Photographing Wild Birds

Rating:
Summary: Life in a Hide
Review: "Photographing Wild Birds" fills in a space that's been almost empty. This book concentrates on how to position yourself to take good bird pictures, with lengthy discussions of such things as composition and the building and use of blinds (or, as the English prefer, hides). This may reflect its author's European orientation where it appears getting close to birds may be much harder than in the U.S. Many of the top American bird photographers, like Arthur Morris and Moose Peterson seem to prefer the unconcealed approach. On the other hand, that unconcealed approach leads these same photographers to suggest that 600 mm lenses with 2X teleconverters are essential to good pictures. The bird photographer without $10,000 to spend on big glass may prefer to consider Gomersall's techniques. And even the owners of extra-long telephoto lenses may find the techniques suggested by Gomersall useful to get that really difficult bird.

After his discussion of field craft, the author discusses several different assignments that he's had and how he approached them. While interesting, this just supplements the meat that he's provided earlier in the book. Finally Gomersall discusses post-production problems like cataloging and marketing.

Throughout the book there are cameos by other bird photographers like Niall Benvie, but these seem more like interesting garnish than helpful hints. If you are interested in hints from Benvie you'd be better off reading his "The Art of Nature Photography", a good work in its own right.

I'd be remiss if I didn't compare this book to the bible of bird photographers, Arthur Morris' "The Art of Bird Photography". The Morris book devotes more of its pages to the technical aspects of bird photography like film and exposure compensation. And while Gomersall's pictures are excellent, Morris' pictures are breathtaking. But both books are tops in what they teach.

This book may discourage you from bird photography, or at least help you in a realistic appraisal of success. The author talks of arriving in his hide before dawn and leaving after dusk, and of spending days without what he considered a successful picture. These tales of endurance led me to spend several hours in a hide, and I must confess that the pictures I captured were better than my run-of-the-mill shots. But I'm not certain my devotion runs to fourteen hours in a small cramped tent.

But as a bird photographer, I would not want to be without either of these books.

Rating:
Summary: Life in a Hide
Review: "Photographing Wild Birds" fills in a space that's been almost empty. This book concentrates on how to position yourself to take good bird pictures, with lengthy discussions of such things as composition and the building and use of blinds (or, as the English prefer, hides). This may reflect its author's European orientation where it appears getting close to birds may be much harder than in the U.S. Many of the top American bird photographers, like Arthur Morris and Moose Peterson seem to prefer the unconcealed approach. On the other hand, that unconcealed approach leads these same photographers to suggest that 600 mm lenses with 2X teleconverters are essential to good pictures. The bird photographer without $10,000 to spend on big glass may prefer to consider Gomersall's techniques. And even the owners of extra-long telephoto lenses may find the techniques suggested by Gomersall useful to get that really difficult bird.

After his discussion of field craft, the author discusses several different assignments that he's had and how he approached them. While interesting, this just supplements the meat that he's provided earlier in the book. Finally Gomersall discusses post-production problems like cataloging and marketing.

Throughout the book there are cameos by other bird photographers like Niall Benvie, but these seem more like interesting garnish than helpful hints. If you are interested in hints from Benvie you'd be better off reading his "The Art of Nature Photography", a good work in its own right.

I'd be remiss if I didn't compare this book to the bible of bird photographers, Arthur Morris' "The Art of Bird Photography". The Morris book devotes more of its pages to the technical aspects of bird photography like film and exposure compensation. And while Gomersall's pictures are excellent, Morris' pictures are breathtaking. But both books are tops in what they teach.

This book may discourage you from bird photography, or at least help you in a realistic appraisal of success. The author talks of arriving in his hide before dawn and leaving after dusk, and of spending days without what he considered a successful picture. These tales of endurance led me to spend several hours in a hide, and I must confess that the pictures I captured were better than my run-of-the-mill shots. But I'm not certain my devotion runs to fourteen hours in a small cramped tent.

But as a bird photographer, I would not want to be without either of these books.