Bidner, Jenni 1963–

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Bidner, Jenni 1963–

PERSONAL:

Born 1963. Education: Rochester Institute of Technology, B.S.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—WI.

CAREER:

Editor, author, and photographer. Former editor of Petersen's Photographic magazine and Outdoor & Travel Photography; currently works as an instructor at BetterPhoto.com. Volunteer search-and-rescue dog handler.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Henry Bergh Award for Nonfiction Children's Book of the Year, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2007, for Is My Dog a Wolf?

WRITINGS:

Great Photos with the Advanced Photo System, Kodak Books (Rochester, NY), 1996.

The Lighting Cookbook: Foolproof Recipes for Perfect Glamour, Portrait, Still Life, and Corporate Photographs, Amphoto Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Digital Photography, Silver Pixel Press (Rochester, NY), 1998.

Yearbook Photography, Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY), 1998.

Digital Photography: A Basic Guide to New Technology, Silver Pixel Press (Rochester, NY), 2000.

Digital Camera Basics: Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera, Silver Pixel Press (Rochester, NY), 2002.

(With Meleda Wegner) The Best of Nature Photography: Images and Techniques from the Pros, Amherst Media (Buffalo, NY), 2003.

Making Family Websites: Fun and Easy Ways to Share Memories, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Eric Bean) Complete Guide for Models: Inside Advice from Industry Pros, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Kids' Guide to Digital Photography: How to Shoot, Save, Play with, and Print Your Digital Photos, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Amphoto's Complete Book of Photography: How to Improve Your Pictures with a Film or Digital Camera, Amphoto Books (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Eric Bean) Lighting Cookbook for Fashion and Beauty: Foolproof Recipes for Taking Perfect Portraits, Amphoto Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Is My Dog a Wolf? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Kodak Most Basic Book of Digital Printing, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Love Your Dog Pictures: How to Photograph Your Dog with Any Camera, Watson-Guptill (New York, NY), 2006.

Is My Cat a Tiger? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousins, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Dog Heroes: Saving Lives and Protecting America, Lyons (Guilford, CT), 2006.

Capture the Portrait: How to Create Great Digital Photos, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2008.

Contributor of articles to periodicals including Petersen's Photographic.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jenni Bidner is a Wisconsin-based photographer and writer who brings decades of experience to her position as an instructor at BetterPhotos. com as well as to her published books. Sharing her leisure time with her two dogs, Ajax and Yukon, Bidner also works as a K-9 handler with a volunteer search-and-rescue unit around Chicago.

Bidner's affection for dogs has inspired her choice of subject matter for much of her writing. In Is My Dog a Wolf? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin, for example, she discusses the similarities and differences between man's best friend and its wild relative. Complete with "terrific black-and-white and color photographs—some filling up the pages, others in snapshot form," according to Ilene Cooper in Booklist, the book answers questions about typical canine behaviors, such as licking the faces of humans. Bidner's follow up book, Is My Cat a Tiger? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousins, continues in the same vein, this time focusing on felines. Carolyn Phelan, reviewing Is My Cat a Tiger? for Booklist, predicted that "most children will learn something new from this attractive, accessible guide to cats."

In addition to books on animal habits, Bidner has written numerous books on photography, providing instruction to children, novices, and aspiring photographers and models. In The Kids' Guide to Digital Photography: How to Shoot, Save, Play with, and Print Your Digital Photos she "introduces sophisticated technical material in enthusiastic language that is kid-friendly without being condescending," according to Booklist contributor Gillian Engberg. Bidner reaches out to adult photographers with books such as Amphoto's Complete Book of Photography: How to Improve Your Pictures with a Film or Digital Camera and the many "How to" articles she has contributed to Petersen's Photographic.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 2003, Barbara Jacobs, review of Making Family Websites: Fun and Easy Ways to Share Memories, p. 714; January 1, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of The Kids' Guide to Digital Photography: How to Shoot, Save, Play with, and Print Your Digital Photos, p. 837; September 1, 2006, Irene Cooper, review of Is My Dog a Wolf? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin, p. 122; January 1, 2007, Carolyn Phelan, review of Is My Cat a Tiger? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousins, p. 84.

Kliatt, January, 2005, Nola Theiss, review of Amphoto's Complete Book of Photography: How to Improve Your Pictures with a Film or Digital Camera, p. 36.

Library Bookwatch, June, 2005, review of Complete Guide for Models: Inside Advice from Industry Pros.

School Library Journal, May, 2005, Jodi Kearns, review of The Kids' Guide to Digital Photography, p. 143; October, 2006, Cynde Suite, review of Is My Dog a Wolf?, p. 132; May, 2007, Kara Schaff, review of Is My Cat a Tiger?, p. 114.

Science and Children, September, 2007, Martha Svatek, review of Is My Cat a Tiger?, p. 70.