A specialist title aimed at bird watchers, this handy book contains all the expertise you need to make your bird-watching trip into a rewarding photo session: there is copious advice on equipment, technique and field craft, and a wealth of wonderful photos to inspire you. Finally, a section on the digital darkroom will help you turn your shots into perfect prints.

The Handbook of Bird Photography distills the knowledge, talent, and experience of three well-known professional wildlife photographers into one beautifully illustrated volume. Written in a manner that is easy to understand, this book offers fresh insight and practical tips that will broaden horizons for nature and bird photographers. The authors share their stories showcasing photographs for which they have received awards in major international wildlife photo competitions. In this book, you'll learn about all of the elements that lead to a great bird photograph, including: The bird photographer's equipment Shooting techniques: exposure, focus, how to show movement and freeze action, etc. In the field: bird behavior, hides, and how to attract birds How to use light and compose and crop images The best sites for finding and photographing birds You'll also learn how to show, share, promote, and sell your photographs. Bird photography is a brilliant way to spend your free time, and for some it's a career. This book helps beginners get the hang of things quickly and accurately, and offers field-specific expertise for more experienced photographers.

From the institution that set the standard for exceptional photography comes the definitive how-to volume--fully revised and updated with the latest information. 280 photos, illustrations & maps.

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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Let your finger do the talking!There is one gesture that transcends language, race, gender, and age: the bird. Throughout time, man has brandished his middle finger to express anger or insolence, to scorn or to provoke. FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN BIRD documents great moments of creativity, ingenuity, and utter stupidity in the history of the one-finger salute. With step-by-step illustrations for more than 50 ways to give someone the finger, this handy little guide will have you flipping off with skill and style. Brush up on classic birds like the Peel the Banana and the Volume ("Can you hear this? . . . Or do you want me to turn it up?"), then expand your vocabulary with more sophisticated birds like the Cell Phone, the Pulley, and the Helium Balloon. For the globetrotting bird-flipper, FIELD GUIDE also showcases Birds of the World, so you can piss off people wherever you go. You'll find the perfect bird for any job, whether tormenting your little sister, covertly rebelling against your boss, or telling that tailgater exactly what you think of him.

The easiest-to-use and most comprehensive field guide to North American birds-from the country's preeminent writers on birds and nature Drawing on more than twenty years' experience as bird and wildlife experts, Donald and Lillian Stokes have produced field guides that are factually, visually, and organizationally superior to any other books you can buy. You'll find: * All the identification information on a single page-color photographs, range map, and detailed description. No more fumbling to match photos with text! * For fast reference-a compact alphabetical index inside the front and back covers. * More than 900 high-resolution color identification photographs. * An illustrated Quick Guide to the most common backyard and feeder birds. * Convenient colored tabs keyed to each bird group. * Concise and comprehensive text, with information on habitat; plumage variation; feeding, nesting, and mating behavior; bird feeder proclivity; and-for the first time in any guide-population trends and conservation status.

This new field guide provides a suite of modern tools to effectively aid in the identification of more than 750 species of birds across North America. It introduces a "whole bird" approach by concisely gathering a collection of information about birds into one portable and well-organized volume. 2,000 stunning color photographs of birds in natural habitats show the most important field marks, regional population differences, life stages, and behaviors 700-plus detailed and up-to-date color range maps show summer, migration, winter, year-round, and rare but regular occurrences of every major species A DVD of birdsongs for 138 major species (587 vocalizations in all for 5½ hours of play); each high-quality MP3 file is embedded with an image of the bird, perfect to view on home computers and portable MP3 players Concise descriptions of habits and ecology, age-related and seasonal differences, regional forms, vocalization, and informative captions pointing out the most important aspects of the bird 46 group essays with information outlining taxonomy, feeding, migration, habitats, behaviors, and conservation status A thorough and accessible introduction to birds and birding includes sections on parts of a bird, plumage and molt, food and feeding, migration, habitats, conservation, tips on bow to become a better birder, and more A detailed glossary of terms, species checklist, and quick index The new Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America is perfectly designed to give birders the most powerful and user-friendly collection of information to carry into the field or wherever they enjoy learning about birds and nature.