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About
Hi! My name is Christine 'Cat' Antoniuk.
I am the face of life+wild.
I believe I was destined to become a nature photographer, considering this interview from 1998...
...but it has been a winding journey filled with many detours...
From Poker to Photography
A Winding Journey
Globally Sourced.
I was born in Germany, and German is my first language, but I grew up mainly on both coasts of the United States.
After graduating from the University of Washington, my first career was in computers. I’ve worked at Unisys, Pacific Bell, and Remedy Corporation. During this time, I lived in Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Once I became a mother, I traded the corporate track for the title of Domestic Goddess, and we moved to Washington state, where I studied interior design at Bellevue College.
In 2007, our family landed in Boise, Idaho. There, I began to practice freelance graphic design.
Both interior and graphic design provided a great foundation for the photography editing that I would later do.
I have always been drawn to cerebral games, and was playing competitive chess when I met my husband. This later morphed into poker, which I became very serious about.
For example, I would spend summers in Las Vegas at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). However, I could never achieve the financial success I was striving for.
As I became more disenchanted, I attempted a foray into e-commerce, launching eco-friendly poker gear with the idea of donating a portion of the profits to conservation. However, I did not research this very narrow niche sufficiently, and my business flopped.
In 2022, I finally threw in the towel, and traded cards for a camera. I only wish I had done this a decade earlier!
At first glance, there are no similarities between no-limit poker and wildlife photography. One has traditionally taken place in smoke-filled dimly-lit rooms, while the other requires the outdoors, preferably well-lit and devoid of other humans.
However, a mastery of both requires some of the same skills. Foremost, patience is necessary in both endeavors. If you’re impatient in poker, you’ll find yourself either giving off tells, which alert your opponents to your intent, or, worse, put your bankroll at risk out of sheer boredom. A lack of patience in wildlife photography can result in movement that startles your subject, or you leaving the environment before the action happens.
Having played the game for thirty years, I can spend hours in one spot waiting. And this skill has transferred well to wildlife photography.
A second shared skill is attention to detail. In poker, this is crucial to create the tiny edge that separates the amateur from the pro. Unless you’ve paid close attention, you won’t realize that the guy to the right of you will always and only go all-in with pocket Aces. Or that the woman four seats to the left of you is into her third martini.
It goes without saying that this same skill is necessary for great wildlife photography – both in the field and the editing room. The difference between an ok and a stop-you-in-your-tracks image can rest in the tiniest details, such as a catchlight in the subject’s eye. And prior to that, you’ve got to locate your target, so noticing slight movements is important.
These are just two similarities between poker and wildlife photography, but there are more – such as knowing when to quit a session.
Locally Engaged.
I still reside in Boise, along with my ever-patient husband, two occasional fledglings, and two dissimilar cats.
I have volunteered with the Golden Eagle Audubon Society and been engaged with the Intermountain Bird Observatory, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and Idaho Parks and Recreation.
I also donate prints to charitable organizations, such as the Winter Wildlands Alliance.
When I am not out with my camera, you might find me paddleboarding or playing pool – plus I picked up pickleball recently.
It seems I have a penchant for activities that start with the letter “p!”
Having lived in the same neighborhood for 15 years has given me an intimate knowledge of some of my wild neighbors.
In a patch near my home, that is no more than 200 sq. ft., I have seen a buck, a ruby-crowned kinglet, a beaver, a Canada goose and a bobcat. That buck, by the way, has a very special place in my heart – read …. for the story.
I know when the herons start building and fortifying their nests in the nearby rookery, as well as when the black-chinned hummingbirds start arriving for the summer.
It has also given me roots, for the first time in my life, which translate to deeper connections with my surroundings….
Cosmically Inspired.
Wildlife has captivated me my whole life.
As a child, my room was filled with stuffed animals, not dolls, and I religiously watched Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.
During road trips, I would stare out car windows for hours, hoping to glimpse a deer or bear through the massive trees lining the road.
These days, I am still delirious about wildlife sightings, whether from a car, a boat, a trail, or home. I’ve coined the term Animal Tourette Syndrome in an attempt to explain my behavior to others.
I seize every opportunity to spotlight an area’s biodiversity, from my backyard to the other side of the world.
I strive to convey that same love for all creatures great and small in my art, as well as the the connection that we share with all living things.
Found in the Wild
bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species photographed.
Missing from these counts are insects, invertebrates, mollusks and flora, not to mention geologic and landscapes!
Bird Species
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Mammal Species
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Reptile and Amphibian Species
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