David Breslauer attracts on photojournalism background to seek out the right shot 

David Breslauer, the fourth on this ongoing collection taking a look at Park City photographers’ award-winning pictures, first found pictures by journalism.

“I worked for the Associated Press for 15 years and two daily newspapers before that,” he mentioned.

Then after leaving information, for some time he didn’t even personal a digicam. When Breslauer moved to Utah, he realized he needed to choose the follow again up. A visit to Zion National Park impressed him to take up digital pictures, requiring him to relearn classes he’d first discovered in information as a movie photographer. 

That photojournalism background helped Breslauer win second place within the nature and wildlife class on the Intermountain Professional Photographer Association’s 2025 pictures competitors with “Ground Clearance,” a black-and-white photograph of a bald eagle in Alaska about to land on onerous snow. The chook splays its feathers and makes use of its wings to regular itself, and the photograph captures this uncommon sense of momentum because the raptor lifts itself simply above the bottom. 

Breslauer mentioned the photograph was from a visit he and fellow Park City Photography Club member Howard Meltzer took collectively to Homer, Alaska, the only goal of which was to {photograph} the various eagles that flock to the realm. 

“The eagles come down south from the other parts of the state, and they hang around Homer for the winter because the water’s not frozen and they can feed and there’s a fishing port there,” Breslauer mentioned. “The eagles are just everywhere. You can’t go anywhere without seeing them.” 

The target-rich surroundings was excellent for Breslauer, who enjoys photographing birds due to the problem they current. 

“One, you have to predict the bird’s behavior,” he mentioned. “Where is it going to go? What’s it going to do?” 

Two, Breslauer has to foretell his personal habits. A great photographer must know what expertise will likely be required to take a shot and whether or not they can execute them. For birds, meaning being ready to comply with focus as they fly. 

“There are so many skills involved,” he mentioned. “It’s really easy to make an average bird picture. It’s really hard to make a good one. And (‘Ground Clearance’) has a lot going for it.” 

The eagle within the photograph is tack sharp, the feathers curving and reducing towards the white snow and forming a semicircle that pulls the viewer’s eye to the raptor’s head. It’s a second not normally captured in chook pictures, particularly with out blur, Breslauer mentioned. 

“The movement is perfectly frozen. Sometimes, you want movement to show up, and you get blur,” he mentioned. “And that’s a creative use of it. But in this case, I wanted the eye to be perfectly sharp so that when you look at it, you can actually see the detail in the eye if you were to zoom in on it.” 

The pair spent 5 days photographing eagles, which left Breslauer with a whopping 45,000 pictures or so to kind by. Picking and modifying the proper photograph has grow to be a talent of its personal, he mentioned. 

“That’s something else we work on as part of the club … not just your shooting skills, but your editing skills,” he mentioned. “You made all these pictures. OK, how do you choose the best one? What makes this picture better than this one or this one or this one?”

Breslauer’s photojournalism background helps him make that decision and discover the surprising moments, he mentioned, notably with topics which have semi-predictable actions. He in contrast it to taking pictures a soccer recreation, one thing he’s completed many instances.  

“You never know what’s going to happen before the picture you’re waiting for or after the picture you’re waiting for,” he mentioned. “You’re looking for this perfect picture of the quarterback getting sacked and the ball popping loose. That’s a perfect picture, and everybody would like to have and use that picture, but after that, something else happens.” 

Photos of these moments earlier than and after the “perfect photo” can find yourself being extra significant photographs in Breslauer’s expertise. 

Although profitable awards is good, it’s not why Breslauer or some other member of the Park City Photograph Club takes pictures. As somebody who helps set up the membership, he mentioned it’s an awesome useful resource for folks seeking to get higher no matter experience. 

Each month, a visitor speaker or a membership member presents on a theme, akin to animal or “critter” pictures, after which members will take pictures in that theme and focus on them the next month. 

Plus, the membership takes journeys, too. In June, members will head to Palouse within the Pacific Northwest. They’ll do a symposium in Moab subsequent yr as nicely, Breslauer mentioned. 

“We’re doing it because we enjoy the quest, the looking for pictures in different places, the adventure of getting out and making pictures and improving our photography,” he mentioned. “That’s one of the reasons why we have our little meetings once a month, is because it’s a judgment-free zone. If you want feedback, people will give you feedback. And if you just want to show your pictures and not get feedback, that’s cool as well. We just like to talk about photography and raise everybody’s skill level.” 

The Park City Photography Club meets on the second Monday of each month on the Park City Library, with a casual gathering at 5:30 p.m. and a proper 6 p.m. begin. Anyone taken with becoming a member of can attend or attain out by way of the membership’s Facebook web page at facebook.com/groups/ParkCityPhotographyClub.

Related Stories