The Art and Science of Butterfly Photography

Rating:
Summary: Finest book on this specialized are of photography to date.
Review: A superbly written and illustrated "how to" manual for aspiring photographers, William Folsom's Art And Science Of Butterfly Photography provides step-by-step techniques covering all aspects of this specialized segment of nature photography. Readers will learn were to find butterflies, butterfly behavior, how to approach butterflies, common species identification, building butterfly habitats, shooting outdoors, at butterfly parks, and in studio, what shots to look for, and tips on photographing the entire butterfly life cycle. Also included is invaluable, practical information on selecting the right photographic equipment, lighting and metering, compositions techniques, as well as controlling foreground and background characteristics. If you intend to photograph butterflies, begin with a careful reading of William Folsom's Art And Science Of Butterfly Photography!

Rating:
Summary: Finest book on this specialized are of photography to date.
Review: A superbly written and illustrated "how to" manual for aspiring photographers, William Folsom's Art And Science Of Butterfly Photography provides step-by-step techniques covering all aspects of this specialized segment of nature photography. Readers will learn were to find butterflies, butterfly behavior, how to approach butterflies, common species identification, building butterfly habitats, shooting outdoors, at butterfly parks, and in studio, what shots to look for, and tips on photographing the entire butterfly life cycle. Also included is invaluable, practical information on selecting the right photographic equipment, lighting and metering, compositions techniques, as well as controlling foreground and background characteristics. If you intend to photograph butterflies, begin with a careful reading of William Folsom's Art And Science Of Butterfly Photography!

Rating:
Summary: Finest book on this specialized are of photography to date.
Review: A superbly written and illustrated "how to" manual for aspiring photographers, William Folsom's Art And Science Of Butterfly Photography provides step-by-step techniques covering all aspects of this specialized segment of nature photography. Readers will learn were to find butterflies, butterfly behavior, how to approach butterflies, common species identification, building butterfly habitats, shooting outdoors, at butterfly parks, and in studio, what shots to look for, and tips on photographing the entire butterfly life cycle. Also included is invaluable, practical information on selecting the right photographic equipment, lighting and metering, compositions techniques, as well as controlling foreground and background characteristics. If you intend to photograph butterflies, begin with a careful reading of William Folsom's Art And Science Of Butterfly Photography!

Rating:
Summary: Art and Science of Butterfly Photography
Review: Art and Science of Butterfly Photography by WilliamFolsom

Disapointed! Disapointing! Disapointment! And just to makemyself clear, a very great letdown. Mr. Folsom takes a lepidopteristapproach to photography rather than a photographers approach to butterfly shooting. And there is absolutly nothing wrong with this, since the result is a book that does not create the technophobia that glazes so many current readers eyes. It is in fact a very good effort by Mr. Folsom, which appears not to have been taken seriously by the publisher (Oh, heresy!). How on earth Amherst Media could have allowed a book on butterfly shooting to be published in BLACK AND WHITE simply baffles me. Naturally cost containment was the Holy Grail of this edition, but full bleed color photographs were certainly warranted. Of the almost 90 butterfly photographs contained in the book, ONLY EIGHT WERE IN COLOR! Adding insult to injury, many of the black and white photos were poorly reproduced, leaving the (false) impression that Mr. Folsom was incapable of taking a decent photograph. Admitedly, butterfly photography is a sometimes art that results in many fuzzy photos and much shaky focusing. Mr. Folsom readily expounds on much of the difficulty in obtaining crisp, clean renderings of these magnificent critters. However, as a naturalist, Mr. Folsom would never submit photograph upon photograph of the mediocre quality as reproduced in this book. And therein lies the sin of the black and white renditions of color photos. They are simply not reproduced at the same quality level at which they were taken. END

Rating:
Summary: A great source of information about butterfly photography.
Review: I am a professional photographer and enjoy the challenge of capturing the delicate beauty and stunning colors of the butterfly. It's not an easy thing to do -- they are almost always moving -- and it took years before I could produce consistently beautiful images. There are many tricks involved in finding, approaching, and photographing butterflies, which I've revealed in "The Art and Science of Butterfly Photography." Photographers who enjoy nature photography should be able to take better pictures the next time they see a butterfly. A great gift or important source of information for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, photography, and especially butterflies.

Rating:
Summary: Worth your money
Review: I own two copies of this book. I share my extra copy with other photographers who are interested in photographing butterflies. It is an particularly good resource for any serious novice or intermediate photographer. The book reviews and reinforces basic photography concepts with a distinct emphasis on mastering depth of field. The book is well organized, well written and easy to understand. It is full of useful tips and much of the material is transferable to other photographic subjects. The tips on photographing butterflies, i.e., where to find them, insect behavior, equipment and technique is very solid information.

Rating:
Summary: Worth your money
Review: I own two copies of this book. I share my extra copy with other photographers who are interested in photographing butterflies. It is an particularly good resource for any serious novice or intermediate photographer. The book reviews and reinforces basic photography concepts with a distinct emphasis on mastering depth of field. The book is well organized, well written and easy to understand. It is full of useful tips and much of the material is transferable to other photographic subjects. The tips on photographing butterflies, i.e., where to find them, insect behavior, equipment and technique is very solid information.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent manual for butterfly photography
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was helpful in both the scientific aspects of how to predict butterfly behavior, and the photographic aspects of capturing them on film. I found it an excellent balance between, as the title implies, art and science. The butterfly is one of the most beautiful, but elusive, of nature subjects. I have been photographing nature for years, but the tips I found in the book immediately improved my photos. The photos were helpful, as were the references at the back, to books and online resources. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone even thinking of photographing butterflies. The advice is also widely applicable to capturing other wary nature subjects.

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Summary: An EXCELLENT instructional book on photographing butterflies
Review: In this book, author William Folsom shares his knowledge on the techniques necessary for successful butterfly photography to teach you how to get great results in any photographic setting. This volume covers all the practical and technical aspects of this increasingly popular pastime. The first chapters discuss the different classifications of butterflies, the best places to find them, and tips on how to approach and photograph butterflies without scaring them off. The majority of the book focuses on equipment and other photographic considerations, including choosing the right equipment, creating optimal lighting conditions and composing fantastic images. Other chapters cover tips and techniques for building your portfolio and solving common problems in butterfly photography. There is also a selection of the author's favorite images, as well as appendices with helpful resource information. This book is an exceptionally well-written and affordable instructional text that provides readers with the knowledge (and beautifully composed illustrations of these techniques) needed to create their own photographs of these magnificent creatures. There are both black & white and color images to tantalize readers and inspire them to create their own such pictures. Packed with insightful text and breathtaking photographs, this book takes you step-by-step through this captivating field of photography and provides you with all the information you need to capture dazzling images of these truly wondrous creatures.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent practical guidebook
Review: Mr. Folsom has done a splendid job with his beautiful book on butterfly photography. I have begun to experiment with insect photography and found his book chuck full of practical, useful tips and suggestions. So many photographic books have endless pages on technical details or expound upon the obvious. This beautiful book provides a wonderful blend of photographic pointers along with fascinating information on these marvelous little creatures. Mr. Folsom should be comended for producing such a helpful manual on the fine art of butterfly photography.