Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography

by James H McCommons

Selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book by the Library of Michigan

In 1906 George Shiras III (1859-1942) published a series of remarkable nighttime photographs in National Geographic . Taken with crude equipment, the black-and-white photographs featured leaping whitetail deer, a beaver gnawing on a tree, and a snowy owl perched along the shore of a lake in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The pictures, stunning in detail and composition, celebrated American wildlife at a time when many species were going extinct because of habitat loss and unrestrained hunting. As a congressman and lawyer, Shiras joined forces with his friend Theodore Roosevelt and scientists in Washington, DC, who shaped the conservation movement during the Progressive Era. His legal and legislative efforts culminated with the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Camera Hunter recounts Shiras's life and craft as he traveled to wild country in North America, refined his trail-camera techniques, and advocated for the protection of wildlife. This biography serves as an important record of Shiras's accomplishments as a visual artist, wildlife conservationist, adventurer, and legislator.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

408 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book written on a person that I’d never heard of. I absolutely LOVE that Shiras encouraged (and later helped to legislate) for animal rights and called himself and his “sport” camera hunting. He was thick with so-called sportsmen who were depleting entire animal species just because they could. He said you could get the same thrill with spotting the wildlife and taking a picture rather than taking life. I learned a ton about conservation, photography, National Geographic, hunters, yoopers, and even about the migration of worms.

[Tbfrank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at the life and times of a huntsman turned naturalist who spent a lifetime inventing and perfecting wildlife photography. The biography is eminently researched, well-written, and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm motivated to look up the original issues of the National G. to see more of George Shiras 3d's work.

[Ann Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit I didn't have high hopes for this, even though I bought it as soon as it came out. Local author (though not someone I know). Local notable figure. That hit enough buttons that I was going to read it. But it's very good. I knew a lot about George Shiras already--his famous night photos of wildlife taken in the early years of the 20th century, his time in Congress, his friendship with Teddy Roosevelt, his leadership on the Migratory Bird Act, his local philanthropy--but there was much more I did not know. The political infighting between hunters who want to maintain game supplies and the bird-lovers who think it is always wrong to shoot a bird--or a deer--continues to echo today. The whole issue of nature fakers--Jack London and Ernest Thompson Seton and others who made improbable claims--was new to me as well. Plus, of course, there were trips I hadn't known about, including one to explore the dam formed by the new Panama Canal and trips to Alaska to shoot photos of bears.

But even new information isn't enough if the writing is wooden or repetitive. This is neither. Shiras' friendships with Roosevelt and Gilbert Grosvenor (first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine) are eloquently portrayed through their extensive correspondence. The necessary family history, including of Shiras' father, a Supreme Court Justice, is provided efficiently and clearly. The descriptions of camp hardships are vivid to the point of sometimes being close to terrifying. The portrayals of his guides are sympathetic and respectful. This is really a great book, which I recommend to anyone with an interest in wildlife conservation, wildlife photography, or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

[Jason Gewirtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took out this book at the last minute at the library since it checked a few boxes for me: politics, wildlife, photography, magazines, history. I'm really glad I gave it a shot. A fascinating biography of someone I'd never heard of who had a tremendous influence on legislation that saved animals and on the history of National Geographic, for which he was the magazine's first wildlife photographer. A really interesting read on nature, publishing, politics and animals. Great stuff.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally fascinating biography of a naturalist, conservationist, hunter, and politician. Shiras was (as I suppose we all are) a man of many contradictions. He was born into a wealthy and privileged family and often treated men of lower classes as his inferiors, yet he was a Progressive and he seems to have genuinely cared about improving the lives of working people. Early in his life, he often shot animals to excess for sport, yet he eventually became a minimal hunter, a pioneer of "hunting by camera," and a conservationist.

McCommons recounts the context of the places that Shiras lived and the times in which he lived in an engaging manner that makes the book a page-turner. As a resident of Marquette, I loved reading descriptions of what the city was like in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Anyone familiar with the area will know many of the locations mentioned in the book. I knew little about the early wildlife conservation movement, how the first federal wildlife laws were passed, or how the movement was tied into broader ideas about creating an activist federal government. I also enjoyed learning about the internal disputes between naturalists and hunters or the lack of knowledge they had about game management and why it's necessary to preserve whole ecosystems. Even though I don't hunt, as a lifelong Michigander, I grew up thinking of conservation and hunting as being intrinsically linked (of course, that might be due to watching too much Michigan Out of Doors as a kid).

