“[Zuckerman] is able to present the usual in the most unusual way by aiming at the essence, rather than the appearance, of the subject. The pages flow throughout the book as a cinematic sequence, teasing the viewer through a window into the limitless white world.” – Massimo Vignelli
Bird takes a minimalist approach to showcasing the beauty of birds. This has become a popular way of presenting, as more and more publications across the board attempt to reduce the clutter and make things easier. With the incredible amount of stimulants vying for our attention, Bird provides a much needed focus of what we love: birds.
This method matches nature pretty well. Even though the natural world is full of an unfathomable array of colors, sights, sounds, smells, and touches, there is almost always a pure, relaxed feeling when out in nature and when watching birds specifically.
Bird captures an intense view of the birds every detail from positions and angles that would be difficult to reproduce in a truly wild setting. And while nothing compares to being out in the field, the ability to witness the “essence of birds” is extremely worthwhile to us as bird conservation promoters.
The closest I can relate to this sort of view is through bird banding and raptor flight shows. Both provide up-close inspection of what makes different birds unique. These views are almost impossible to replicate in the field but are invaluable to learning about birds.
Some of the world’s coolest birds are pictured in such ways that are guaranteed to inspire and spark not only interest in birds, but a deep sense of appreciation of the incredible awe birds carry on their wings.
A ton of work went into the production of Bird and these videos show a small fraction of it:
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Disclosure: we were given a copy of this wonderful book by the publisher to review. However, we were not persuaded to say or do anything other than give an honest review, which we have.
That was just fun to watch!
Very cool!
BTW, this is the first time I’ve been able to access your blog in months. I kept trying (all different ways,) & it just wouldn’t work. I don’t know that my getting through today isn’t just a fluke, or if you changed some HTML or a javascript recently that ended my problem, but if I vanish again for a long stretch, you’ll know why! Actually, would you be kind enough to pop me an e-mail to lgramlich@email.com ? Then I could at least get in touch with you if I have problems.