This is one of my all time favorite images. The whole story behind the capture of this image is here. I have several people to thank for providing me with the skills to create this image, one of the most important in terms of bird photography advice being Arthur Morris.
Bird photography books.
When I decided I needed to improve my bird photography, I bought three books by Arthur Morris and Larry West. (You will hear more about Larry in a future post.) I still recommend these books today to anyone that wants to improve their bird photography.
These books helped a lot, along with other photographers you have already heard about in this series, like Dewitt Jones and George Lepp. But today I want to focus on Art.
Bald Eagle by Arthur Morris.
Art is one of the best bird photographers in the country. I have been following him for years. I am a big fan. His Birds As Art website and blog (links below) are a wealth of information. His equipment suggestions have guided some of my most important purchases. And of course there are his books. I started with Bird Photography Pure and Simple (which is a 56 page booklet), decided it was really good, so I got THE book, The Art of Bird Photography, The Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques (160 pages). That was just one year before I created my Great Gray Owl image. Art’s advice paid off.
So when I spotted this Great Gray Owl from 70 plus feet away, I knew what to do. It took 90 minutes to get close enough to the owl, but it was well worth the effort. I channeled my inner Art Morris.
I wrote to Art and thanked him for his helpful advice and provided a link to my Great Gray Owl article. He wrote back, said it was a killer shot, and he would be proud to create an image like that. It made my day!
Links
Great Gray Owl, Whitefish Point – the story behind this image
Birds As Art – Art’s web site.
Birds as Art Blog – Art’s blog
You can find “how to” bird photography books by Arthur Morris and Larry West in this section of my Amazon powered photography store.
How To Find Wildlife, The Best Books
How To Photograph Wildlife, The Best Books