About the author

Howard Birnstihl

<p>Howard Birnstihl, as an art teacher was one of the pioneers of photography and film studies in Australian high schools.&nbsp; Becoming a fulltime photographer he spent the 70&rsquo;s and 80&rsquo;s specializing in candid sociological studies, winning many awards, his camera always at the ready.&nbsp; With over a million pics on file, he and his wife Gil ran a successful photo library supplying illustration to virtually every publisher in the country.&nbsp;&nbsp; Always a lover of Australian flora and fauna, he later specialized in this area, concentrating on the smaller end of the scale with detailed macro studies.&nbsp; After honing these close-up skills he became one of the country&rsquo;s leading jewellery photographers, and as something of a Renaissance man, has lately turned his hand to writing .&nbsp;</p>