
Max Mallard is a shy young duck who is afraid to be on his own. When he finds himself all alone, he learns from other animals that he is indeed ready to face the world with courage and confidence.
I have been photographing birds in a county park for a couple of years now. One of my most photographed – and photogenic – species were mallards. When this photo of a paddling young duck showed up on my monitor, I got a bright idea: I would publish a book with a young mallard as a protagonist.
During the past year I photographed a mama mallard with ducklings, ducklings on their own, and as summer progressed, immature male ducks as they frolicked in the fishing pond. Naturally, I also photographed other bird species and some of them made it into my book. The others might show up in future projects.
By the end of summer, I had accumulated enough images to fill a picture book. Then I set out to pick the best ones from the thousands of photos I took. It was no small feat. In the meantime, I hired a designer whose previous creations I admired. Publication is set for April 2023, and I can’t wait to share my book with the world.
