Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
by Bryan Peterson
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 424)
Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
beginning & intermediate photographers
My young friends don't know what f8 means, and they have no interest in finding out. Their automatic cameras set the exposure, so why would they want to study such a dismal subject as exposure, depth of field, and so on.
This book will not appeal to those folks, but if you shoot photos with the intention of displaying them, you should make it a point to understand everything in this book, if you do not already.
I have a lot of photography experience, and this book didn't shock me with a wh...more
This book will not appeal to those folks, but if you shoot photos with the intention of displaying them, you should make it a point to understand everything in this book, if you do not already.
I have a lot of photography experience, and this book didn't shock me with a wh...more
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Read in September, 2008
Until a couple of years ago I seldom took photos at all, leaving the task to my wife Carla when we were on vacation, or on special holidays or occasions. Then she gave me a fancy (at least to me it's fancy) Sony digital camera for Christmas. It's not an SRL, but it takes great pictures in auto mode, and I now take lots of photos. But I've never dared to try any of the many other features the camera has, never having quite understood aperture and shutter speed and all that. So some of my atte...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
SLR beginners with an aversion to technical stuff
A very intuitive introduction to exposure, the book goes over 7 basic creative exposures: 3 with aperture-priority (to control depth of field), 3 with shutter-priority (to control motion), and macro (extreme close-ups). The prose is fluid, and analogies about buckets and bees are used to explain the mathematical relationship between aperture, shutter speed and film speed. Tons of photographs are splattered throughout, captioned with how the author got each shot. There's also a brief discussion o...more
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Read in April, 2008
Understanding Exposure starts with the basics, describing the concept of 'exposure value' and explaining the relationship between aperture and shutter speed. The author, Bryan Peterson, then moves on to talk about exposure under various lighting conditions (front-lit, side-lit, back-lit, low-light and night). He gives excellent tips on how to meter (use the sky, usually).
He also talks a bit about aperture and depth-of-field. In fact, depth-of-field is the backdrop to much of his discu...more
He also talks a bit about aperture and depth-of-field. In fact, depth-of-field is the backdrop to much of his discu...more
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One of my favorite photography books, this one taught me to venture into the world of manual camera settings and forget the A, S, and P modes. I've never looked back.
It's written in a clear, engaging style, and the author's examples and photos are fabulous. He's also got a sense of humor. His photographs hold up well even today and I love his style.
I think this is an essential for anyone who wants to learn the basics of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
It's written in a clear, engaging style, and the author's examples and photos are fabulous. He's also got a sense of humor. His photographs hold up well even today and I love his style.
I think this is an essential for anyone who wants to learn the basics of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
beginner and intermediate SLR photographers
Excellent book!
I've owned a SLR for years but rarely ventured off into Manual mode because I was confused. After reading this book I was shooting in manual mode with confidence. Even though I had read or heard about many of the points in this book, somehow the author was able to get the message through to me where others had failed. The topics with a series of photos showing what it would look like with different settings really helped.
Highly recommended if you own a SLR camera and have...more
I've owned a SLR for years but rarely ventured off into Manual mode because I was confused. After reading this book I was shooting in manual mode with confidence. Even though I had read or heard about many of the points in this book, somehow the author was able to get the message through to me where others had failed. The topics with a series of photos showing what it would look like with different settings really helped.
Highly recommended if you own a SLR camera and have...more
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Read in September, 2006
recommends it for:
Aspiring Photographers
This is a great book if you are interested in improving your ability to take pictures with a digital camera. We recently purchased a Canon Digital Rebel and this book really helped us understand how to use the settings and when each is appropriate. It gives great examples of the types of photos you can take and is full of examples of some pretty amazing photography. I'm as amateur as you can get and I was able to follow most of what he was saying. Now I just need to find some time to practic...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
people wanting to improve their photographs
I'm on a kick to improve my photos. This book is a fast read, topics are concise and very clear with excellent photographic examples of what he is trying to say. He advocates using "manual" mode on your camera - something I abandoned about 20 years ago but have resurrected it thanks to the book - and will have better photographs because of it. Thanks Bryan! If you want to improve your photography and own a "prosumer" or DSLR camera then this is an excellent addition to your l
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Read in July, 2008
A terrific book for beginning to understand how to control your photographs. I spent an afternoon reading through the entire book and already feel more comfortable describing the effects that adjustments to shutter speed, aperture and ISO will have on resulting photographs. Bryan Peterson describes these features in easy-to-understand terms and provides hands-on examples and suggested exercises for learning how each feature can be used to obtain creatively correct exposures.
