Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) Reviews

• A fantastic learning tool!

  
  By ADZ1E2SYWSG99 on 2004-09-17
  A friend loaned me the older version of this book, and I was amazed at how much help it provided. Even though the old book was based around film cameras, the fundamentals that were taught and the example pictures were very, very helpful. This book is an almost complete update, with most sections rewritten, several new subsections added with specific information for digital users, and has a slew of new example photographs.
  
  This book is even better than the old edition, and expands on some of the topics that were only briefly touched on in the first book. One in particular that sticks out in my mind is that he explains the "don't care" apertures of F8 and F11 that he uses often. The old book mentioned it in passing, but I don't recall an explanation on why those apertures were useful. There is a short section on just that in this book and suggestions on when to use them.
  
  Full color photos are used throughout the book, and are a great help in understanding the concepts that he talks about. Each picture has a caption with the information used to take the exposure. He shows you the same picture with different settings so you can see the effects the settings have on the exposure.
  
  I find the book pleasant and easy to read. The tone and writing are very agreeable and easy to follow. While some aspects are technical, they are written in a manner that makes them easily understandable.
  
  This is all about how to capture the image, not processing of the image after it is captured. There is brief mention of pushing or pulling film and the effects it can create, but in general, this is about how to get take a proper picture. If you are looking for a book on how to process the picture after you have taken it, this is not the book for you.
  
  I can not recommend this book enough if you are interested in photography. I don't know how useful it would be for professionals, but for the person just starting out or serious amateur, I can't see how you could go wrong with this. While all of the information can be applied to SLR cameras (film or digital), the majority of it can be applied to the point and shoot cameras of either variety as well.
  
  

• Outstanding Information for Photographers

  
  By A1B65OKMGEOH5M on 2004-10-26
  If you are trying to learn more about how to properly use exposure (i.e. aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) this is a fantastic book to begin with. It informs for the film and digital photographer. I have been taking photos for many years, but it has only been over the past couple of years that I became more of a professional. Despite this, I still struggled to understand some of the concepts such as the difference between a good exposure and a "creatively correct exposure" and what options I had.
  
  You learn how to expose for front-lit, back-lit, side-lit scenes, overcast skys, macro photography, motion, stationery objects, how to expose for bright scenes such as snow (grey card & 18% grey) and dark scenes such as night photography...you name it. Then Bryan Peterson tops it off with a sections on metering, special techniques and filters, and an analysis of film vs digital cameras.
  
  Understanding Exposure not only explained the basics in a conversational manner, but is also informed me of how the pros work and how to step up my photography to a higher level.
  
  This book has hands-on exercises that anyone can go through so that the reader has experience of all of the methods explained. Along with this, the book is FULL of color photos that show exactly what the end result could be. Where applicable, there are comparisons of before and after exposure adjustments so the reader may understand WHY they should make such changes.
  
  Where there is a difference between adjustments for digital versus film cameras, Bryan Peterson gives you the specifics of the difference and haw to adjust for it.
  
  It is a book every photographer should have!
  
  

• informative, though quirky

  
  By ARJT54V72576E on 2006-05-08
  UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE offers a solid introduction to principles for creating informed exposures. I've been taking photographs for years, but everything I've learned I picked up from experience. I thought, for the heck of it, I'd buy a book and see if I was missing something. In the end, it was worth the read, I learned a few tips, and found some inspiration to experiment.
  
  The book, however, is not without its quirks.
  
  On the positive side, the author does a curiously good job offering advice on formal decisions. While I don't agree with all of his judgments, I certainly applaud the effort and feel his comments are completely appropriate for the general public. Aesthetics can be tricky.
  
  The book is filled with the authors photographs, ranging from the amazing to the sappy. I enjoyed his descriptions and explanations, telling how he took many of the shots. I just wish he left out his licensing fees. Pointing out how many thousands he made from the various shots is really crass. I already bought your book... you don't need to show-boat. Strangely, a handful of pictures are of his wife, and I found myself wincing at most of them. Particularly given his descriptions. Sadly, we're obviously not looking at the same woman.
  
