We draw a lot of our inspiration by collecting and studying the works of other photographers. So this page is dedicated to those works, allowing you a little insight into some really great nature photography books, and possibly some that you can do without. You can purchase all of these books from this page by clicking on the link! You will get some of the best deals available from Amazon.com! Consider this page your one stop shop for nature photography inspiration.
Rating;
What
it means...
A Masterpiece! You will be inspired, in
awe, and likely a bit jealous of the great work in this book
Excellent!
Well written and/or full of great images and information - Great
resource!
Good!
Worth the purchase if in your area of interest
Decent
- we don't look at it often, but certainly wasn't a waste of
money
Poor
- a rating we hate to give anyone who invested all the effort
in making a book - but this just wasn't for us
Rating:
Chased by the Light DVD , by Jim Brandenburg I have always been intrigued by Jim Brandenburg's now famous project of forcing himself to shoot only 1 frame a day for 90 days. His book on this project is inspirational and uplifting for those seeking ideas or new direction and discipline for their photography. It encourages all of us to do some inner soul searching about what nature photography means to us.
I have only recently come across the DVD about this project. Through interviews and converstaions with Jim, his family, and the National Geographic, you are guided through the process and reasoning behind this extraordinary project. Jim communicates a lot about why he made certain images. Each one has a unique story, situation, and challenge behind it. I gained a lot more insight into Jim's soul searching task he set for himself by having this DVD. Certainly if you think you have shot it all (and I am certainly not in that category), this DVD demonstrates there is always something more, and often in your own backyard.
Rating:
The Living Wild, by Art Wolfe Without
a doubt - one of the finest nature photography books ever
produced. It is simply a work of art (no pun intended!)
Renowned for portraying wildlife in some pretty spectacular
landscapes, Art continues to show his mastery and eye for
seeing the light and opportunity, using his artistic passion
to create some amazing imagery. Often using wide angle lenses,
the images he creates shows an intimacy with each of his
subjects.
Of
particular interest to nature photographers are the plates
included at the end of each section describing the equipment
used, special conditions and circumstances around each image.
He goes into depth in many of them about why he composed
the shot the way he did and the difficulties encountered.
Also in these plates is biological information regarding
each species, their range, and the current threats to their
survival. This book is an excellent glimpse into the state
of wildlife today and many reasons on why we should work
to preserve each and every habitat shown.
You
may end up buying two of these books - one to preserve,
and one to wear out by continually flipping through it.
Rating:
The Underwater Photographer, by Martin Edge Underwater
photography is no easy task, but highly addicting. Once
you are able to get down the basics, you have only started.
Martin Edge picks up where many books on the basics leave
off - exploring intermediate to advanced techniques in lighting
and composition and developing an entire method to photographing
underwater. After all - you don't have a limitless supply
of air - or film for that matter - and Martin shows you
ways to maximize your time and your results.
He
introduces his "TC System" - a systematic approach
to translating the image in your mind's eye to a photograph.
I found this to be very comprehensive approach and something
I had not thought about consciously while underwater. It
encourages you to critically evaluate each photographic
opportunity instead of just snapping away. Perhaps not every
subject is going to yield the optimum result, making it
time to move on. This, in part, can be what turns good underwater
images into great ones! I now pass up many subjects underwater
just because the conditions aren't right - where I might
have spent valuable time, air, and film otherwise.
The
book has some equipment information - and compliments it
with how to use certain equipment to achieve the desired
effect. He assumes you already know the basics of photography.
There is definitely a housed SLR focus to the book, but
the techniques are universal if you own a Nikonos or even
a point & shoot. You will learn about advanced lighting
techniques, ways to control how the background appears in
color, and taking advantage of underwater phenomena such
as Snell's Window. What is Snell's Window? I didn't know
either until I read this book.
If
you have grown past the basics and want more from your underwater
photography, Martin Edge's book is a must have.
Rating:
Closeup on Insects, by Robert Thompson Insects
are everywhere around us and a favorite subject of many
nature photographers. However, there is a big difference
between taking a picture of an insect and making a great
photograph of one. Robert Thompson provides an excellent
introduction to those wanting to get close, and even closer
to these amazing subjects.
The
book begins with a thorough introduction to camera systems
and the equipment typically required to make close up images
and the options available to you. You don't have to spend
hundreds of dollars on the latest macro lenses when much
can be accomplished with extention tubes and diopters. Interestingly
enough, Robert's preference for his macro photography is
using Medium format equipment. His points in using Medium
format are certainly valid, mostly due to the size of the
original transparency you obtain. However, I tend to disagree
somewhat with his assessment of limitations on 35 mm film,
I have seen some pretty impressive enlargements made. There
are also significant cost advantages to 35 mm systems, but
nonetheless, certainly having a large original slide to
start with is a joy to look at. There are also significant
advances in digital worthy of considering. It is a shame
that the advantages of having such great medium format images
aren't realized within the book due to the image sizes -
because you can just imagine the great detail he obtained.
