Lacey Photographer's Work Captures 'Euphoria,' Featured on Billboards

Driving up and down Route 9 through Southern Ocean County, you may come across a Ben & Jerry’s billboard with a picture depicting a woman walking towards the ocean with her dog, a moment that, some might say, captures pure euphoria.

Mike Ziolkowski, 20, of Forked River took and entered the photo into a Ben & Jerry’s contest.

Ben & Jerry’s solicited fans across the world to submit photos on Instagram, an application used to share photos on the internet, to the ice cream company with the hashtag #CAPTUREEUPHORIA.

"Ben & Jerry's not only creates euphoria, but also celebrates it," the submission website states.

The contest included five submission periods, running from Nov. 30, 2012 through Feb. 6. A total of 20 participants were selected.

The best pictures are recognized in the photographer’s neighborhood. In this case, Ziolkowski’s photo appears on at least three local billboards.

Ziolkowski was going through Instagram photos when he came across Ben & Jerry’s contest page, he said.

“I used to be into photography in high school,” he said, adding that he took a couple photos from his Instagram page and submitted them into the contest.

A representative commented on the beach photo, “great shot” and Ziolkowski was asked if the image could be used on advertising.

“I was shocked. It was surprising. It felt good,” he said.

The photo of Ziolkowski’s godmother and her hearing dog can be found on three billboards: Route 9 north in Bayville, another on Route 9 in Barnegat just before Domino's Pizza and one on East Bay Avenue on Long Beach Island.

Ziolkowski couldn’t say whether his photo appears on more billboards. He was told to “go find them.”

Have you seen the Ben and Jerry’s billboard featuring Lacey’s very own Ziolkowski’s photography? Tell us in the comments.