  Lastly, for all of the author's thoroughness, his explanation and discussion of ISO, in my opinion, is lacking. At the start of the book he explains that ISO is one of the three main parts to taking a correct exposure. Aperture and shutter speed get their own sections, but for ISO the author only offers a condescending "busy bee" metaphor... until 5 pages from the end of the book where he finally gives ISO a page. He explains the ISO value is the light sensitivity, but I don't remember him mentioning anywhere at what -cost- that sensitivity comes. For instance, it should say the faster the film and more light sensitive, the grainier the resulting image. There's a very grainy, low-light example in the book but grain itself isn't addressed.
  
  How could anyone leave that out?
  
  

• Overrated, but decent

  
  By A20JZWWWI4DHPR on 2006-03-08
  OK, I'm going to have to give this a 3 just so my rating will stand out from all the 5's out there. I was let-down quite a bit by this book. I am a fairly-beginner photographer, perhaps maybe lower-intermediate. And, in all honesty, most everything in this book was kind of "blah" information. My biggest gripe is the following: the book is called "Understanding Exposre"... however, it should be called "Pointers for Exposure". Because, the best pieces of information that the author gives are not really explained (and, hence, they're not to be "understood" by the reader, but to be taken as gospel) but rather they're followed by statements such as "I learned this from my many years of photography, and trust me this works"! And that's a big problem for me-- not because I don't appreciate a great tip about exposure, but more because I was expecting to learn some valuable basics that would arm ME with the tools necessary to deduce, for a given lighting situation, how to best meter the light and determine the exposure. Instead, I've been given a laundry list of things to memorize for a given situation. Which, I guess, is great in the end-- and which is why my "REAL" rating for the book is a 4-- but just be forewarned that you will not really walk away from this book with a great UNDERSTANDING, though you may walk away with some good tips. Just my 2c.
  
  

• Err .. is that it?

  
  By A33NXONTD08VPL on 2005-03-14
  I ordered this book based on the rave reviews it gets here, and elsewhere. I was looking forward to reading it, thinking it was going to help me improve my photography, master difficult lighting etc. So, when it arrived, I eagerly unpacked it, sat down to read and ... err, is that it?
  
  Essentially it is a very basic beginners book. Probably for beginners its fine, but once you've figured out the elements of depth of field, and the idea that metering will not provide the optimum exposure in all cases, there's not much else.
  
  If you're new to photography, take a look. If you've read any other books, or taken a few rolls of film, look elsewhere.
  
  
• For beginners only
  By A162TSWV5OE0DM on 2005-04-16
  I was a little stingy with my rating, because, to be honest, i was disappointed. If you understand the basics of film speed, shutter speed & aperture (he calls it "the triangle") there is little to gain from this book. If you are a complete beginner, please change that rating to 3 stars.
  
  About the only thing i found slightly interesting in this book was the discussion about depth of field, but this was nothing new to me either.
  
  The GLARING DEFICIENCY in this book is a total failure to discuss anything about the use of flash or artificial light. If you have even heard the phrase "fill flash" you will be disappointed with this book. This book covers natural light ONLY!
  
  Henderson (below) is right.... is that it??
  
  
• A "Must Read" for Learning Photography
  By A1BZJ0KC0UTBPK on 2004-08-28
  Kudos to Bryan Peterson on the release of this long-awaited update to his 1990 classic, Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs. I've been recommending the original edition of this book to my DIGITAL photography students and on-line forum buddies for several years now, even though the original edition pre-dates the "digital photography" revolution. This new edition includes all the essential information from the earlier edition and brings it completely up-to-date with the inclusion of how this information is relevant to digital photography.
  
