David R.
By Maralyn D. Hill and Sherrie Wilkolaski
M
y parents moved to Tampa,
FL from the Northeast
before I was born and I’ve
never felt the need to live
elsewhere (Caribbean
Island fantasies aside). Living in
a sub-tropical zone, we use ice to
chill drinks rather than as a road
coating to drive upon. I became
fascinated with computer
programming in high school and
attended the University of South
Florida’s budding computer science
department in the later half of the
1970s. I met Patricia at Sears where
we both worked part time during
those college years, and we married
in 1977. In 1979, I started what was
to be a long and wonderful career
in Info Technology at GTE Data
Services (now Verizon). All the while,
we took every opportunity to travel
around the globe. In 2012, I jumped
at the opportunity to retire and
I haven’t looked back. The amazing
thing is that our days are every bit
as full as they were when we worked,
but we are having a lot more fun.
How did you discover your love for
travel photography?
In 1985, we made our first out-ofcountry trip to Bonaire, so I could
capture underwater photos and Pat
could bird watch in WashingtonSlagbaai national park on the
northern end. We were hooked. There
is so much to see across this planet
we share on land, above and below
the ocean’s surface.
Are you more passionate about
writing or photography? Why?
I am definitely the most passionate
about photography. I joined the
camera club my freshman year of
high school and I’ve had a camera
in my hand ever since. I love the idea
of not only capturing a moment in
time; I love sharing new experiences
and perspectives. I hope that my
images help each viewer see my
subjects in a new way and add to
their own desire to get out and see
the world. For me, writing is how
I put my images into context.
What is your writing process?
As you may have guessed by my
responses so far, I love the flow
of words. I am not a member of the
“Say it in 140 characters” crowd.
I tend to write a significant portion
on a subject in my head before ever
committing any of it to type. Ideas
fall into my cranial spin-cycle where
they thrash around (especially in the
middle of the night) until I feel there
is enough to build upon. Then I type
it in and repeat the spin-cycle until
I’ve worked it to the point where
I can solicit my wife and a friend or
two to lend me a fresh set of eyes
and give me notes. While a story
starts out as a solitary mental
exercise, I love the collaborative
process of editing with others.
I have never developed a story or
a presentation that was not
improved by incorporating their
suggestions and perspectives.
When you get the chance to
pick your travel destination,
where do you go?
More often than not, we select
Eco-tourism destinations for wildlife
encounters. We’ve been to Africa
many times. Photographing the Big
Five in South Africa and Tanzania
and Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda are
experiences never to be forgotten.
As are Tigers in Northern India,
Jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal, Pumas
in Chile’s Patagonia, Dragons on
Komodo Island and everything in the
Galapagos Islands. Majestic whales,
colorful fish and underwater reefs in
the Caribbean, Atlantic and South
Pacific are always a favorite too. Did
I already mention bird watching?
If you could be anyone else,
who would it be?
I’ve never really given that any
thought. I am pretty happy with
being me. Maybe you should ask
my wife who I should be.
What motivates you to be
a luxury journalist?
Sharing my experiences and helping
people expand their horizons, while
letting them know that not every
great wildlife experience demands
the physical discomforts experienced
by those dedicated National
Geographic explorers. I love being
out in nature, but I enjoy being
comfortable too.
What is one of your favorite
experiences while traveling?
Finding new ways of seeing the
extraordinary and the every-day,
capturing the play of light on both
new and familiar vistas and wildlife,
sharing this with like-minded
travelers. We’ve made a nu