Trenton Falls Art Festival - 365 Dover Rd., Barneveld, NY September 29th & 30th and October 6th & 7th 2012, 10am-5pm
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Review Wildlife Images of the Adirondacks - by: Eric Dresser
Books that collect photographs of nature and wildlife are not exactly few and far between; the wonder of Earth's beauty has been captured on film by millions of people, and there may well be an equal number of
bound collections to represent this. What makes Eric Dresser's, Wildlife Images of the Adirondacks stand out against the multitude of other collections, is a combination of the photographer, and the subjects he
has found out in the wilderness of upstate New York.
The most readily apparent feature of this collection is that Dresser doesn't focus on grand scale scenes, he keeps his photos simple. Most of the pictures featured in his book are of singular animals, interacting
with their immediate environment. For example, one of the most delightfully cute pictures is of a young fox pouncing around the grass. In terms of the framing and coloration of it and all other photos, it's all
exceptionally well done, leaving the reader with an unobstructed image of what Dresser was seeing at the time he clicked the shutter. There's also a beautiful photo of a curled up Bobcat, which may seem uninteresting
compared to seeing one pouncing on some prey it's found, but here we see the Bobcat at peace. Making the image notable is that Dresser captures the animal in a way that displays its feline nature, showing the reader
that though this is a potentially dangerous predator, it is still related to the cats people keep in their own homes.
This is not to say that there are no action shots, indeed Dresser does include pictures such as two deer locking antlers, a hummingbird moth in mid-flight and a gaggle of geese returning from their winter sojourn.
Still, most of what Dresser captures is the simplicity of nature, and the beauty inherent within that. Beneath many of the photos are captions which give brief little glimpses into the behavior of the animals, what
they're doing in the picture, or even more interesting, how certain photographs were obtained.
It's obvious that Dresser is no stranger to the environment he took these pictures in. In the introduction to his book, he gives a great deal of credit to his father, the man who introduced him to the wonders of
the Adirondacks. That child-like excitement that Dresser describes has carried over into his work as an adult. The love and enthusiasm he has for wildlife pours through the photos as vibrantly as the colors on the page.
Wildlife Images of the Adirondacks is a lovingly beautiful collection of the variety and density of animals found in upstate New York's mountainous region. Eric Dresser shows not only a great deal of skill as a photographer,
but a great deal of reverence as a nature enthusiast. This book is worth reading for the pictures alone, but it's augmented by Dresser's talents, and the love for the subjects he photographs.
Reviewed by Heath Andrews
Heath Andrews graduated from Ithaca College, Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Scriptwriting. He is also a featured author on the music review website, Reviewyou.com
