Art of Bird Photography: The Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques (Practial Photography Books) [Paperback]

Arthur Morris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Practial Photography Books | Publication Date: May 1, 2003

From the art of the ancient Egyptians to modern-day currency, birds have long captivated the interest of people with their unmatched beauty and grace, their song and their ability to fly. They inspired Leonardo da Vinci to create designs for a flying machine. And birds continue to be used as symbols, images and metaphors in both literature and poetry. Whether one photographs songbirds in the backyard, or travels to wildlife refuges to observe them in their natural habitat, this hands-on guide to capturing gorgeous images of avian subjects covers all the bases, from buying the right camera equipment to composing the perfect picture. Readers will discover practical guidance and professional advice on such topics as making correct exposures, capturing bird behaviour and action and evaluating and selling work. They'll learn some of the ethical issues related to bird photography, including guidelines on the proper conduct for working in the field and tips for approaching wild birds without causing them undue stress. They'll also find complete information on the best bird-watching spots throughout North America, with advice on the best times to visit and the types of birds that flock to each location. Finally, this source book is filled with more than 200 colour images of egrets, herons, pelicans, ducks, gulls, terns, hawks, falcons and dozens of other remarkable birds in action.

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Amphoto Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817435425
• ISBN-13: 978-0817435424
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,450 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
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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.