Leila Jeffreys, Des oiseaux, 2020

Leila Jeffreys invites us in this book on a journey through tropical forests and jungles around the world, to meet amazing species of birds that she has been photographing since 2008: “I have always noticed that many birds have particular expressions. To capture them, I had to find a way to photograph them in a way that brought out their own character. My favorite way to photograph them is to set up a portrait studio in a location they are familiar with. I talk to them while I work so that they interact with me.” Cultivating this art of waiting, Leila Jeffreys offers us a gallery of portraits that are both whimsical and hyperrealistic, populated by cockatoos, wild parakeets and other exotic species in variegated colors. In turn, graceful, mischievous, fierce, proud, shy, posers: each bird photographed reveals its personality and seems to want to dialogue with the viewer. His practice emphasizes the anthropomorphism shared between man and animal.

This book is part of the Birds collection which celebrates, through the eyes of various artists, their immense presence in a world where they are today weakened. Ornithologist Guilhem Lesaffre offers a unique essay to accompany each set of photographs.