Joshua Asel

Joshua is an award-winning photographer and certified Marine Ecology Naturalist with a photographic emphasis on coastal and marine habitats, and birds of prey. He's on the Board of Directors for The Bird Rescue Center, is a contributor to both Whalebone Magazine and Hakai Magazine as a photographer and writer, and is sponsored by Nikon USA. His awards include the 2016 California Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Top 20 in the 2019 NANPA Showcase, and Honors at the 2021 National Wildlife Photo Contest. Joshua's publications include National Geographic, Defenders of Wildlife, NANPA Expressions, Alaska Airlines Magazine, and The Press Democrat among others.

In the not-so-distant past, Joshua was focused on a career in fine art painting and illustration, but dropped out of college and switched to wildlife photography literally overnight after discovering his true calling. Soon after, he knew that he could do more for wildlife through education, so created Wild Expectations Environmental Conservation, which focused on imagery and stories about wildlife conservation in California. Today, the organization is being renovated into the Wildlife Conservation Fellowship, which is meant to help create or expand Wildlife Preserves globally, with special focus on National Parks.