Zak Elyazgi - Photography

05/13/2026

A minimal frame built around a simple palette and a lot of negative space.

Soft blues, white feathers, a small pop of yellow, and a cute subject that didn’t need much around it to hold focus.
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Shot on: Sony A7IV
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05/13/2026

This wasn’t part of the original plan.

We found ourselves on a private airstrip, closer to town than you’d think, for a completely unrelated real estate promo drone shoot. It was one of those simple locations that gives you a lot to work with — cracked pavement, runway markings, wide sky, and a clean stretch of space that immediately changes the vibe of the frame.

No lighting equipment. No complicated setup. Just natural light, my camera, and a few minutes to see what we could capture.

That’s one of my favorite parts of shooting. You can show up with a plan, but sometimes the light, the location, and the moment give you something better to chase.
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Shot on: Sony A7IV
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02/05/2026

The different skies over Siesta Key
Shot on: Sony A7IV

02/04/2026

The people on Siesta Key are as much a part of the place as the shoreline. If you spend any time here, you start to recognize familiar faces — the guy with the goggles and dreadlocks who’s always a mainstay of the drum circle, a man walking by with an iguana on his head, “America’s Marathon Man” who came up and asked for a portrait, a woman swirling through the gathering crowd with a lighted cape. Others are just there, listening, watching, or passing through.

Many of these were photographed during the Sunday night drum circle, a gathering that brings together a mix of locals and visitors. It happens every Sunday night and has become a regular tradition that fills this beach with rhythmic beats as the sun goes down.

Image 1 – A longtime drum circle regular wearing goggles and tattoos, easily recognizable among the crowd.
Image 2 – Iguana man
Image 3 – America’s Marathon Man, framed against one of the island’s lifeguard stands.
Image 4 – A dancer using a lighted cape to trace her movement.
Image 5 – A figure near the center of the circle briefly lit by the waning sun.
Image 6 – A woman with an ornate headdress lost in the music.
Image 7 – The drum circle regular from Image 1, in black and white.
Shot on: Sony A7IV

02/02/2026

One of the things I love most about Siesta Key is the sheer variety of birds and wildlife you encounter just moving along the beach and dunes. From shorebirds working the waterline to animals moving quietly through the grass, there’s constant activity if you’re paying attention, with the lifeguard stands adding a burst of color against an otherwise natural palette.

Most of these scenes were photographed within a short walk of each other, which says a lot about how much life this small stretch of coastline supports.

Image 1 – A royal tern flying low over the water, scanning for fish.
Image 2 – The silhouette of a pelican crossing the frame at sunset.
Image 3 – A black bird, likely a fish crow, flying low near the lifeguard stand.
Image 4 – A sandhill crane moving through the grass, part of a species that forms lifelong pair bonds and communicates with calls that can carry for miles.
Image 5 – A brown anole lizard extending its orange-red dewlap (fold of skin hanging from its throat), a visual signal used to defend territory and communicate with other anoles.
Shot on: Sony A7IV

12/02/2025

The color — that purple flossflower (also called Mexican paintbrush) standing out cleanly against the green — pulled me in, but the details made me stay. The petals sit on so many tiny planes that the camera catches a few in sharp detail while the others dissolve instantly, almost like they’re drifting in and out of focus in a soft breeze. Flossflower is one of those plants that refuses to call it quits, offering those last few blooms that bees and butterflies rely on when the meadow starts to shut down.
Shot on: Sony A7IV

12/02/2025

I noticed these clusters of American beautyberry along the edge of the trail — that impossible shade of purple that always makes me stop. Up close they look like fake miniature grapes, but they’re actually a major food source for birds heading into the colder months when options get thin. The berries only turn that bright purple when they’re at peak nutrition, which explains why so many birds search them out this time of year.
Shot on: Sony A7IV

12/02/2025

I noticed this Zabulon skipper on a bluebeard bloom and easily mistook it for a moth — the fuzzy body and wing posture are easy to misread up close. But nope — it’s a butterfly, and the warm yellow on its forewings hitting the cool purple of the bluebeard made me pause for a second. Moments like this make me realize how much intricate life is happening right under us that we rarely pay attention to.
Shot on: Sony A7IV

11/25/2025

11/21/2025

I’d just barely pulled away from my place on Siesta Key with my camera beside me when I spotted this woodpecker hanging out on a palm. It happened to be the first woodpecker I’ve ever seen in person, which made it even easier to hit the brakes. The pileated woodpecker happens to also be the inspiration for Woody Woodpecker — and with that huge red crest and sharp profile, it really does look like a cartoon character come to life.
Shot on: Sony A7IV