This is a long-term project that I started in 2004 after noticing a number of failed photographs of birds
among the casual snap shots I had taken as a teenager. The impulse to capture the natural encounter
had overridden the knowledge that the bird would most likely appear only as a speck in the frame of the
photograph. I decided to continue this accidental project and started photographing birds without a
telephoto lens or any other specialist equipment. and noting the number of attempts (shots) made in
the effort to document the bird. In some of the photographs I am observing the birds from a great
distance, in others, the bird sees me and is reacting to my presence. The series has become both an
attempt to document the fleeting quality of wildlife encounters and an exploration of the persistent
desire (in myself and others) to take possession of animals through documentation and species
identification.

NOTE 1: the images were shot with a Nikon D70 or D80 with a Nikkor 18-70mm lens.
NOTE 2: The majority of the photographs were taken in Western New York State and Florida. There
are a few others from Moscow, Tokyo, and Hawaii.
NOTE 3: I’m not a particularly skilled or knowledgeable “birder,” I learn as I go, so if I have misidentified
a bird, let me know.
NOTE 4: I have yet to have a gallery show of this work, but when I do, the prints will be 14” x 20”
with the species name and attempt number appearing on the print below the image