My new book on color is now available

My new book on color The Photographer's Master Guide to Color is available on Amazon--and it's about a month early, which is great. I started the book just about a year ago and finished it this past winter. The book covers a lot of ground and begins with a survey on the history of color theory, starting with the earliest cave painters and their attempts to mix colors and then goes into some detail about Sir Isaac Newton and his creation of the first color wheel. The book then takes a fairly detailed look at the way that color can be used, exploited and manipulated in color photography. It is, in short, a pretty comprehensive look at the subject of color.

I think the most interesting thing in writing this book was the research that I did before I actually began writing. It was a very hot and humid July when I first started the research and I spent about two months on my couch in front of a fan reading every book I could find about color and color theory. While I thought I was already pretty well versed in the topic before I started my research, I learned so very much--and it's a fascinating story. There is nothing like having an excuse to focus on one interesting subject for a long period of time.

I've also just been told by my publisher that the book is now available for pre-order in the U.K., New Zealand and in Australia!

I've published so many books on photography that I've (seriously) lost count, but this is one of my favorites and I'm happy to see it become available. I hope you enjoy it.

Approach Shorebirds Slowly

I'm lucky that I live near a lot of beaches and close to a tidal river so there are always a lot of shorebirds to photograph. While a lot of photographers think that having huge telephoto lenses is the key to getting close to this kind of wildlife (and long lenses will certainly make your life easier), the truth is that shorebirds are very accustomed to human company and they'll tolerate your presence more than you might think. The trick to getting close though is to approach slowly and appear to be moving somewhat randomly.

Don't just hop out of the car and make a beeline for your subject, for instance.  Instead, get out of the car slowly and stand beside it for a few minutes. Then, gradually make your way closer to the shore by walking in a somewhat circuitous route--edging closer and closer. And try to appear uninterested in your subject: never look directly at it, avoid eye contact and try to look at the ground, the sky--anything but the subject. Hesitate every few feet until you're close enough to shoot but not so close that you'll scare off your subject. All animals have a "circle of safety" where they feel secure and as long as you stay outside of that distance they will accept you as a reasonable risk. You can tell the instant you've crossed into that circle because the bird will stop hunting, will pay more attention to you, or may just up and fly away. If that happens, make a mental note of the distance and use that information next time.

Getting close to any wild animals, and shorebirds in particular, is a matter of patience and letting your subjects gain confidence that you are not an immediate threat. In shooting this egret I parked the car about 40' away and was able to gradually move to within less than 10' in under 20 minutes. Once I reached what I felt was the bird's safe zone, I stopped moving and just became a part of the background. I was able to shoot for nearly a half an hour while the egret fished.