Ron Meyer enjoys shooting wild animals and putting them in children’s books. Don’t worry, he hunts with a camera.
The wildlife artist/photographer and author of ‘Freddy Fox? and ‘Casey Cougar? is one of Oxford Township’s newest residents.
‘A lot of people move to the country just because they want country life,? said Meyer, who owns a 10-acre spread on Hummer Lake Rd. ‘They want things a little easier. They want to be able to do what they want with their property and they should. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want less than 10 acres.?
A longtime resident of the City of Berkley, Meyer loves the natural beauty of his new Oxford home, which includes a pond and creek, and the opportunity it affords him as a wildlife photographer.
‘In the short time we’ve had it, I’ve seen sandhill cranes, of course deer, possums, raccoons, a groundhog, Chinese and Korean ringneck pheasants, turkeys, seven types of aquatic frogs and at least three types of tree frogs,? he said. ‘It wasn’t the house that got my attention.?
A wildlife photographer is born
Although he’s been shooting photos his entire life, Meyer’s been shooting wildlife photos professionally for about 12 years.
‘I’ve filmed from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf of Mexico,? he said. ‘I’ve just always had a gift for photography. And the fact I love animals, they blended nicely. It’s a good hobby.?
Meyer does everything from sell photos at art shows to turn his majestic images into greeting cards.
To view his work visit www.naturesbeautyphotography.com.
He got into wildlife photography as a way to afford all the expenses that go along with rehabilitating injured and orphaned wild animals.
Meyer’s family did it when he was growing up on Detroit’s west side and he got back into it when his youngest daughter, Christie, showed an interest during her teen years.
Christie’s now a 31-year-old animal behavior specialist with a degree in zoology from Michigan State University.
Meet Freddy
Just as he never set out to be a wildlife photographer, Meyer kind of stumbled into writing children’s books.
His first book, ‘Freddy Fox,? was printed on loose-leaf paper and was a gift for his grandson Teddy, who was 2 years old at the time and is now 5.
Whenever people saw it, they asked for copies. The next thing you know Meyer decided to turn it into a self-published book released in March 2005.
The 32-page book sells for $19.95 and follows the adventures of a young red fox, whose mother teaches him life lessons using the other forest creatures as examples.
For instance, the raccoon washes his hands before eating, while the bear eats a balanced diet.
Twenty-eight pages of the book contain full color photographs Meyer had taken of wild animals over the years, of which there are ‘thousands and thousands.?
‘To me, it was more difficult selecting the photograph that best illustrated that part of the story than it was writing the story,? he said.
About 3,000 copies of ‘Freddy Fox? were sold and its now in its second printing. The book was popular among teachers who used it in their classrooms.
The next thing you know Meyer’s visiting schools and libraries to speak and sign books.
‘A principal in Farmington Hills turned my visits into fund-raisers for the PTA,? he said.
Freddie’s popularity led to the publication of a second children’s book entitled ‘Casey Cougar,? which was released on Sept. 15.
‘I had requests from parents, teachers, librarians, principals wanting another book,? Meyer said.
Here comes Casey
Chock full of sound scientific information, contributed by Meyer’s wife, Diana, who coauthored the 32-page book, ‘Casey Cougar? gives facts about the mountain lions habitat, den, food sources, range, etc.
‘It’s already been well-received,? Meyer said. ‘We had almost 100 pre-orders just from people who’d seen Freddie Fox and they wanted the new book.?
The $19.95 book contains 28 pages featuring full color photographs taken by Meyer.
The early years
Although wildlife photography is a more recent pursuit for Meyer, he’s certainly no stranger to the camera. ‘I’ve carried a camera my whole life,? he said.
Meyer recalled fishing as a youngster with a pole in one hand and his camera in the other. ‘I shot pictures of everything,? he said. ‘I’ve never had a class in photography, although I’ve given them.?
Meyer’s first professional work was in 1963 at the age of 13, when he shot weddings and worked for Copy Craft, Inc.
When he was 16-years-old, he was hired into the Detroit Suburban Newspaper chain as a photographer’s assistant. By the time he was 18, Meyer was manager of the photographic department.
From 1968-72, Meyer served in the U.S. Air Force, where he was attached to the Office of Special Investigation (OSI).
‘Most people have no idea what that is,? he said. ‘There’s no major publishing of what it is that I know of other than when they had the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man. Oscar Goldman worked for them. Other than that you almost never hear of it.?
While with the OSI, Meyer travelled with the Apollo 15 astronauts and shot publicity photos of them. He also worked as a photographer and security man for President Richard Nixon.
With Nixon, Meyer’s job was to blend in with the crowd of press photographers.
‘Everybody thought we were photographers,? he said. ‘Very seldom in that type of thing did you wear your uniform.?
Out in the wild
Shooting wild animals is a combination of different factors depending on the situation. ‘Sometimes you’re just lucky. You happen to see something, the camera’s on the car seat next to you, and you grab it,? Meyer said. ‘Other times it takes a lot of preparation.?
Meyer strongly recommends hiring a ‘good guide.?
‘If you want to go hunting with a gun you get a guide to find the game,? he said. ‘It’s the same thing with photographing them.?
The guide’s job is to find the animals, but how close a photographer gets to film them depends on ‘how good you are.?
Sometimes it’s about creeping up slowly and quietly. Sometimes it’s about camouflaging yourself and sitting perfectly still in one spot. And sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time.
Meyer recommends rapid shooting whenever capturing wild animals.
‘Hold your button down and burn as much film as possible,? he said. ‘Most of the time when you see a picture of an animal looking at the camera, that’s the second, third or fourth shot.?
Meyer also encourages wildlife photographers to ‘talk to the animals.? He said suddenly being quiet after you’ve been talking will spook an animal because when predators go on the prowl they become silent.
‘You just became a predator,? Meyer said. ‘If you continue to talk, they’re more at ease.?
When filming animals ‘never confront or walk straight toward them,? he noted. ‘Walk by them, then turn and shoot as you go by.?
Aside from ‘practice, practice, practice,? Meyer said one of the best things a photographer can do is taking up target shooting.
Learning how to keep the gun and your aim steady as you squeeze the trigger will help prevent you from jerking the camera when you click the button. ‘Doing one helps teach you the other,? he said.
Meyer also recommends using a film-based camera, which he still does, as opposed to a digital one. ‘When (digital) gets the quality of film, I will transfer,? he said.
To aid his fellow photographers, Meyer authored a 69-page book entitled ‘Nature is Your Studio: How to Photograph Wildlife in Natural Settings,? which is also available at www.naturesbeautyphotography.com.

Meyer also encourages wildlife photographers to ‘talk to the animals.? He said suddenly being quiet after you’ve been talking will spook an animal because when predators go on the prowl they become silent.
‘You just became a predator,? Meyer said. ‘If you continue to talk, they’re more at ease.?
Aside from ‘practice, practice, practice,? Meyer said one of the best things a photographer can do is taking up target shooting, as in firearms.
Learning how to keep the gun and your aim steady as you squeeze the trigger will help prevent you from jerking the camera when you click the button.
‘Doing one helps teach you the other,? he said.
To aid his fellow photographers, Meyer authored a 69-page book entitled ‘Nature is Your Studio: How to Photograph Wildlife in Natural Settings.?
All of Meyer’s books are available at www.naturesbeautyphotography.com.