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Read in February, 2008
I'm still digesting and trying to put into practice what I learned from this book. The author walks you through the basics of photographic exposure and touches on some composition. Lots to think about, which has forced me to think more when I'm looking through the viewfinder. Wish I would have had a book like this 20 years ago the first time I had an SLR. This is an essential read for an amateur photographer with and SLR looking to improve their skills.
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Debs by:
Adam_rrecommends it for: SLR photographers who want to get the basics
This is a wonderful book for the beginner/intermediate SLR photographer. It lays out the most important concepts of photography out in a way that is easy to understand and keeps the technical mumbo jumbo to a minimum. The explanations along with the beautiful photography is a great touch and makes the whole process more accessible. I'm looking forward to spending more time with this book and trying out the exercises for myself!
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
Beginning SLR photographers
This is easily the best introductory photography book I've ever read. It was a great refresher for the photography stuff that I've forgotten over the last 15 years, full of concise, easily understood explanations of useful photographic techniques. Some of the writing is corny, and the mnemonic devices get old pretty fast, but I'd still recommend it to anyone who wants to learn the basics of shooting with an SLR.
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
beginner SLR photographers
This was a fairly quick read, but full of information on effects achieved using the different combination of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. The book explains in detail why you would want to focus on specific shutter speeds or aperture stops. All of the information is there to help achieve the creatively correct exposure. My only regret is that I don't currently have a DSLR to go out and give the techniques a try.
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I really got a lot out of this book. Although some of the information was over my head, I thought the author did a good job explaining how to use the manual settings on my camera to get the type of exposure I would be looking for. I recommend it to anyone with a DSLR or SLR who is interested in taking their photography to the next level. The author's photos are brilliant and I loved seeing the work he had done.
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This was recommended to me in an online photography course I'm taking. Very clear explanations of the "triangle" of exposure (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and how to use them together (along with light and metering) to get not just correct but also creative photos. Offers occasional exercises as well as explanations of the included photos.
So far, very useful, helpful, inspiring.
So far, very useful, helpful, inspiring.
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
photographers everywhere
I'm putting this onto my "read" shelf, but I don't think I'll ever be done reading it. Somehow he makes all the confusing exposure stuff make sense. It's brilliant, really... He opened my eyes to a whole different kind of art, and helped me to see photography very differently. If I ever make a lot of money off my work, I'll have Bryan Peterson to thank...
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone interested in taking better photos
This is an excellent book for learning how to take better photos. It requires a camera that allows some manual control, but not necessarily an SLR. Petersen does a great job of helping you to think about what effects you might want, and how to get them. I have read through it, and am now keeping it by me for ideas and motivation.
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A MUST for anyone who is serious about learning more about their camera and what the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO is. This book is an excellent guide with practical lessons on making the most of manual settings in your camera. Recommended for film and digital enthusiats alike.
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I got this from the library, but I should probably invest in it. If only I could remember all the settings, etc. for each specific photographic situation!!!
Kind of technical, but some really nice pictures in here. Peterson gives the exact camera settings for each shot he takes. Fascinating!
Kind of technical, but some really nice pictures in here. Peterson gives the exact camera settings for each shot he takes. Fascinating!
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Well, it's been on my bedside for a year, so I don't know if that counts as "reading". I thought I would master Bri's old film SLR, but digital has spoiled me---I need immediate results to learn. So I'm motivated to start this book again, once I've opened my Christmas gift of a digi SLR:-)
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