Art of Bird Photography (Practical Photography Books) [Hardcover]

Arthur Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998 | Series: Practical Photography Books

Destined to take its place among the great classics of nature photography, this comprehensive book is devoted to the extraordinary discipline and special techniques of capturing magnificent birds on film. 200 color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Morris is an acclaimed freelance nature photographer and writer specializing in avian subjects. Over 6,000 of his images, along with numerous photo-illustrated articles, have been published in such magazines as National Geographic, Natural History Birder's World, and Ranger Rick. He lives in Florida. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Amphoto Books (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817433031
• ISBN-13: 978-0817433031
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but with strong brand bias, July 28, 2002

By 

M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Art of Bird Photography (Practical Photography Books) (Hardcover)

What the other reviewers have said is true. This is an outstanding book on bird photography. It also contains outstanding photos. The closest thing to a weakness with the book is the strong association and support Morris has with Canon products. I'm a Canon person myself, but I sometimes wonder about equipment advice Morris gives in his book or his fine website at birdsasart, because of his contract connection with Canon.
Despite my whining on this subject, the book is excellent if you want to learn about photographing birds. It includes a review of the basic principles of any type of photography, then goes on to give very detailed information on techniques of photographing birds. In addition to camera use, there is good information on tripods, stalking techniques, and some bird photography hotspots around US and Canada.
An excellent book, even for non-Canon shooters! I gather that it is being released in a paperback edition now, which will be a better value.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Losing place, June 26, 2006

By 

D. Earls (Kingsville, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Art of Bird Photography: The Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques (Practial Photography Books) (Paperback)

Don't get me wrong, I'm nowhere near the photographer Arthur Morris is, but the emerging world of digital photography has taken the bloom off this rose. This title needs updating for the new world. This book focuses mainly on work done with full-frame film cameras (where Morris earned his reputation), and much of what's here would apply to full-frame digital SLRs. Problem is, most of us can't afford them, and we're forced to using APS-C, smaller-frame cameras. The most significant thing there is that the images delivered to the sensors are the central portion of the full-frame sensor, so a lens connected to the camera "acts like" it has a longer focal length. This impacts things like composition and lens selection, and some detail from the master would have been insightful.

I would like to have seen a more thorough discussion of the use use of extension tubes in front of long lenses (Morris uses them). I am inclined to compare this book less favorably with anything by John Shaw, who very clearly and amusingly gets us into the nitty-gritty details of what AND why we do things a certain way.

I was also a little surprised at the quality of the photographs. Morris is a fine photographer, and the book is chock full of his finest work - but the reproduction of them leaves a lot to be desired. This is not a knock on Morris, but this title is a decided step down from Amphoto photography guides.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic !, August 25, 2002

By 

M. D Roberts (Gwent, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Art of Bird Photography (Practical Photography Books) (Hardcover)

If you only ever read one book about bird photography, then let it be this one.

I have many wildlife photography books in my library, but this is the one that I refer to time and time again.

Arthur Morris covers everything from equipment, lighting and composition to exposure.

Highly recommended. Please visit his website at [URL] for a wealth of information. Arthur Morris also now provides a 'pocket guide to exposure', details of which are on the website. It is a real gem.