SAN MARCOS (July 7, 2026) – A moving documentary about a wildlife photographer directed by Bill Wisneski, director/producer at Palomar College Television, has been honored with two prestigious awards.
The 48-minute film, My Wild Life, tells the story of wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas, who has faced life-threatening challenges to capture intimate images of newborn animals and family life in the wild.
The film recently received a Gold Telly Award, a worldwide competition for video and streaming pieces that received more than 13,000 entries. It also won an Emmy for best documentary from Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards, which honors professionals in the southern California and Las Vegas markets. The film was also nominated for best musical composition and best audio recording and mixing.
Wisneski said the awards recognize the immense amount of work by the team that made the film. He said the film is approved to send out to PBS stations nationwide and it will be used in the photography degree and certificate programs at Palomar College.
“The awards will help with bringing attention to the film and getting it into film festivals so more people can enjoy it,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to have as big an impact as it can have.”
Wisneski, who has created several other award-winning films for Palomar College Television, had long been interested in creating a film about a wildlife photographer. Eszterhas, who lives in Santa Rosa, was of particular interest as the author of 25 books of her photography and as the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Photographer of the Year award from the North American Nature Photography Association.
When Wisneski approached her about doing the film, Eszterhas had just finished treatment for stage 3 breast cancer. Three years before her diagnosis, Eszterhas had two near-fatal encounters with a gorilla and a rhinoceros.
“She went through multiple near-death experiences,” Wisneski said. “She had gone through a lot in a three-year period, and she came out of it as a different person.”
Eszterhas is also dedicated to empowering young women to enter the male-dominated field of wildlife photography. She started a free program called Girls Who Click to encourage girls to appreciate nature and learn how to photograph animals. More than 2,000 girls have participated in the program since it started in 2018.
In the film, Eszterhas describes the extreme measures she takes to obtain her photographs, whether spending hours freezing in the Arctic cold or broiling in tropical heat.
“She’s amazing,” Wisneski said. “You have to be so tough. The amount of courage and patience required to be a successful wildlife photographer is unimaginable. She has the patience and the understanding to capture emotionally powerful and deeply revealing portraits of wildlife.”