Birds - by Christian Spencer (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

• "striking imagery...stunning depictions" -- Birdwatch

• "One need not ponder whether Birds: Poetry in the Sky is more a bird book or an art book: it fits each category. But whatever shelf it belongs on is really irrelevant - it's enough to say that the book is magnificent." -- 10,000 Birds

• "...This is photographic art of birds 'where they live' and where humans must watch in awe." -- Wildlife Australia

The fascination birds evoke in us continues unabated. Australian artist and photographer Christian Spencer, living in the vicinity of the Brazilian rainforest since 2001, has surrendered to it as well. "The camera is my brush," is how he describes his style.

His photographs truly capture the poetry of nature, letting its beauty speak for itself -- which is why he forgoes any image editing. He was the first to capture the breathtakingly fast beating of hummingbirds' wings in the sunlight, which forms a rainbow in the air. The world of birds unfolds before his lens in all its colorful glory and elegance: in reflections on the water, between blossoms and trees, and high above the treetops. Text in English and German.

Review Quotes

Among some of the standout shots in the book, is a flock of cockatoos just as they take flight from a tree and a group of emus reflected on a watery plane.-- "Petapixel"

Interestingly, Christian eschews editing to present his work exactly as it was captured in camera. Well worth a look.-- "Amateur Photographer"

One need not ponder whether Birds: Poetry in the Sky is more a bird book or an art book: it fits each category. But whatever shelf it belongs on is really irrelevant - it's enough to say that the book is magnificent.-- "10,000 Birds"

Originally intending to paint the scene, he decided to leave it as a photograph because he felt it couldn't be improved.-- "New Scientist"

Photographer Christian Spencer captured a black jacobin hummingbird mid-flight, right as the sunlight caught its wings. "Rainbow Ballet" is one of several photos out in his book Birds: Poetry in the Sky from teNeues Publishing.-- "Hyperallergic"

Six photos from Christian Spencer's 'Poetry in the Sky' reveal the impressionistic splendour of blue and yellow macaws and other birds.-- "Popular Science"

Spencer worked on capturing that natural rainbow, creating the "Winged Prism" photo series. The colourful images are collected in his book, "Birds: Poetry in the Sky" (teNeues Publishing).-- "Treehugger"

About the Author

Christian Spencer was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1977. Since 2001 he has lived near Itataia National Park near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is an artist, filmmaker and photographer. In recent years he has won numerous awards in international photography competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 "Highly Commended" and Tokyo Photo Awards 2021. In the 25 years of his career, Christian Spencer has used the screen, film, music and photography to stage nature as a work of art.