Wild Among Us: True Adventures of a Female Wildlife Photographer Who Stalks Bears, Wolves, Mountain Lions, Wild Horses and Other Elusive Wildlife

by Pat Toth-Smith

2014 USA Best Book Award for narrative non-fiction and bronze medal winner eLit Awards, 2013 gold medal winner Living Now Awards, March 2014 #1 book of the month Stevo's internet reviews, June 2013 book of the month Pacific book review. "My book helps people to face their fears and do things they never thought they could do. I have always had a philosophy that it is worse to let my fear stop me, then to fail at the task." This book was based on the author's actual life experiences, in which she conquered her own fears relied on her intuition to survive and became stronger for it. It's a fascinating series of autobiographical stories told by Pat Toth-Smith. The story telling pulls you into her perilous world, where you share the strange and sometimes dangerous situations she navigates as she travels the highways and wilderness areas of North America. In the end it all seems worth it when we see the results of her labors, the stunning wildlife photos, the vivid observations of the animal’s behavior and the hard earned knowledge gleaned from learning on the job. Wild Among Us is unique in that it has the aesthetic beauty of a fine art photo book combined with the powerful stories of pursuit, danger and life-threatening wildlife encounters.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Photography, Nature

106 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2013

About the author

A fine art wildlife photographer and author of a new book "Wild Among Us: true adventures of a female photographer who stalks bears, wolves, mountain lions and other elusive wildlife" I am an established wildlife photographer with more than 20 years of professional experience who's photos have sold in numerous markets, prestigious galleries and hundreds of fine art shows. , “My photographs and stories are meant to help reestablish a connection with nature/wildlife and maybe inspire others to get out into the wilderness more often, or at least to help preserve it with sound policies that benefit wildlife as well as humans.”

Reviews

[Amy Ingalls]

I won a copy of this Ebook in a Goodreads Giveaway.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The photographs were gorgeous, and the stories were interesting. I can only imagine how lovely it must be as a printed book with full-size photos. I was left wanting more!

[Christina]

AMAZING!!! When I won this book I thought for sure it was just going to be a lot of photographs which to me was fine. Instead what I got was an amazing, brilliant, and outstanding set of photographs combined with the interesting stories that go along with the shots. Sometimes the shots she was taking were even dangerous to get and yet here they are displayed in all their gorgeousness. I love this for its wonderful stories and experiences as much as I love it for its photography!

[Danielle Dufresne]

Amazing breath taking photos ... I will treasure this book for a life time

[Moon]

A new way of thinking

You honestly do not think about the story behind the photo. I now appreciate wildlife photography a whole lot more after reading this book.

It was a nice take to see how someone comes about and the dangers of taking a “simple” photo.

[Adriana]

My favorite part about this book is that it is all about the author's adventures and encounters with wildlife while being a photographer, but it doesn't get too deep into the photographs and the art of photography itself. You don't have to read paragraphs and paragraphs about the technicalities that go into getting that perfect photograph to hear the perils and glories that go along with getting it.
This book is about the author's favorite memories of getting up close and personal with some of the most majestic animals in North America. She doesn't sugarcoat the hardships and dangers, nor does she bog things down with the technicalities. It's all about getting to the animals and getting a chance to photograph them in their natural habitats.

Mandatory note: I got my copy through GoodReads' First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[Danielle]

I enjoyed this kindle edition thanks to a goodreads giveaway.

Gorgeous photographs and interesting insights into what it take to capture these animals. She has obvious respect for them and their environments.

[Lisa]

This is a beautiful book with amazing wildlife pictures. The stories about the things that happen while taking pictures like these are terrific.

[Skjam!]

Disclosure: I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.

This is a coffee-table book of wildlife photographs, with chapters for each kind of animal and the stories of how the photographer got the pictures. There are indeed some lovely photographs in here.

The stories will be familiar to anyone interested in wildlife photography. The elaborate preparations, the missed chances, the miserable conditions and the brilliant moments when that one perfect shot is available. Ms. Toth-Smith has several terrifying encounters with wildlife, but usually comes out okay, except for that one time with the mosquito. (There are no mosquito photographs in this volume.)

Depressingly, the photographer details how she needs to take extra precautions from human threats because she is a woman who often travels alone. Lucky so far, but a few terrifying moments.

The book is kind of expensive at $45 suggested retail price; consider it as a gift for people who love wildlife photography or animals in general.

[Anne]

Beautiful, intriguing pictures. Interesting stories.