.
More than one thousand of Jak’s images, including many of his film photographs, are permanently represented in the National Geographic Image Collection.
At the College for Creative Studies in Detroit (summa cum laude, BFA) he was heavily influenced by the philosophy, psychology, and mythology courses in addition to Photography Studio. Jak also completed the Three Year Program in Advanced Shamanism with Dr. Michael Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.
Jak lives in Sonoma County, California surrounded by redwood and apple trees. He spends one full day a week volunteering at his local wildlife rescue with his daughter.