Professional Wildlife Photographer, Paul Komarek
Paul Komarek is a professional wildlife photographer and photography instructor from Fort Worth, Texas. Paul got started with photography at 8 years old with a Kodak 110 format "point-and-shoot" he got for his birthday. Every summer once school let out, Paul and his family would take a full month to drive across the country, visiting new national parks and landmarks, taking photographs along the way. It was during this time that Paul was able to learn, through trial and error, the skills used by professional wildlife photographers around the world.
Later in life, Paul went back to college to study traditional photography and was formally trained in the "wet darkroom," giving him and even greater appreciation for today's advances in digital photography.
Paul started a photography school in Texas that offers a variety of local, national, and international workshops and safaris. Local classes are offered at the gallery for learning software such as Photoshop, Lightroom, and Silver Efex Pro.
Having the #5 zoo in the United States, a 100+ acre botanical garden, and the largest city owned wildlife refuge in the country (3,600+ acres), allows for some great photography workshops for students, all without having to leave the city.
Want to know what gear Paul uses or endorses? Check out "Equipment Used."
Artist Statement
"I fell in love with photography when I was just a child, taking pictures with my Kodak Winner 110 format camera. My camera used the disposable "flash sticks" which I loved the smell of when they fired, but were very expensive to replace as a 12 year old. Because of this, I focused more of my attention on outdoor photography, specifically landscapes and wildlife. As a child, every summer after school let out, my family would pack up our van and travel west, sometimes with no destination in mind. Of course, this led to many opportunities for photographing the country and ultimately led to my love of wildlife photography."
