Table Of ContentThe Art of
Bird Photography II
an all - new
continuation
Arthur
Morris
The Art of
Bird Photography II
by
Arthur Morris
An all-new continuation of the
classic how-to work—
The Art of Bird Photography:
The Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques
i
ii
The Art of
B P II
ird hotography
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Visit www.birdsasart.com to learn more about
BIRDS AS ART, to learn about our Instruction-
al Photo-Tours and our International Photo-Sa-
faris and Cruises, to learn about our “The Art of
Nature Photography: It Ain’t Just Birds” Week-
end Seminars, to learn about our Photographic
Site Guides, to sign up for free BIRDS AS ART
on line Bulletins, or to access our Photographic
Accessories mail-order pages.
All of the images in this book are available as
signed photographic prints.
iv
Arthur Morris
With more than 15,000 of his stunning photographs published in natural history books, magazines, and calen-
dars all over the globe, Arthur Morris is widely recognized as the world’s premier bird photographer. His images
are noted for both their artistic design and their technical excellence. His fitting credit line: BIRDS AS ART. Mr.
Morris is the author of four books. The Art of Bird Photography: The Complete Guide to Professional Field
Techniques (Amphoto, NY), which quickly became the classic how-to work on the subject, was re-released in
soft cover by Amphoto in 2003. Mr. Morris is a contributing photographer with VIREO (Visual Resources for
Ornithology) at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and The Corbis Stock Market, New York,
New York. More than 150 photo-illustrated articles by and about him have appeared in natural history, birding,
and photographic magazines. He is a contributing editor of Nature Photographer, a contributing photographer
for Bird Watcher’s Digest, a WildBird advisory board member, and a Popular Photography columnist. Five of
his images have been awarded prizes in the BG/BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competitions.
As one of the original 55 Explorers of Light, he has been a Canon contract photographer for the past nine years,
appearing in an EOS 1N television commercial and on seven episodes of the Canon Photo Safari. A gallery ex-
hibit of his work, sponsored by Canon USA and The Nature Conservancy, began its run at the prestigious Roger
Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, in Summer 1999. In April 2001, 64 of his framed images were
featured in a yearlong educational exhibit titled “On a Wing and a Prayer: The Migratory Birds of the Ameri-
cas” at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Morris has conducted more than 350 slide programs and seminars
in the past 15 years. He currently travels, photographs, teaches, and speaks his way across North America while
leading more than a dozen BIRDS AS ART/Instructional Photo-Tours each year.
Cover: Common Loon, Soldotna, AK
Page i: Great Egret, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL
Pages iii-iv: Black Skimmer, Fort DeSoto Park, FL
Page v: Brown Pelican, La Jolla, CA
Page vi: Roseate Spoonbill, Little Estero Lagoon, Fort Myers Beach, FL
Pages vii-viii: Brown Pelican, Fort DeSoto Park, FL
Page ix: Cattle Egret eating Chironomid midge, Indian Lake Estates, FL
Page x: Double-crested Cormorant, Venice Rookery, FL
Page xi: Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Homer Spit, AK
Page xii: Bald Eagle, Homer Spit, AK
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This book is dedicated to the memory of my Dad, Private First Class Robert Edward Morris.
My Dad was a tough man and a tough father, but above all he was a good man.
.....
The text and photographs are copyright 2006: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permis-
sion of the author except as follows: CD purchasers are invited to make a single copy of the CD and to archive
the original and to print a single copy of the work with the understanding that the image quality will be poor.
.....
Important Note: Since I began photographing birds in 1983, I have used only Canon equipment. In 1995, I
became one of the 55 original Explorers of Light, serving as a Canon spokesman and consultant. It has been a
mutually beneficial relationship that continues to this day. I have included some specific information on Nikon
lenses and digital camera bodies, but for the most part, I stuck with what I know best: Canon EOS cameras and
EF lenses. For more detailed information on Nikon equipment, visit: www.moosepeterson.com.
It is a fact that many hundreds—perhaps thousands—of serious wildlife photographers have been influenced by
the things that I have written and said about Canon equipment over the years. And many of those have in fact
switched from Nikon or from other brands to Canon. Do know that I have never tried to sell anyone on Canon
equipment. I have simply said, “Here are the images that I’ve made. These are the techniques that I have em-
ployed. And this is the equipment that I have used.” The rest as they say, is history.
It is important to realize that good photographers make good images with whatever equipment they have in their
hands.
vi
Contents
Preface I ix
Preface II xi
Preface III xii
Preface IV xiv
Foreword and Quote xv
Thanks! xiv
Chapter I Photography Equipment: What’s New? 1
Chapter II Advanced Composition and Image Design 163
Chapter III Digital Photography 255
Chapter IV Practicalities 385
Chapter V Advanced Sharpness Techniques & Creating Pleasing Blurs 459
Chapter VI Exposure and Flash Simplified and Autofocus Essays 501
Chapter VII It Ain’t Just Birds! 581
Chapter VIII Bird Photography Hot Spots 679
Chaper IX Recent Work: An Overview 801
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viii
Preface I history subjects—frogs, flowers, bugs, patterns in
January 3, 2003 nature (especially those caused by moving water),
fall color, mushrooms, and a wide variety of other
I sit in a plush first-class seat on American Airlines tiny things. I have done this out of curiosity, but the
Flight 2855 bound for San Diego, California, the result is that the full-day seminars attract more and
ticket paid for with credit card miles. The jet aircraft more nature photographers who do not specialize in
is cruising smoothly at 35,000 feet, yet I realize that birds. (The seminar will be followed by two in-the-
since the publication of The Art of Bird Photography: field workshops and then by a five-day BIRDS AS
A Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques, ART Instructional Photo-Tour. I shall be busy in San
(hereinafter, the “first book”) by Amphoto, NY, in Diego…).
1998, my career has soared much higher than even this
Boeing 757, and for that I am extremely grateful. The idea for The Art of Bird Photography II
(hereinafter, the “second book”) has been in my head
I am headed to the West Coast for yet another ten days for well more than a year. The incredible advances
of photographing LaJolla’s incredible Brown Pelicans, in lens technology, the popularity of scanning film
their bill pouches bright red at this season each year images for web use and sharing, and the exponentially
with the flush of breeding plumage. Tomorrow, I increasing popularity of digital photography have
will conduct a full-day seminar, “The Art of Bird practically forced publication of this new work. In
Photography; It Ain’t Just Birds.” Do know that addition, and perhaps more importantly, I have learned
birds are, have been, and always will be my greatest a tremendous amount about photographing birds in
love, my photographic passion. Recently, however, the past four years and have felt the great need to share
I began photographing a wider variety of natural what I have learned. I shall do so here.
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