FROM THE RUNWAY TO THE RAINFOREST

Once a fashion photographer, Owen Deutsch now turns his lens to birds—using his art to inspire awe and advocate for conservation.

As a fashion photographer, the models Owen Deutsch captured on film were clothed in silks and satins. Today, as a bird photographer, his subjects are adorned with more exotic plumage.

Take, for example, the Sparkling Violetear featured in Birds of the Tropical Andes (Princeton University Press, 2025), Deutsch’s newest collaboration with American Bird Conservancy (ABC) president Michael Parr. The tiny creature is a shimmering jewel of a hummingbird covered in vibrantly iridescent blue and green feathers.

“The image of the Sparkling Violetear is the perfect example of everything I love about bird photography,” says Deutsch: “The composition, the lighting, the environment, the bird’s pose, and incredible detail. Pulling all this together in a beautiful photograph really moves me.”

But Deutsch’s passion doesn’t stop there. He’s equally fervent about bird conservation, using his photography to support the work of the ABC. One hundred percent of the royalties from his 2019 book with Parr, Bringing Back the Birds, have gone to support ABC’s bird conservation efforts throughout the Americas. The same will be true of their Birds of the Tropical Andes, a stunning exploration of one of the world’s most iconic birding regions, that came out July 8.

Stretching 4,300 miles across much of the western part of South America, the Andes are the world’s longest continental mountain range and home to more than 1,700 bird species. Deutsch’s coffee table-sized book includes more than 260 photos, plus essays and text that explain birds’ relationships with the ecosystems that support them, examine threats to fragile environments (mining, deforestation, agricultural expansion, climate change), and discuss programs ABC has underway to help.

Deutsch says his shift from shooting for the art of it, to photographing with conservation in mind, happened after a birding trip to Hawaii. “I learned that Hawaii is the extinction capital of the world,” he recalls, “and that ABC had been instrumental in introducing preserves there to protect avian life from predators. As someone who loves the beauty of nature and is concerned about the enormity of what we’d lose if all these species were to disappear, my goal became trying to evoke people’s interest in conservation and supporting ABC’s work.”

Deutsch quickly became hooked, finding the pursuit of the birds in their natural environments both thrilling and beautiful. But despite his already impressive artistic skills, it took years for Deutsch to perfect his technique when photographing birds. “It takes patience and perseverance,” he explains. “I’ve spent years honing my craft, and I’m still figuring it out! There’s always something new to learn.”

At the beginning of his bird photography odyssey, Deutsch fit photo sessions into the margins around his second career—renovating urban industrial warehouses into loft office spaces through his Loft Development Corporation. But after photographing birds for 10 years, Deutsch felt the time was right to sell off his real estate portfolio, allowing him to focus solely on bird photography.

Thus far, he has been to more than 30 countries and photographed over 2,000 species. In addition to featuring these images in books, Deutsch has created a website that is a treasure trove of avian knowledge. It includes not just photos of birds, but information about birding sites and lodges, as well as the taxonomy of each bird, and the sound of its birdsong. So, if you want to know more about the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, for example, it’s all there, from brilliant-hued images of the bird to its order, family, and genus. “I wanted my website to be a resource for a wide variety of viewers—a learning tool that’s user-friendly and engages everyone who uses it,” Deutsch explains.

“In my previous careers,” he sums, “I didn’t have much involvement in conservation. But as a bird photographer, I feel I can finally make a difference for future generations.”

For more information, visit owendeutsch.com and abcbirds.org. To order Birds of the Tropical Andes, visit press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691260686/birds-of-the-tropical-andes.