BEAR Portraits
Hachette Author Photo Image
BEAR Portraits
by Jill Greenberg
104 Pages
Photography of Animals
Non-Fiction
Little Brown & Company
Known for her artistic approach to celebrity photography and advertising, Jill Greenberg goes back to her roots of animal photography with this book- Bear Portraits. Don't worry, she still gets up close and makes it shinny- but the shine does not radiate off of human skin in this pretty read, but off of the silky smooth fur coats of bears. Closer than ever and sweeter than ever possible for humans, her lens captures the emotions of these not-so-gentle giants.
Jill Greenberg has done some controversial shoots in the past, one with distressed kids, labeled End Times. In that shoot she provoked the children to tears by giving them a lollipop and then taking it away. As much as I don't agree with those methods, or with her politics- I love this book so much that I can forget that about her. I adore the shots of the bears in Bear Portraits. I don't think even Greenberg would have tried to take a lollipop away from one of these huge and fuzzy models.
I recommend this for any animal person, any bear lover, or photography freak (yes, that is me too), or for kids as well. The boys and I read this (note: looked at it) and they were so absorbed in the expressions that they made up their own words for the pictures "he's saying, 'I think I am MAD!'" . There are quotes on many of the pages, ones that aren't cutesy or clever- quotes that are actually good!
The bear portraits are so perfect and amazing that the reader will want to pet the fir on the page, and as the page is turned jump back realizing the ferociousness of the teeth and the size of the animal. These are not teddy bears! I highly recommend this Bear Portraits, perfect for that animal lover on your list for Christmas young and old alike with enjoy this read.
I'll leave you with a bear:

Images by Jill Greeneberg
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November 10th, 2009 - 09:27
They look so perfect that it’s hard to tell if they are real or like painted images (I think it’s the shine that give it that different look).
November 11th, 2009 - 09:54
Yeah, that is kindof her trademark I think….shiny celebrities, shiny crying kids, shiny bears. She also has one out on shiny monkeys. I want to see that one!
November 10th, 2009 - 19:10
Okay- I had to go to the link of the shots of the kids having fits. Is it bad to say it made me laugh? This morning while taking Adrianne to school, I had Stella following behind me loudly crying her eyes out because she was “too tired to walk”. Now I don’t agree with her method to get the picture, but I have seen those expressions many a time. Grain of salt taken.
November 11th, 2009 - 09:55
Hey, it isn’t bad. I thought it was a little funny too
Yep, my kids really know how to turn it on when they think it will benefit them. Seriously, what are they thinking!?