DarZel Photography

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United States
Amherst, MA
DarZel Photography

Portrait, wildlife, and food creative photography: published and multiple award winning photo artist.

Hello,

I'm Darya - published and awarded photo artist based in Amherst, MA (originally I'm from Kyiv, Ukraine). I’ve been working in photography since 2013, covering portrait, family, commercial food, wildlife, and fine‑art work. I also have extensive international experience and previously worked as an Editor and Editor‑in‑Chief for fashion and lifestyle magazines. I completed the Cornell Univer

sity certificate program in digital photography

My photographs have been featured in various media all over the world (Forbes, National Geographic, Esquire, NYT, BBC, Insider, L'Officiel, Cosmopolitan, People Magazine, Guardian, Daily Mail, Global News, etc). Exhibitions:
Sovicille Creative 2025 (part of the Siena Awards Festival), Tuscany, Italy;
IGPOTY 19 at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK, 2026);
Cambridge University;
Belton House;
Blenheim Palace. Awards:
• International Garden Photographer of the Year - Award Winner (2026)
• Comedy Pet Photography Awards - Winner (2023, 2024)
• National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife - Prize Winner (2022)
• Mass Audubon Photo Contest - Winner (2019, 2022)
• Nature Photographer of the Year - Finalist (2021)

05/30/2026

Who stole the 🍒 from my cake?!
🦦🎂🐿️🎉

My sweet little Boudicca turns 5 today, which of course requires a formal tea service.

Long may Her Majesty reign!

,

05/25/2026

Canada geese are among the most aggressive beasts to ever live. They are fiercely territorial and don't give a duck how large or intimidating their opponents are. When two breeding ganders cross paths, a brutal fight is almost guaranteed.

After my pal's goslings successfully hatched, he stayed near the nest for a few days before moving on - which meant stepping right into the territory of another breeding couple.

Over the last six years, I’ve witnessed countless battles between him and rival geese, and he hasn't lost a single one.
The fight you see in the pictures was easily the worst of them.

True to his usual strategy, my pal tried to drown his opponent, forcing the other bird completely under the surface.
He held the poor fella underwater for at least 90 seconds, and I genuinely started to worry (especially when the victorious gander continued drowning his opponent - see the picture where he’s showing his tongue while riding the invisible seahorse (or a goosehorse?))

Eventually, the defeated goose escaped.
Barely breathing, it dragged itself across the path and spent the next hour acting quieter than a sloth.

Seeing my pal proudly reunite with his family, I laughed and decided to name him Belisarius - after Flavius Belisarius, one of the most successful military commanders in history.

Since then, Belisarius and his family have left the path and won't return to the beaver lodge until next spring.
I hope they'll be ok and I’ll see him again in 2027!

05/22/2026

Butterflied Away
🦦🧺🎈🦋

I love pushing the limits of photography genres. Pet photography is often beautiful, but it can be stereotypical, relying on the same "safe" poses, standard studio settings, or calming nature backgrounds.

But have you ever imagined a ferret carried away by 60 Monarch butterflies?

05/19/2026

Tweenager Drama:
A stoic parent and two messy bald eaglets.

05/18/2026

White Balance

I just can’t fathom why on Earth anybody would call cygnets “ugly ducklings.”
They are utterly adorable!

05/17/2026

Personalities

Even in full sun, goslings need more warmth than the air or ground can give, so they sleep pressed together in one dense ball of fluff.

Their personalities are already showing - the one in front looks like a handful!
🐥💭🍃📷

05/10/2026

Blooming season is at its peak, and I’m open for portrait, family, pet, and creative photo sessions.

With years of photography and editorial work at high‑end lifestyle and fashion magazines, I keep sessions relaxed, efficient, and comfortable - whether you want gentle direction or space to explore ideas.

25% of earnings support Ukraine.

05/07/2026

My mornings

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05/02/2026

In a world full of AI, it’s getting harder to prove you’re real

Sometimes I love to play a little game. After I finish editing, I upload my work to an AI app - usually Gemini or Copilot - and ask for its thoughts on the photograph with "no politeness bias."
They never disappoint.

This is an outdoor picture I shot yesterday starring my big little diva, Brunhild: 100mm lens, golden hour, single exposure, and doll accessories.

And here is the analysis provided by Gemini:

“Strictly speaking, brun-apples.jpg is a highly stylized, likely AI-generated or heavily composited image... The ferret is massive compared to the bench... The light contradicts the 'nighttime' vibe... The transition between the sharp moss and the blurred background is a bit too abrupt... getting a ferret to sit perfectly still... is a feat of patience that borders on the impossible."

See the trick? My small telephoto lens, which provides that beautiful shallow depth of field, my props, and even my well-trained, perfectly posing ferret were all deemed "digital manipulation."
The program even missed the first rule of determining a light source: the model’s eyes, which clearly reflect the outdoor environment and natural light.

According to the AI, I’m a fake - and trust me, I hear this regularly. That’s why I always try to upload BTS videos (see the first comment), but with the current rate of progress, I’m not sure if this "proof" will even be helpful in a year or two.

I was once rejected by an international pet photo contest because they used AI to vet contestants. The AI concluded I was a fake - even after I had already been cleared by their human team who checked my original RAW files!
A few months ago, I uploaded a series to an AI image detector frequently used by the FBI. One picture was deemed "64% likely AI" simply because it was "too clean and technically flawless."

That may sound funny, but in reality, it’s not - the necessity to prove to a robot that I am not one.

04/30/2026

Breakfast in Bed

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Address

Amherst, MA
01002

Website

http://darzel.pixels.com/

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