In Mastering Bird Photography: The Art, Craft, and Technique of Photographing Birds and Their Behavior, acclaimed bird photographer and author Marie Read shares techniques and stories behind her compelling images, offering fresh insights into making successful bird photographs, whether you’re out in the field or in the comfort of your own backyard.

In this richly illustrated book, you’ll learn how to be in the right place at the right time and how to obtain tack sharp portraits. Marie then teaches you to take your skills to the next level in order to capture action shots, illustrate birds in their habitats, and portray birds in evocative and artistic ways.

Building on basic technical topics such as camera choice, lens choice, and camera settings, Marie reveals how fieldcraft, compositional decisions, and knowledge of bird behavior contribute greatly to a successful bird photograph. Captions for the over 400 images contained in the book provide details on the equipment used, as well as camera settings. Throughout the book, bird behavior insights provide bird photographers of all skill levels a wealth of essential insider information that will help you produce images that stand out from the crowd.

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“A chatty, appealing introduction. . . . Small and accessible, this is jam-packed with accurate information likely to increase any potential birder’s enthusiasm and knowledge.” — Kirkus Reviews(starred review) This conversational, humorous introduction to bird-watching encourages kids to get outdoors with a sketchbook and really look around. Quirky full-color illustrations portray dozens of birds chatting about their distinctive characteristics, including color, shape, plumage, and beak and foot types, while tongue-in-cheek cartoons feature banter between birds, characters, and the reader. Interactive and enjoyable tips bring an age-old hobby to new life for the next generation of bird-watchers, and eighteen new pages of activities, including drawing, mapmaking, and a scavenger hunt, make this paperback edition a must-have.

Photography: Birds explains how to photograph birds--whether in your backyard or at a birding destination--detailing unique issues that confront photographers of all levels and providing the best guidance for capturing the beauty and splendor of our feathered friends. Gerrit Vyn, an award-winning bird photographer, videographer, and sound recorder, has become renowned for his ability to capture birds, especially for the prestigious Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In this new guide, he reveals his methods and shares how to photograph birds based on location, behavior, identification, and storytelling. Vyn details the range of technical considerations, giving clear instruction and advice, as well as the creative decisions a photographer must make on lighting, framing, timing, and motion. He also discusses situations unique to bird photographers: dealing with habituated or tame birds, approaching feeders, utilizing blinds, and more. Once captured, digital images can be digitally refined, so Vyn delves into the procedures that elevate an image from mundane to striking, using Adobe Lightroom. Throughout, Vyn emphasizes an ethical approach to observing and interacting with the birds around us.

Backyard Birds: Looking Through the Glass - What makes this book different from other backyard bird books is that every photograph was taken from inside the photographer's house, looking through closed windows into the yard. This book contains 125 color photos of birds visiting during all four seasons to this one suburban Midwestern home. The superb photography is combined with insightful tips for attracting, watching, and photographing birds, and it's loaded with interesting and often surprising facts about our backyard friends. You'll be amazed what you can see in a typical backyard, just by looking. This book will open your eyes to the beauty of nature that surrounds us.

How to bring birds to your home and keep them there—including 250 full-color photos They’re out there every day, flashing through your yard, perching in a tree, collecting on utility wires, or congregating around puddles. They already share your backyard and neighborhood with you, but you—even if you are already one of America’s more than 68 million birders—haven’t formally invited them over for dinner. This book shows you how. Backyard Birding helps you maximize your home birding experiences and attract a wider variety of birds. With 250 full-color photos and concise, informative text, it provides indispensable details on what foods, plants, trees, water sources, and nesting materials will attract particular species. It helps you make the right choices the first time—and avoid costly mistakes. As an identification guide, it goes further than any previous resource in clarifying such matters as male/female plumage variations and breeding vs. nonbreeding plumage. Randi and Nic Minetor traveled from Florida to Alaska to photograph the hundreds of species in these pages. The result is a compendium from America’s backyards to your fingertips, with information useful in whatever climate or habitat your own backyard may provide. * 250 vibrant full-color photos capturing birds in stunning detail * Focus on top 24 birds found nationally as well as in Eastern and Western locations * Picture index of all the birds found throughout the book for easy reference * Seasonal bird feeding checklists

Fans of bird watching will rejoice with Backyard Bird Photography, a guide for learning how to set up your backyard in order to take the best photographs of your local birds. In addition to guiding you through the first steps of setting up your plantings and bird feeders, this book describes the types of photographic equipment you will need to get just the right image; how to maneuver yourself into just the right position to create a quality bird photograph; how to compose your shots for the greatest visual effect; and how to use more advanced techniques such as macro lenses and external flash techniques. Author and bird photographer Mathew Tekulsky breaks down the challenges of photographing these beautiful creatures and explains how utilizing your own natural surroundings can create stunning shots that rival those shot in the wild. Tekulsky explains that when your garden is set up as a tiny oasis for these feathered friends—with the right foliage, water sources, and feeders—then your backyard will be frequented by a variety of species on any given day. With tips for gaining the bird’s trust and composition, every photograph will come out a stunner.

Offers advice on how to create home gardens that attract birds, discusses the rewards of backyard birds, provides instructions for building birdhouses and feeders, ponds, perches, and other features, identifies feed and seed options, and includes tips on bird watching and an encyclopedia of seventy-five flowers, trees, and shrubs.

Who knew that the morepork, our forest-dwelling owl, can turn its head 270 degrees? Or that the eastern bar-tailed godwit doubles its body weight before undertaking an epic and continuous migration of 11,000 kilometres? Or that the tui has a specially placed voicebox, enabling it to duet with itself, sometimes producing sounds too high-frequency for humans to hear? Zany, off-kilter, wondrous and wild, The Brilliance of Birds gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of some of New Zealand's feathered friends.