I had no idea just how close we came to losing species that are now commonplace, like white-tailed deer, ducks, and even the ubiquitous Canada goose, and while I understood that the UP was once largely deforested, I don't think I really understood what that looked like. There's something kind of hopeful in that--what we face now may be worse, but we did pull ourselves back from the brink of disaster before.

Since I happen to work at the archives that houses the Shiras papers, I feel an obligation to mention that if you want to learn more about Shiras, you can access his papers on our website! https://uplink.nmu.edu/islandora/obje...

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent research and documentation went into this detailed account of the life of George Shiras 3D and his family and friends. The name Shiras is well known in the Marquette, Michigan area. I had heard the name but knew nothing about this benefactor to the state he loved. Pennsylvania born George 3D and his brother came along with their father to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to camp, hunt and fish in the late 1800's. George named the spot they chose Whitefish Lake.

The detail of their hunting excursions, and later the night photography technique George Shiras 3d developed is well explained and detailed. You watch him go from avid hunter to the dawning of the loss of several of the hunted species which turns his hobby to photography. He is especially enamored of the night missions he goes out hunting with his camera, powder and tray in a canoe. It took a lot of experimentation and many mistakes but his Midnight Series of photos, some of which are shared in this book are phenomenal.

It's a lengthy accounting that leads into politics and even meeting FDR who became a friend to Shiras. A good book for any Yooper or lover of local history to keep on the shelf.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friends Hilary Barton and Jon Billman gave me this book at the beginning of my spring break, so, of course, I read it. My enjoyment of the book was enhanced by spending spring break in the woods near Whitefish Lake, which is where George Shiras, the 3rd, the subject of this book, spent much of his time hunting deer, first with a gun and later with cameras. He was a great observer of wildlife, and we found out about him when Hilary noticed his magum opus--Hunting Wildlife with Camera and Flashlight, volumes I and II in the barn of the 120-acre property we had just purchased. Another reason for being interested in Shiras--we was friends with Teddy Roosevelt, who is an important figure here in North Dakota, and Shiras also has much in common with other progressive outdoors people of the period, such as Aldo Leopold and Ernest Oberholtzer, on whose Islands I have been spending some time each summer as a caretaker. Now I want to look into Oberholtzer's papers and see if there is any mention of Shiras! Jim McCommons has done an outstanding job of researching and writing about Shiras, and now I feel ready to tackle the two volumes of Shiras's writing.

[LoonyLudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book mostly just because I was interested in the actual logistics of the photography George Shiras 3rd was doing, but ended up reading the entire thing because his life was genuinely so interesting. This ended up being a super interesting read about the history of naturalism in the late 1800s-early 1900s in general, and I learned a lot about topics I didn't expect, including Theodore Roosevelt and the history of the National Geographic Society. Despite being a nonfiction book, it doesn't read like a textbook, and the entire thing is easy to follow and fun to read. There are also photos throughout the book (which is to be expected since it's a book about a photographer, but still nice). McCommons' research is very thorough and his writing is clear and engaging. All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you live in Marquette, there are a few names that are inescapable. One such name, is Shiras. This book is an incredible biography of a man I knew nothing of, but that a neighborhood bore his name. He was the first to photograph wildlife at night, was a leading conservationist, good friends with Teddy Roosevelt, and was the first to have pictures published in National Geographic. This book was a happy place for me: a history of Marquette and just history period!

[Adelbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of an early wildlife photographer and conservationist. A contemporary and friend of Theodore Roosevelt, Shiras' had an amazing life.
Mr. McCommons captures his life and times in an interesting and well researched book.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that brings together so many threads: technology, wildlife, the UP, Theodore Roosevelt, and an international treaty to protect migratory birds, and stunning imagery. Although the writing is somewhat stodgy, the book is so interesting that it is very readable.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Know as a pioneer in nighttime photography, George Shiras III was also a major contributor to the popularity of the National Geographic Society/Magazine. Along with Teddy Roosevelt he supported aspects of conservation. Camera Hunter notes the changing attitudes toward hunting . From a wealthy family in Pennsylvania that embraced summers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Shiras pursued his many interests globally. The Shiras name is very notable in Marquette, MI as well as the name of his father-in-law, Peter White, and the book includes some fascinating late 1800's and 1900's history.
The footnotes and bibliography provide access to additional information.