Lester Picker

Lester Picker (born October, 1947) is an American writer, author, and photographer with a diverse career spanning journalism and fiction writing. He has been actively involved in photography since the age of 11 and has contributed to major publications, including National Geographic, with over 650 writing credits to his name. Picker specializes in travel, landscape, and wildlife photography, and his work is displayed in various galleries and private collections.
Picker is a published author of both historical and general fiction. His notable works include the First Dynasty Trilogy, and novels like Sargent Mountain and The Underground.
Lester Picker was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Martin and Bertha Picker. 
Picker graduated from James Madison High School, Brooklyn, New York. He received a Bachelor's degree from The City College of New York and a Master's and Doctorate (winter ecology) from the University of Maine. 
Picker has more than 650 writing and photo credits in National Geographic Society publications, Better Homes & Gardens, Forbes, Time, Inc. Publications, Money, Fortune Small Business, Bloomberg Personal Finance, National Parks Magazine, and dozens of other publications. He is a former newspaper reporter, photographer, and editor. For three years Picker was a columnist for Oceans Magazine and for four years was Editor-In-Chief for a national environmental journal.
For four years, Picker was a weekly columnist for The Baltimore Sun and a feature travel writer. For three years, he was a regular business commentator on National Public Radio's Marketplace, carried on 260 stations nationwide. He contributed a chapter to the ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing (St. Martin’s Press).
Picker has published five major novels. The first three are part of his First Dynasty Trilogy which covers Ancient Egypt's first kings. The First Pharaoh describes the rise to power of King Narmer and his struggles to unite Upper and Lower Egypt under one rule. The Dagger of Isis, traces the rule of the very first woman king, Meryt-Neith. The third volume, Qa’a, describes the life, loves, and battles of King Qa’a, the last king of the First Dynasty. Picker also published Sargent Mountain, a work of women's fiction exploring the meaning of love and betrayal and The Underground, about a woman who discovers that her birth mother was brutally murdered when she was a baby. His most recent book, MOSES, published in February 2023, offers a new interpretation of the biblical figure based on archaeological findings. All are available through his Amazon Author's Page. 
Picker's photography books are listed below.
Les is an international award-winning photographer. His studio is located in historic Havre de Grace, Maryland. Les teaches photography from his studio and leads photographic adventures around the world, including North & South America, Europe, the Arctic, Antarctica, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Iceland, and more. He is a noted public speaker on photography.
Picker's landscape, travel, and wildlife images decorate many upscale homes, offices, and institutions throughout North America. He was selected as the exclusive artist for a major teaching hospital's medical wing, where more than 60 of his large-format images are permanently displayed.
Lester Picker has undertaken several challenging photography expeditions that showcase his adventurous spirit and dedication to capturing the natural world. He has endured extreme temperatures, such as -50°F in the Arctic and +120°F while living with a Bedouin tribe in Egypt's Eastern desert. His wildlife photography has led to perilous encounters, including a near-bite from a sea lion in the Galapagos Islands and being chased by a 16-foot alligator in South Africa. Additionally, Picker has cruised on a nuclear attack submarine deep in the Pacific Ocean and climbed the highest peak in the Pyrenees, all of which contribute to his extensive portfolio of travel, landscape, and wildlife photography.
Picker won the prestigious Canada Northern Lights Award for Best Travel Photography. He is a Moab Master photographer & an X-Rite Coloratti and his studio is supported by Moab & X-Rite. 
Picker has published numerous photography eBooks. His best-selling 163-page "Fine Art Digital Printing" eBook is sponsored by Moab and X-Rite. Other books include "Travel Photography", "Composition", "What We Can Learn From the Masters", as well as several "Behind the Lens" collections.
==References==
==External Link==
* Personal website
* Lester Picker on YouTube
Category:American writers
Category: American authors
Category: American photographers