“The universe is telling you you’re not here for a very long time,” answers Paul Zizka when I queried why he places himself in many of his night landscape shots. He enjoys doing this to communicate the connection of mankind to the landscape on which we live. Some of his nightscapes look like they were taken on a different planet altogether, a testimony to the diverse Earth we inhabit but have yet to explore in detail.

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It takes incredible patience to get the kind of images Paul Zizka is famous for. But it also takes a lot of determination and persistence to capture unique photos from popular locations. Seeing the vantage points that some of these photos are taken from, it also needs a lot of physical and mental strength. Many of these images reminded me of some otherworldly scenes from the movie Prometheus, except that mainly was CGI. These images are 100% real, and equally stunning.

The Essential Photo Gear Used by Paul Zizka

Paul told us:

Canon EOS R5

Canon 16-35mm f2.8L

Manfrotto tripods

Lowepro PhotoSport PRO

Lupine Blika headlamp

LumeCube

AquaTech EDGE sport housing

An extensive list can be seen at

My creative vision often involves difficult situations, whether it be mountaineering expeditions in extreme conditions or working in the dark to capture celestial events or the northern lights. Having the right gear is essential to executing my vision.

The Phoblographer: Hi Paul. Please tell us about yourself and how you got into photography.

Paul Zizka: I am a professional mountain landscape and adventure photographer based in the town of Banff, Alberta and hailing from Quebec City. I am passionate about capturing the spirit of adventure in hard-to-reach mountain landscapes. When I first got into photography, it was a way for me to share my early mountain experiences with friends and family back east. I quickly grew fascinated with the interplay between light, weather, and landscape. I purchased my first DSLR in 2007 and learned everything I could about photography on my own. Three years later, I dove into photography full-time.

The Phoblographer: When did you start having a fascination with night photography? What was the catalyst that drove you?

Paul Zizka: I’ve always enjoyed how the nighttime can turn familiar places into completely different experiences. I also love all the elements of magic associated with astrophotography – aurora, stars, moonlight. The beauty that the camera reveals, but the naked eye cannot see, intrigues me. My fascination for astrophotography developed naturally as I did more overnight trips in the backcountry.

The Phoblographer: Astro and night sky photography have been around for a few years. What did you decide to do in this genre in order to clearly set yourself apart from other photographers?

Paul Zizka: I think committing has helped set me apart since it takes a lot of cold, late nights and persistence to create a body of work in this genre. Another thing was deciding to put myself in the images for scale, perspective, and story. It was a way of communicating our connection to the landscape. It is easier to use models, but I am often shooting alone, so it had to be me. Eventually, the self-portrait aspect became a part of the photographic journey, and I enjoy the challenges it brings.

The Phoblographer: When you head out for night photography, what are some things you don’t leave home without? And what’s your favourite photography accessory for this?

Paul Zizka: The non-camera gear I bring is all about keeping me warm and comfortable, so I can stay out and shoot for as long as I need to. This includes a puffy jacket, hand warmers, warm footwear, and a hot drink. Traditional hand warmers work, but I do love my G-Tech Heated Hand Warmers.

The Phoblographer: There’s of course the fitness aspect to all of this. In between all the hiking, photography, workshops, editing, etc., how do you fi...