Landscape Photography
Artist Statement
Born into the cold and fog of Duluth, I am a fifth-generation Minnesotan. I learned photography by osmosis from my mother, Dorothy Pramann. Dorothy was active in the Duluth Camera Club and took classes from nature photographers such as Les and Craig Blacklock and Daniel Cox.
Dorothy bought me my first camera in college. I put the instamatic to work for University of Minnesota journalism classes and environmental science stories for the campus newspaper. Once I graduated with a degree in science journalism, my mother gave me an Olympus 35 mm camera as a graduation present. I put that to use in graduate school through the Audubon Expedition Institute where I traveled 20,000 miles across the U.S. and Canada in a yellow school bus studying environmental education with 20 other students.
Once off the bus, I snagged a volunteer job as a photojournalist for the Superior National Forest, which led to a paying job as their public affairs specialist. My photography remained utilitarian during that time and later in jobs as a science communicator with the Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs. In the meantime, I became a published novelist, poet, and blogger.
When I was in my late 50s, I took my first photography class with prodding from my Wisconsin Sea Grant boss. It was with landscape photographer Don Smith at the Madeline Island School of the Arts. The encouragement I received boosted my confidence. I began taking my images as seriously as my writing.
My photos focus on the grandeur and power of nature to inspire. I continue to travel extensively and lug my Nikon and cell phone with me wherever I meander.
It seems I have passed the photo bug to my son, Hunter Zhuikov, who is a talented portrait photographer.
Marie Zhuikov
Click on a collection. If you see an image you are interested in purchasing, please contact me through my contact page. Let me know if you’d like the image as a print, canvas-wrapped frame, or printed on metal (aluminum). Let me know the size and I’ll send you a quote. Payment will be through PayPal.
Thank you for your interest in MarieZphotography!