Rating: 
Summary: WOW!! What a book!
Review: Absolutely amazing!! This is one of the BEST photography books out there. I have bought many books on photography, but this one has absolutely captivated me. Have you ever been ever been awestruck by some lovely outdoor scenery, taken pictures of that landscape , got the film developed and printed shook your head in bewilderment and said "what the heck happened?". All the things that captured your heart and soul are still there in the picture, but it does not have the same impact? If this has happened to you, this book will tell you why.Don't walk, run. Go buy the book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for learning and reference
Review: Boyd Norton does a great job of covering a broad range of topics in a relatively small amount of space. His clear and casual writing style makes the book fun to read and the concepts easy to understand. Norton first discusses a range of general issues such as lighting, lens choice, composition, films, etc. A section on impressionistic rendering is quite interesting and gives a different perspective from what is normally taught. He then discusses specific cases in more detail: wildlife, travel, landscape, closeup and underwater photography. An additional section on photographing ones immediate surroundings once again provides a different twist. Norton provides enough charts and technical material to make a useful reference text. The section on lens choice - with advice on the effective use of wide-angles and telephotos - helped me quite a bit. I found his view of compositional rules to be the most interesting aspect of the book. Instead of rigid rules that would result in everyone taking the same pictures of the same things, he tries to provide some intuition into what makes for good composition. Even in one of his own examples there is some latitude. In the pair of shots of a racing sailboat, one picture has the boat heeled a bit more, giving the greater sense of motion he mentions. In the other shot the boat is surrounded by the sails of its competitors. This may only clutter the scene, or, worse yet, further the impression that the boat is parked. However, to someone familiar with the sport, it can evoke the flurry of activity that marks the start of a race.
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Summary: Most Useful Photo Book I Ever Bought
Review: I bought this book and have already read it about 4 times (there are chapters that have had less and more attention than others). Not only do I find Mr. Norton's photos to be outstanding, and his explanations clear, but I photo-copied his charts and carried them with me when taking photos for the first couple months after reading the book, first. I credit Mr. Norton with saving me from several photo mistakes (in great locations) and instead providing me with the results I wanted! If only other photo how-to books included such great VISUAL examples (after all, photography is a visual art!)
Rating:
Summary: Goes Beyond the Vast Majority in this Class
Review: I had considered buying this book for a while and finally got around to it recently, and I wish I had not waited so long. So many books look promising, but end up being repeats of the same old photography 101 stuff with some pictures thrown in. If you're past that point and want something that goes beyond the basics, this book is for you. Norton spends little time on how what to metered to get the right exposure and lets you into his thought process in isolating elements and building strong compositions from them. I was especially motivated by the short section on impressionistic photography. Also plenty of no-nonsense PRACTICAL considerations on specific films for certain occassions, lens selection, etc. In short, buy this now and read it several times!
Rating:
Summary: A great book, even for beginners like me
Review: I'm scared some novices will be daunted by the subtitle of this book: "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional". Perhaps advanced photographers are the target audience, but as a beginner, I still find it informative to read and inspiring to look through. I do recommend that you take the time to read some other basic books first so that you understand basic photography jargon (e.g. f/stop, depth of field, lens aperture, shutter speed, etc.). However, once you're confident in your ability to understand this esoteric vocabulary, you'll be fully armed to appreciate the significance of this book. In addition to covering information like lighting and composition (the two keys to quality photos), he also breaks down various outdoor photographing opportunities into separate sections (e.g. wildlife, travel, landscape, closeup, etc.) and explains in detail how to compose and take great shots in each. Finally, as I've written in other reviews about photography books, the quality of the enclosed prints is a big factor in determining how much credence I give the author's ideas. This book does not disappoint. It not only prints all full-color photos on high quality paper, but it more importantly shows some spectacular outdoor shots, both skillful and creative in nature. It also fully explains how each shot was captured and with what equipment. Excellent. I highly recommend this book, not only to advanced photographers but also to beginners like myself. I'm not sure if I have the ability to implement all his ideas(!), but even if it takes me time to learn, the information contained within is marvelous. Incidentally, if you're looking for a great beginner's guide that includes more detail about equipment and terminology, I strongly suggest you look into Lee Frost's "The Complete Guide to Night & Low-Light Photography". The enclosed 66-page section on equipment is wonderfully helpful when you're trying to get into your first 35mm SLR system. Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Still Looking for the Perfect Outdoor Photography Book!
Review: Norton's Outdoor Photography: Techniques for the Advance Amateur and Professional sounded like just the book for me. I didn't want another how to. I know how to manipulate the camera and what happens when light hits film. That's for the beginning photographer. What I wanted was something that went beyond technique to the point where technique becomes discovery. What I wanted, to quote Norton, was "a more methodical, precise approach to capturing the essence of scene or subject. Norton's first chapter got me really excited. He talked about making the technical choices that bring order out of chaos. For example, he suggested that this involved "the tough process of isolating and arranging the picture elements." That certainly sounded like he was on the right track. But then the book went down hill. I got the usual discussion of light metering, the differences between lens lengths, the elements of composition - in short the usual set of instructions for just beyond beginning photographers. Oh, the instructions were accurate and beautifully illustrated. But they didn't tell me how one could take the elements of composition beyond a list of elements and into "art". Now maybe I expected to much. After all, if creating art was easy enough to put into a 152 page book, Art Wolfe wouldn't have a job. But I blame Norton (or his publishers.) They put on the catchline "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional". And then they gave me the same stuff as many another photography book writer. For my money, I would take John Shaw over Norton any day. At least he makes no bones about what he's teaching. In summary, as a manual for photographers who know how to properly expose film, this is as good a book as any. But for the advanced amateur and professional who wants help in creating art, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: For beginners, not advanced amateurs and professionals
Review: The sub-title of the book says "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional." Hardly. This is simply one of many generalist photography books geared to beginners and "non-advanced" amateurs. Don't expect to find anything that isn't in dozens of similar books. The photos are average, and aren't helped by the lacklustre quality of the printing.
Rating:
Summary: For beginners, not advanced amateurs and professionals
Review: The sub-title of the book says "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional." Hardly. This is simply one of many generalist photography books geared to beginners and "non-advanced" amateurs. Don't expect to find anything that isn't in dozens of similar books. The photos are average, and aren't helped by the lacklustre quality of the printing.
Rating:
Summary: An easy recommended read for beginners
Review: The writing is above average and mostly interesting. Photos are good to very good. Finally a book with tables with practical information, such as recommendend exposures for low-light situations or reciprocity failures (though most of the films are unfortunately not sold anymore, such as Kodachrome 64). Highly recommended for beginners, recommended for medium level photographers.
Rating:
Summary: More winning pictures needed
Review: This book is essentially true to its title of the Art of Outdoor Photography as opposed to the science of... The author offers a lucid and accessible narrative which could generate insight for beginner or intermediate photographers. However, I felt that many of the pictures in the book were quite frankly not impressive or inspiring. It is almost as if he was only willing to part with those that he didn't want to sell elsewhere. Could be useful as part of a larger collection of books on this subject but look elsewhere for stunning photographs.
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