A pillar of light in Redwood National Park was exactly what Redwood City’s Sam Jezak needed for this award-winning photo.
Sam Jezak recalls being struck by the “pillar of light” streaming through the redwood trees in Redwoods National Park. He stopped hiking and made his mother pose for the shot.
With that photo, Jezak, a Redwood City resident, has won the grand prize of the National Park Foundation’s “Share the Experience” contest.
Sam Jezak
The National Parks Foundation created the photo contest to inspire people to see themselves within and feel connected to national parks, public lands and waters. Each year the Foundation receives thousands of photo submissions.
Originally from Kansas City, Jezak, a high school teacher at The Pinewood School, has lived in the Bay Area for three years. He spends his weekends and summers pursuing nature photography and has been selling his prints for the past year. He took his winning photograph on a road trip with his parents last summer.
“Jezak’s photograph exemplifies the kind of magical experience that’s difficult to put into words,” said Will Shafroth, CEO and president of the National Parks Foundation. The breathtaking moment he captured makes you feel like you are there in California’s Redwood National and State Parks, standing amongst the redwoods.”
“The redwoods have really become kind of a second home for me,” Jezak said, “they’re maybe one of my favorite parts of California.”
Jezak is proud of the accessibility of abundant public land in California and the Bay Area, something he didn’t have immediate access to in Kansas City. He is grateful to live such a short drive from the Bay, the Pacific Ocean and mountain ranges. Going on hikes and taking photographs has been a way for Jezak to “stay sane during the lockdown.”
Jezak hadn’t heard about the photo contest until a couple of months after he took the picture. His friend from high school suggested via Instagram that he submit one of his works.
“I didn’t really know that I had captured a great photo,” Jezak said. “It wasn’t until I had the photo opened on my computer that I saw what I had captured, and that all the elements I was looking for had lined up wonderfully in the frame.”
Jezak hopes that his photograph will inspire more people to explore public land and to use the outdoors to find solace and inspiration in this challenging time.
“In this unprecedented time when many of us may feel isolated and disconnected, parks can provide inspiration and hope, reminding us of human resilience throughout history,” Shafroth said.
Jezak plans to use his prize money to buy a new camera and to fund his photography trips. He’s considering upgrading his overnights to a hotel instead of sleeping in his car and eating something a little more gourmet than his typical tortillas and cheese.
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