Professional Nature Photography

Rating:
Summary: A Broad Brush
Review: Professional Nature Photography by Nigel Hicks

This book is aimed at guiding a photographer into a career in nature photography. It is not concerned with photography techniques (for the most part) but rather with the logistics of earning a living as a nature photographer. The approach is a logical one, first giving the reader an overview of the nature photography "industry", and then telling one how to find clients. Hicks discusses such things as legal rights, photo libraries and even self-publishing.

The author writes about traveling for photography and how to prepare for it. He acknowledges that one of the biggest problems that the professional photographer will face is loneliness, and suggests ways of dealing with it. He talks about managing the office and buying equipment, both photographic and otherwise. In a chapter on "special skills", he provides a concise statement of nature photography techniques that can serve well as a short course in the subject.

I particularly enjoyed his chapter on professional issues. I had never considered the ethics of photographing in a "disreputable" zoo, and thereby supporting its work.

The book is profusely illustrated with Hicks' nature photographs, which are of high quality, but bear no relationship to the text. Moreover, the text itself mostly suggests what I found to be self-evident. The details are not emphasized. For example, the author says that it may be possible to barter with hotels and airlines while working for other clients. I would have liked to know which functionary in an organization was best to approach to initiate such a deal. But that level of detail was never provided. One thing of which the book convinced me is that breaking into nature photography is one tough job.

I found that even though it was not aimed at showing you how to become a professional photographer, the biographies contained in "The World?s Top Photographers: Wildlife", by Terry Hope, provided more clues about routes into a professional photography career while showing a world-class collection of pictures. And John Shaw's "Business of Nature Photography" still seems a better guide to making a living in this field.

Rating:
Summary: A Broad Brush
Review: Professional Nature Photography by Nigel Hicks

This book is aimed at guiding a photographer into a career in nature photography. It is not concerned with photography techniques (for the most part) but rather with the logistics of earning a living as a nature photographer. The approach is a logical one, first giving the reader an overview of the nature photography "industry", and then telling one how to find clients. Hicks discusses such things as legal rights, photo libraries and even self-publishing.

The author writes about traveling for photography and how to prepare for it. He acknowledges that one of the biggest problems that the professional photographer will face is loneliness, and suggests ways of dealing with it. He talks about managing the office and buying equipment, both photographic and otherwise. In a chapter on "special skills", he provides a concise statement of nature photography techniques that can serve well as a short course in the subject.

I particularly enjoyed his chapter on professional issues. I had never considered the ethics of photographing in a "disreputable" zoo, and thereby supporting its work.

The book is profusely illustrated with Hicks' nature photographs, which are of high quality, but bear no relationship to the text. Moreover, the text itself mostly suggests what I found to be self-evident. The details are not emphasized. For example, the author says that it may be possible to barter with hotels and airlines while working for other clients. I would have liked to know which functionary in an organization was best to approach to initiate such a deal. But that level of detail was never provided. One thing of which the book convinced me is that breaking into nature photography is one tough job.

I found that even though it was not aimed at showing you how to become a professional photographer, the biographies contained in "The World?s Top Photographers: Wildlife", by Terry Hope, provided more clues about routes into a professional photography career while showing a world-class collection of pictures. And John Shaw's "Business of Nature Photography" still seems a better guide to making a living in this field.