Amy Eskind Photography: Art Connects Us to the Natural World

Photograph by Tracy Frankel, taken of Eskind trudging through the wet beach to capture the sunset over the Great Salt Lake.

Eskind’s image of a bison, taken at Antelope Island in February 2024

Amy Eskind started her artistic career as a journalist, but when the publications she worked for declined to send a professional photographer to a site and asked Eskind to snap a few shots instead, “I knew it was time to learn what I was doing.” From there on Eskind dedicated herself to becoming a photographer: “I'm telling a story and compelling photos are an important part of storytelling. I bought professional equipment, took classes, and practiced every chance I got. My NPR radio news pieces would live online after they aired, and eye-catching photos would draw an audience. I covered [all kinds of] stories, from [stories about] a restaurant serving sustainable seafood to [stories about] the mayor of Washington, D.C. having her mural artist go out in the middle of the night to paint Black Lives Matter all the way down the street perpendicular to the White House amidst the George Floyd protests.”

During the pandemic, Eskind moved to Park City. “I love to ski, hike, and road bike, and living in the mountains has been a dream of mine for a long time. Three years in, Park City is surpassing every expectation. When I wake up to spectacular scenery out my bedroom window, the day is already a winner.” The megafauna of her new home inspired Eskind to take up the study of animal subjects; “I was amazed elk would come into my yard on the daily. I quickly realized how much I love wildlife, and love the adventure of photographing wild animals.” For Eskind, the daring-do and stoicism required to photograph wildlife in Summit County was familiar—“The situation can be precarious, but that's true of journalism too. It makes me feel bold and alive. I seek to take dramatically emotional shots, which sometimes requires getting up before the sun, usually requires exercising a great deal of patience, and occasionally calls for bringing a stash of toe warmers.”

As a CREATE PC Gallery Artist, Eskind has been able to feature her wildlife portraiture at the new Kearns Boulevard location, and is a proponent of Summit County’s expanding Arts & Culture scene. “I'm thrilled that the Arts Council is expanding its offerings. Public art is not a luxury, it is essential. It teaches us to reflect, to feel and be deeply human, to be connected and care about each other and about all of the precious creatures on Earth, and even care about Earth itself. It gives us crucial insight and allows us to love, to cry, to sympathize, to laugh, and to contemplate our existence and its purpose.”

Though Park City may be her new home base, Eskind is far from sedentary. Her photography work takes her far and wide: “I feel pulled to certain photo trips, and I spend time choosing where and when to go. On recent trips I have visited Alaskan brown bears, Japanese snow monkeys, and Jackson Hole moose. I'm about to do some Milky Way photography in the Arizona desert, and later this year I'll be going on a trip to photograph polar bears in Manitoba. Excited is not quite right. I'm euphoric!”

When not trekking out at dawn to photograph feral critters, Eskind continues her career as a journalist and is currently promoting her book, Vote! A Guide for Young Adults. She also teaches a memoir writing class. More of her work can be seen at amyeskind.com