More than half of the nearly four decades Robert B. Deen Jr. has honed his skills as a photographer have been spent capturing hundreds of images of birds in their natural habitat at various wading bird rookies, primarily in Florida.

Those photographs are now featured in the book “On The Wing,” a labor of love five years in the making. The 159-page coffee table book features 180 photos of birds.

“It took that long with the help of my wife and my daughter to select that number out of 50,000 slides,” said Deen, who was prompted by family, coworkers and friends to compile his photos into what he affirms is his first and only publication.

About 90 percent of the book’s images were taken with Fuji and Kodachrome film using both Canon and Nikon, SLR, 35 mm film cameras, with lenses from 50 to 600 mm.

“Digital cameras and imaging, obviously, are a most popular medium for photography, but digital imaging does not challenge me the way film photography did,” Deen said. “For the past 33 years, I have enjoyed the challenges and rewards of photography, more as an avocation than a hobby. The excitement of creating and printing new images is still with me.”

Budding interest comes into focus

Deen’s foray into photography began nearly 38 years ago with a Christmas gift from his wife, Lindy.

“Knowing my affinity for photography and my interest in the Meridian Camera Club, Lindy gave me a Canon AE-1, SLR, 35 mm camera with a 50 mm lens for Christmas 1979,” he said. “The AE-1 was the catalyst for beginning a journey into serious amateur photography.”

The following year, Deen joined the camera club, which consisted of beginners, more advanced students of the art, and, he said, “a few ole pros” with some professional or teaching experience.

“The ‘ole pros’ were my early mentors, and their knowledge, experience and expertise were invaluable,” he said.

The Meridian Camera Club offered programs and seminars on basic film and camera techniques. For Deen, the most important club activity was the monthly color-slide competitions.

“Although some of the older members of the club were more interested and versed in black and white print photography, they finally succumbed to the lure of color slides,” he said.

Most members participated in monthly competitions in which slides were graded and critiqued.

“The club activities were learning experiences which helped me to improve my photography greatly,” Deen said.

His interest in birdwatching developed a few years later while at a friend’s house.

“One afternoon in 1982, I was in a friend’s backyard watching Cardinals feed from a wooden trough filled with sunflower seeds,” Deen said. “My first Cardinal picture was made there, and I became interested in the opportunities of backyard bird photography. A few days later, I prepared a backyard setup to photograph birds from a camouflaged window as they ate sunflower seeds and peanut butter placed on a nature-like feeding post.“

Later that year, Deen took a major leap in his photography ventures and joined the Photographic Society of America (PSA), which he credits to not only increasing his learning process but also making him keenly aware of the effort and expertise needed to compete in PSA competitions as well as the publication of his work.

“The Photographic Society of America conducted salon exhibitions all over the world,” he said. “You had to put your work up against some of the best photographers in the world. The longer I did it, the better I got.”

By 2000, Deen had amassed a collection of 50,000 slides of his work. During the next few years, Deen also became interested and involved in photo travel and nature photography. However, he said birds in their natural habitats attracted him most, so he began visiting wading bird rookeries, primarily in Florida: St. Augustine, Sanibel Island and Venice.

“I went to those three rookeries over a period of 15 years, and in the meantime, I amassed 3,000-4,000 photographic acceptances and PSA exhibitions all over the world, as well as several medals and other awards,” he said.

A practicing attorney for more than 55 years and the owner of Contemporary Concepts, Ltd., a free-lance photographic business, Deen’s outstanding journalistic, nature, travel and fine art photographs have earned him numerous awards in competitive exhibits and justifiable renown in regional and national photographic circles.

In addition to Photographic Society of America Fellowship and Excellence Honor awards, Deen held various positions, including commentator of PSA slide study groups, membership area representative, and vice president of the photo-journalism division.He served as national secretary of PSA for several years. Since 1986, he has publicly exhibited more than 1,200 color slides in PSA-approved domestic and international photographic exhibitions, receiving numerous medals and special distinction awards. He served as judge of many international photographic exhibitions. He was listed for many years in the official PSA Journal, “Who’s Who in Photography,” as one of the top 25 North American exhibitors in Color, Nature, Photo-journalism and Photo Travel slide divisions.

Deen was a member and past president of Meridian Camera Club; past vice president of the Gulf States Camera Club Council; a member of the North American Nature Photography Association; a member of the Photographic Alliance USA (a national organization representing Federation Internationale De L’Art and Photographique, FIAP); and an associate member of the Wilmington Delaware International Exhibition of Photography.

Deen’s works have earned him awards in photography competitions in Popular Photography, Wild Bird, and Mississippi Outdoors, and have been featured in publications by the Mississippi Bankers Association, National Resource Management and Protection (Camp Shelby Training Site), the Mississippi Legislative Roster, the Great River Insurance Company, and a State of Texas high school civics book.More than 60 of his photographs have been published in the Meridian Star, PSA exhibition catalogs, and other publications. In 1986 one of his photos was accepted, and printed as a two-page spread, in “One Day USA,” a self-portrait of America’s cities published in association with the United States Conference of Mayors.

He has exhibited his works at the Casteel Gallery of Meridian Community College and presented a one-man show at the Meridian Museum of Art.

“On The Wing” is available for purchase for $79.95 at Loeb’s in downtown Meridian.

Want to go?

What: Book signing for “On The Wing,” a book of photography by Robert B. Deen Jr.

When: Thursday, from 4-6 p.m.

Where: Loeb’s, 2209 Front St., downtown Meridian