Dawn Wilson

I have been taking photographs and have been around animals ever since I was a kid. A move to Colorado in 2002 from New Jersey, however, is what really inspired me to focus my work on photographing the beautiful wildlife and scenery of the Rocky Mountains.

A full-time photographer and writer, I specialize in photographing the wildlife of high latitudes and high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains and Alaska. Animals at these locations love the cold as much as I do, and the views bring peace to an often hectic life as a nature photographer. I travel extensively visiting remote locations looking for wildlife to tell their story, raise awareness about wildlife habitat conservation, and write about many of these destinations in magazine articles. I published a compilation photo book in 2011 featuring photos of flora, fauna and landscapes of Colorado all taken by women photographers, and am currently working on a new project to help protect brown bear habitat in Alaska. My photographs are in galleries and collections throughout North America, and have been published in numerous magazines, books and calendars, including Outdoor Photographer, Colorado Outdoors, Colorado Life, Wyoming Wildlife, Colorado Outdoors, National Geographic Digital, Motorhome, and Alaska magazine.

I received a communications degree from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, an M.B.A. in marketing from Temple University in Philadelphia, and completed a computer graphics program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Over the years I have participated in many lectures, classes, and workshops to keep improving my skills as a photographer and naturalist.

In 2016, I finished a 15-month adventure on the road traveling full time in an RV to document, photograph, and write about the wildlife of North America. I settled back in Estes Park, Colo. with my husky, cats, and boyfriend to work on editing the photographs and writing about my adventures from the road as well as completing my numerous writing and photography assignments, leading workshops, guiding in Rocky Mountain National Park, and updating my gallery content for art buyers.

In addition to my photography business, I also serve on the Board of Directors for North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), will serve as the organization’s president through the 2022 fiscal year, and have volunteered for NANPA’s marketing committee where I managed the NANPA Twitter page for several years. I also volunteer as a Master Naturalist with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas and am a member of the Share the View International Nature Photo Contest administrative team.