The
book is a very comprehensive look at the factors involved
in close up photography. I particularly enjoyed the latter
half of the book in which Robert gives you insights into
photographing some common species. Most photographers enjoy
photographing dragonflies, butterflies, moths and caterpillars
- and this book gives great insight into where to find them
and how to photograph them for the best results. You should
already know the answer to this one - get out of bed early!
But before doing so - make sure you read Robert's advice
for where to go when you are up!
Rating:
A Guide to Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings, 2nd Ed., Paul
Baicich, Colin Harrison I
imagine most nature photographers have more guide books
than they know what to do with. We justify each one with
the little bits of information they give us over the others.
There are dozens of bird guide books on the market, but
none that I am aware of that are so comprehensive on the
nesting behavior of birds. For any birder, or photographer
interested in birds, this is an extremely valuable reference
book.
If
you take your current bird guide book and imagine for every
species having the nesting behavior/seasons with egg, nest,
and nestling illustrations - you will get a good idea of
the extent of information in this book.
I
find this book extremely useful if I find nests around my
yard. I am pretty poor at identifying eggs and nest types
- and this book is enough to make an expert out of most!
Rating:
Photo Impressionism and the Subjective Image by
Freeman Patterson & Andre Gallant This
book was the inspiration for many of my multiple exposure
images. It introduces you to several photographic techniques,
and a way of thinking that departs from literal image making.
Though this book shows you some great imagery - it is pretty
much up to you to experiment to obtain some of the effects.
Multiple exposures can have a large variation in results
and can considerably change the impact on the viewer. How
do you know when a situation is right for doing an impressionistic
image - this is pretty much left up to you.
Nonetheless
- looking at the work in this book and reading what Freeman
and Andre have to say about this type of work is encouraging
enough to go and try to make some of your own.
Rating:
Fathoms Magazine For
many divers, underwater photographers, and marine conservationists,
the now extinct Ocean Realm magazine was something
to look forward to in your mailbox. It was like having a
coffee table book delivered to your mailbox every couple
of months. Breathtaking photography, printed on semi-gloss,
heavy paper, accompanied by excellent writing and information
was in every issue. The demise of Ocean Realm definitely
left a hole in the area of high quality, diving and underwater
photography magazines. Another great loss were the articles
frequently contributed by the well known filmmaker, Stan
Waterman and marine conservationist, Paul Watson.
Well,
your wait is over. Fathoms quite easily fills the
hole left by OR with a style of its own. It is brought to
us by two familiar names in the diving and publishing industry,
Fred Garth and Bret Gilliam. These two crazy guys have taken
a similar approach in providing a fine printed publication,
superb photography, and their own touch of humor and style.
They bring with them extensive knowledge of the diving industry,
dive location reviews, and many articles focused on underwater
photography. Plus - they bring you Stan Waterman - who continues
his entertaining articles about his adventures in the underwater
world.
I
read the most recent issue cover to cover - with a particularly
good read on the interview with filmmaker Al Giddings. Stan
Waterman contributed a great piece on the reality of shark
feeding. Other features include profiles and interviews
with professional underwater photographers and where the
art is headed, particularly with digital cameras.
I
could go on and on about how impressed I have been with
this magazine. I am excited to see where they are headed
with it. My only complaint is that they don't give us enough
- it is currently published on a quarterly basis. All divers,
underwater photographers, and those simply loving marine
life need to check this out for at least a year subscription.
You can click the button at the left to order.
Rating:
Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb Species
identification is critical to nature photography, plain
and simple. The libraries nature photographers have of guide
books probably rivals most naturalists and biologists. Newcomb's
is considered one of the 'bibles' of wildflowers. It covers
the regions of Northeastern and North-central North America.
Newcomb's
guide is a bit different than the Peterson and Audobon guides.
It relies on an ingenious key system for identifying flowers.
It works on the information that you know - such as number
of leaves, color, leaf type, flower type, etc and then points
you in the right direction.
Most
of the illustrations are finely detailed black and white
sketches - intimately detailing every aspect of the plants.
There are also some color plates done where color is a critical
characteristic.
This
guide can take some getting used to in looking up unknown
wildflowers - but for its attention to detail and descriptions,
it is hard to beat.
