Growing up in Montreal, photography for Karl Zielke started on his seventh birthday, where he received a Brownie camera and several rolls of black and white film from his mother. Needless to say, his composition and technique as a photographer has vastly improved since then. At 13 he was a member of the Greenwood Camera Club on the East Coast of Canada, learning the densitometry and chemistry behind the photographic process. He always packed a camera with him, shooting photos for the local newspaper and friends and family for some extra spending money. By the age of 15 he was selling his framed photos in galleries and framing shops in Vancouver, and a few years later he was in the studio shooting family portraits for Van’s portrait studio. By the age of 20, Kaz’s photos were featured in Photo Life Magazine and he won several awards from the National Association for Photographic Art. In 1986 he was accepted to Vancouver’s Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. While visiting Expo ’86, he had the chance to meet several photographers from all over North America. It was here that he was able to show his portfolio to some of the best names in the business. It was also here where one photographer told him: “Four years of college is going to put you four years behind and make you broke! You’re doing it now, so get out there and do it!” Kaz took this valuable advice and focused his attention on workshops instead of school. Ironically, years later Kaz was at the front of the class teaching photography at night school, and he eventually became a high-in-demand wedding and portrait photographer. After five years of having very few weekends off, he decided that this was not the direction he wanted his skills to go. He has since focused his energy on photography for annual reports and stock photos, where his creativity really shines, in addition to selling framed prints of his wildlife and landscapes. Karl Zielke currently lives in Slave Lake, Alberta. |
KAZ® Photographics Tel: (780) 849-3073 |
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