The Handbook of Bird Photography

This book is wonderful as a piece of instructional material (picking a shutter speed, mode, lens, etc.) and as a primer to the actual practice and business of being a pro bird photographer... birding hotspots, travel tips, concrete ideas for marketing and selling your pics, etc. They aren't afraid to recommend specific gear, specific hotels and tours, and even websites where you can sell your work. And most of the info, though centered around northern europe, is relevant to everyone.The authors understood that some of the gear they mention will be dated a few years after they wrote this, but you can figure out pretty quickly what you need and who makes it and where to get it. And the locations they recommend will probably still be great places to see birds in a hundred years.It's fascinating to read about their dedication, which includes making their own blinds, sleeping in a tiny tent outdoors in the winter, and even building their own homemade contraptions... one of the authors has made a remote control box to house his camera so it can rest in a marsh or snowy pine and capture pics of birds from distances that would otherwise be impossible. Imagine filling the frame with a bird using an ultra wide angle lens... how's that possible? This book will tell you.The photos blew me away and my only regret is I got this book the same way I get all my others these days... electronically, rather than buying a physical copy. But some of the photos really need to be seen in print, filling a big page, not as tiny jpegs on my phone screen. If you're reading this before buying, consider buying the print edition, even if you usually prefer the kindle edition of most books.

I purchased this book with the intention of getting some hints on exposure and focusing settings to photograph birds in various circumstances. The book provided that information and so much more. The photos are an artistic treat in themselves; they also provide technical data on camera settings, how the photo was taken, and the equipment used. The photos will be useful to study when comparing my own photos to improve them. The book also describes how to get close to birds and best places in the World to photograph birds. The authors are from Finland, so the bird species and many locations will be unfamiliar to the North American reader.I purchased the kindle version since it was one third the cost. I'm very disappointed with how the photos and their captions are not kept together. I would recommend spending the money for the print edition. Overall a fascinating book, but may contain far more information than the casual bird photographer can use. If you are looking for inspiration and fantastic artistic bird photos, this book will not disappoint.

This book is not my idea of a "handbook". It is large and heavy. More like The Text Book of Bird Photography.That said, it is full of beautiful color pics and usable text describing how the picture was taken and with what equipment.As a beginner in bird photography (one that would be expected to buy books on the subject) I find the equipment used and described in the book are way out of my price range. Many of the camera bodies used cost more than my Canon DSLR and the three lens I own combined. Many of the prime telephoto lens described also cost more than my entire kit.So the techniques used with the high grade professional equipment do not exactly fit with the abilities of the equipment that I use.However, the concepts are clear and even if my EOS rebel T3I does not have the capabilities of a Nikon D4 or Canon EOS-1D, I still have gotten much benefit from this book.

Wow...what a book. I am a photographer but bought this as a gift for a friend who is an avid bird photographer. The photos are fabulous and the background information and how to's are very enlightening. The 3 photographers that created this book are internationally recognized and rightly so. They are extremely talented and their work is incredible. This book is packed with over 300 pages of very beautiful and highly unusual shots of birds from around the world. These guys go the distance when it comes to capturing birds in action, or seeing them from a different and unique perspective. I would highly recommend it to any bird, or nature photography lover. Even though it is a soft cover, it is a high quality book that was more than worth the money that I paid for it. After buying it, I can honestly say that I am now a fan of Varesvuo, Peltomaki, and Mate.

Happy New Year. 2015First would like to thanks Amazon even we're thousands mile away and received the goods in time and good condition.The book is fantastic for bird photography. My country have only ones season (Summer) and approx. 80% of the birds shown in the book are more on 4 seasons country. That's not important as long the technique, recommendation, advice, tips and methods are mentioned/stated in the book are good enough for a "Middle class" photographer like me to upgrade to Professional Photographer.Bird photographing is just one of my hobby and my aim is to shooting and achieved a good quality photos on Swallow birds flying and catching insects. Is not easy because the bird is too small and fly every fast.This book to me is very useful and given 5 stars for this book.

Although this book does not feature North American birds, I found the information very helpful. I especially liked that every photo in the book showed all the shooting data. Camera, lens, aperture, shutter speed and ISO listed for each and every one! Of course, I will never own an 800mm lens (unless there is a lottery win in my future) but that did not make the information less helpful. There are sections of the book that do not apply to me, for instance I can never see myself in a blind, but it was still quite interesting.All information is presented well with many examples. This is the most informative book I have purchased and would definitely purchase it again and recommend it to anyone who is not an absolute beginner.

If you are into bird photography, this book will make you sick with jealousy, but you will learn a lot. One of the few good bird photography book that is totally into digital photography, not and adaptation of a 1990s book.

Ordered this book for the hints on bird photography and it did not let me down. The pictures are beautiful (and make me envious). I would recommend this book to everyone.

A sumptuously illustrated book on photographing Birds.This is a book which will appeal to professionals and amateurs alike, however if you are looking for basic level instruction, look elsewhere. Not too heavy on technique, this book is all about the the subject and the picture and assumes a good level of technical expertise, not to mention the high end equipment that really is necessary to capture this level of work.Birder not photographer? The images are outstanding and justify the purchase price alone.Technical thought: even colour Kindles are limited in the quality of their displays and Kindle software on computers and tablets degrades the image - do yourself a favour and buy the physical book. You will not regret it!

This is a fabulous book. I could spend all my time just marvelling at the photos, but there is tons of really good advice interestingly written. I can pick it up and browse or settle down to read a particular chapter. The only problem is that the photos are so fantastic, I keep getting carried away ! When I drag myself back to reading, the authors are not writing as if I have never seen a camera before. They are writing in an interesting and informative way. The only problem is that the "action" is often in Scandinavia with unpronounceable names - places I will never visit. I live in England which doesn't feature in the book. However, birds are birds, and it is possible to take the comments and advise and fit it to your location, time and budget. The photos in the book are just breathtaking. Anyone who can take photos like this has got to be worth listening too and have fascinating stories to tell. They are also entitled to some of the hefty price tag, but I just can't see why you would ever want to buy another bird photography book. If you like this fascinating hobby - treat yourself to this book.

I liked this book. It is full of useful hints and tips but avoids dwelling on technical matters - important as they date so quickly - and it uses a great selection of high-class photos to illustrate points. It's a pleasure to browse through and I am sure I will return to flick the pages again and again.