Picture Life

Brian Plonka, at 15 years-old, began his photojournalism career at his hometown newspaper the New Castle News, in Western Pennsylvania.

He was one of 100 globally recognized young journalists hand-picked by Pulitzer-Prize winner Eddie Adams to attend the first Eddie Adams Workshop. His assignment was the West Point Military Academy. His work landed him an internship at the Associated Press in NY, NY.

In the mid 1990's he was recruited by Copley Newspapers suburban Chicago division as the central lead photographer responsible for providing originally produced documentaries for Copley newspapers nationwide. He was also the beat photographer covering the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan returned to the team and the championship run that followed.

In the late 1990's he was recruited by The Spokesman-Review where his innovative style matured, garnering national attention.

Brian Plonka with his then 2-year old son Jordan lectures at the National Geographic in Washington D.C.

He earned the prestigious honor of winning International Newspaper Photographer of the Year / 59th Pictures of the Year International  hosted by the University of Missouri School of Journalism, this competition is one of the oldest and largest in the world.

Plonka has collected more than 700 individual awards in both still and motion.

He was the cinematographer and the director of photography for the PBS funded film "The Blackfeet Flood" that aired internationally on PBS.  His one-minute fictional films have been screened worldwide at more than 20 film festivals.