John Wawrzonek was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island in 1941. He received S.B., S.M., and E.E. degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began photographing while working in engineering and marketing at Bose Corporation in Framingham, Massachusetts. Largely self-taught in photography Wawrzonek started photographing under the guidance of Bela Kalman and studied briefly with Stephen Gersh of the Essex Photographic Workshop and Lauren Shaw of Emerson College. He also studied dye transfer printing with William Butler.

John, in partnership with his master printer, Michael Conrad, operates his own fine art publishing company, LightSong® Fine Art, Inc., in Northborough, Massachusetts. Wawrzonek's photographs have been described as: "... a mind bending treat ... The prints vibrate with life, texture, detail and color." (Boston Globe) and "... captures nature with beauty, sensitivity, and a touch of the divine." (Art New England). His work has been widely exhibited and is in many public and private collections including The Cleveland Art Institute, The Rose Art Museum at Brandies, Apple Computer, Merrill Lynch, Elton John, Jackson Brown, Tony Bennett, Lady Bird Johnson and many others. His book Walking (The Nature Company, 1994), with text by Thoreau, has been reprinted six times. His photographs have appeared in many magazines including Life, View Camera, Outdoor Photography, Orion and others.