The Practical Manual of Captive Animal Photography [Paperback]

Michael Havelin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2000

Photographers don't have to travel on safari or risk life and limb for a portfolio of marketable nature shots. This book teaches the step-by-step techniques necessary for capturing and selling dramatic images of animals in settings such as zoos, nature preserves, and even at home. Beginning with how to approach the animals and avoid danger, this book discusses choosing appropriate subjects, scouting locations, creating suitable settings for smaller animals, capturing shots of animals in motion, selecting lenses and filters, and dealing with obstructions such as fences, glass, and water. The book also outlines the necessary equipment-specialized viewfinders, lenses, and flashes-and essential legalities such as permissions to shoot and photo releases.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Havelin, a professional photographer, is publisher of Shooter's Rag: The Practical Gazette for Silver and Digital Photographers. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Media (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584280239
• ISBN-13: 978-1584280231
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Realistic Approach To Animal Photograhpy, May 16, 2000

By 

Jeff Roberts - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Practical Manual of Captive Animal Photography (Paperback)

The reality of life is that few of us can spend a carear in the field in pursuit of the cover shot for National Geo., but we can go to the local zoo etc. and create presentable images that we can be proud of, and perhaps sell. This book provides some of the guidelines. Nobody can give you the skills, this will only come after you apply yourself and expose a few miles of film.

Mr. Havelin's writing flows well, it is written with enough down to earth wit to keep a sense of reality. This I find rare in photography related publishing, and I credit him and the publisher for this.

The author offers useful advice, and demonstrates with his own work, and he is not afraid to show some of his shots that didnt come out perfect, to illustrate his point.

A fresh apporocah, - Thank You Mr. Havelin.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shooting Animals With A Camera: From Awful to Awesome, May 16, 2000

By 

Jutta Green (Dublin, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Practical Manual of Captive Animal Photography (Paperback)

I wished I had read "Practical Manual of Captive Animal Photography" several decades ago before filling albums with numerous truly awful photos showing animals or parts of them in zoos, aquariums, gardens, and on farms. By reading Havelin's newest photography book, I discovered why many of my animal photos leave a lot to be desired and what I can try to improve. Among the many pluses of the book are understandable advice, awesome and awful photos illustrating how to photograph and how not to, a colloquial writing style, print one can read without a magnifying glass, and, this was definitely not expected, ideas for locations to visit. I especially found it valuable to learn about photographing through glass and fences. For example, on page 54 in the book are several photos of a red panda in Zoo Atlanta. The first photo could have been mine. One can see a lot of metal fencing and ask: "Where is the animal?" In the last photo is only the red panda - no cage, no fence, and no wall. I am looking forward to follow Havelin's directions: "Look for right angle to minimize glare, and the correct depth of field to remove disturbing fence elements in front of and behind the subject creature."