Dan Suzio
"Dan Suzio has an astounding ability to capture movement, natural situations, and spontaneous action while also achieving the artistic composition, color, and sharpness of detail I associate more with studio work."
– Dan Rademacher, former editor of Bay Nature Magazine
I’m a Bay Area native who loves to travel, and I’ve been in love with photography since I got my first camera at age 14 – the same year that I first saw the Mojave Desert. I started out photographing snakes, lizards, frogs, and other small animals, and have since expanded my subject matter to include a wide variety of wildlife, natural landscapes, and people from locations on five continents.
Dan Rademacher’s quote above is especially meaningful to me because it describes my goal in every photo. I'm always looking for a strong composition that will capture the spirit of the individual as well as the species, culture, or location. Whatever my subject, whether human, animal, or landscape, I tend to think of myself as a portrait photographer, using the techniques of lighting, composition, and color to reveal a glimpse of each personality. When composing and cropping I believe that every pixel counts; no detail is so small that it can't add to – or detract from – the overall impact of the photo.
For the past forty years my work has appeared regularly in books, magazines, calendars, and other uses in print and online. I’m especially pleased that my photos have been used in permanent exhibits in some of my favorite parks and museums, including Death Valley National Park, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Las Vegas Springs Preserve, and Mojave National Preserve.
In addition to my published work, I have exhibited and sold prints at several locations around the Bay Area, made presentations to various Bay Area camera clubs, and led photography sessions ranging from a morning at UC Santa Cruz Hummingbird Days to two-week workshops in Ecuador. I’m also the author and photographer of Death Valley Photographer’s Guide: Where and How to Get the Best Shots (Nolina Press 2011), a book which won top awards from the North American Travel Journalists Association and Outdoor Writers of California.
Dan Suzio Photography
