Zuckerman A. Bird

Chronicle Books, 2009. — 298 p.
Andrew Zuckerman approaches birds with a contemporary, minimalist attitude: no more narrative context, no more psychological interpretations, no more candid shots in the wilderness. An absolute background made of pure white light acts as the field on which the birds fly or rest. In this incredibly luminous setting, the colors of the birds’ plumage come to life as never before seen by the human eye. It is the light that really gives us that richness of colour, that hyperrealist representation of every feather, the crystal clear expression of their eyes, the movement of their wings, and the language of their bodies.
Every aspect of the body has been captured by the camera: the beak, the legs, the feet, the wings, the tails, the eyes — and each part stands for the whole bird within that beautiful light. The birds, from the intimacy of the very small to the majesty of the very large, acquire a transcendental dignity, each one becoming a god in its own universe. The powerful white light transfers its own intensity to the birds and transforms them into mythical objects of paradise, newly resplendent in all their colors. Zuckerman knows very well the power of that light.