I've been making my living in photography since 1970. That was when I entered the Air Force and trained as a motion picture documentary cameraman. I was stationed two years in Colorado Springs, six months in Vietnam as the war ended and then six months in Thailand. After being discharged, I returned to Colorado Springs and worked for two years as a television news cameraman.

Then I decided to get back to "still" photography, and to the Arizona desert where I had lived for five years prior to entering the Air Force. I settled in the Phoenix area and enrolled at Arizona State University where I graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Design Science degree in Visual Communications Design. After some contract work with an audiovisual production company, I started my business as a freelance photographer. I have been working in that capacity since 1984.

Being a freelance anything takes a lot of drive. The only way I have found a small measure of success has been to let my interests guide my work rather than what sells. My job is to play at what I would be doing even if I wasn't working. As far as I can figure, this is my version of the "bliss" the late Joseph Campbell always suggested we follow.

During the early 1980's I was confronted with a compelling interest to get a good picture of Halley's Comet which was to be at its best in the spring of 1986. I built a hand-cranked sky tracking device needed to make time exposures of the comet. I also experimented with simple photographic techniques to combine sky images with foregrounds to add interest and perspective.

These images, and subsequent efforts, led to having my work published in Time, Life, National Geographic World, Nature, Reader's Digest, Outdoor Photographer, Backpacker, Sky & Telescope, Astronomy and other magazines. It's also no surprise that Arizona Highways was interested in publishing some of my images. I've authored more than a few portfolios in the magazine, had work appear in their calendars and as Christmas cards, and even photographed a book for them called "Discover Arizona's Night Sky" (now out of print).

I became interested in rock art and began exploring the wealth of petroglyphs in the South Mountain area where I live. That led to a renewed desire for visiting Native American sites throughout the southwest, which is something I am still working on. I find it enlightening at time to try seeing the world through the beliefs of people not rooted in modern technology.

Currently, my work has gone completely digital. The new medium has meant a rethinking of how I approach and work in photography. I have found a new enjoyment in making and even looking at my images. I see so much more in them than I ever did when using film. I expect to explore the boundaries of this virtual photographic rebirth for many years.


All images are copyrighted by Frank Zullo. Please do not use without written permission.