  Who should buy this book? This is a book for those interested in photography who want to take their photography to the next level. This book is for the hobbyist who is mostly using the camera's automatic settings, but is interested in using more of the camera's manual and semi-automatic modes to get better results. The author does a superb job of teaching the fundamentals of exposure in a simple and very easy to understand manner. This is usually an intimidating topic, but Mr. Peterson teaches it using every day language and examples. In no time, the reader will understand how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are manipulated to get the right exposure and the desired photographic results.
  
  Beyond this, the author teaches the reader how to "approach" almost every conceivable photographic opportunity using the camera's semi-automatic modes (mostly aperture-priority). So not only does he teach the fundamentals of HOW exposure works, but he teaches WHEN to use one approach over another to achieve desired results. This alone is worth the price of the book!
  
  This book is beautifully written and generously illustrated with over 150 original color images from the author. The images really bring the concepts to life and are a source of inspiration for the reader.
  
  Who should not buy this book? If you are a seasoned photographer who has mastered the subject of exposure and is well versed in the use of aperture-priority, manipulation of depth of field, and metering, this book will be too basic for your learning needs.
  
  Again, kudos to Bryan Peterson on the release of this fine book. I am among the thousands of photographers who are very appreciative to Bryan for changing the way we approach a given photo opportunity and have taken our photography to the "next level."
  
  Sincerely,
  
  jim henderson (the sandman on the forums)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A Wonderful Exposure Primer for Creative Photographers
  By A1O97WKID9L3IA on 2005-11-30
  This is a book that every serious photographer should own--both for information and inspiration. I've had a copy of the original version of this book (1990) in my office since it was first published and it's worn to a frazzle. That's why I'm so thrilled that it has not only stayed in print this long, but also that Peterson has updated it.
  
  The first thing you'll notice when you read through this book is that Bryan Peterson is not just good at explaining the intricacies of good exposure in almost every conceivable situation (landscapes, close ups, portraits), but he is a world-class photographer. It's one thing to talk about manipulating depth of field or subject motion in theoretical terms, it's quite another to see the concepts demonstrated in masterful, creative and fun photographs. And the photos are so well chosen and so well done that even if the book was written in a language I didn't understand, I would get the points being made. His editors should be proud of that too.
  
  Getting good exposure is at the heart of making a good photograph. And you would think that with the auto-exposure systems built into both film and digital cameras that getting a good exposure would be a piece of cake. But as Peterson points out (and illustrates so nicely) there is a world of difference between getting a "good" exposure and getting the ideal "creative" exposure. Getting the ideal creative exposure requires careful consideration of how that exposure will affect things like depth of field, freezing or exaggerating motion, the color and quality of light and how your subject is presented.
  
  This book is not just about exposure, of course, but is a great source of information on various types of lighting, close-up photography, portraits, night photography, using a tripod and, most importantly, seeing creatively.
  
  I can't imagine making a serious study of photography and not having this book (and Peterson's classic book on "Seeing Creatively") nearby. Peterson is a gifted, funny and immensely talented teacher and photographer--more than willing to share all of his knowledge. As the author of many how-to books on photography myself, I have used Peterson's books as a constant source of information and ideas and I check my own facts against his regularly--I couldn't pay him a much higher compliment. As a photographer, I find myself looking at his pictures with great admiration and envy. His photographs are great. And by the way, "No!" I don't even know Bryan--except through his great books.
  
  Jeff Wignall
  Author, The Joy of Digital Photography
  thejoyofdigital@optonline.net
  
  
• very basic, beginners only
  By A6F416EWAUL0A on 2007-12-23
  The book is very basic. It teaches you about aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. If you already know about the three, look elsewhere.
  The book basically tells you about the existence of depth-of-field, and stop-action and motion blur shutter - that's all.
  
  As I was finishing it, my only hope was that I got the wrong book, but alas, no mistake.
  Even as a beginners book, it had important things left out:
  - No clear explanation of what the aperture numbers are. It just tells you bigger number - smaller hole.
  - Should have talked about hand-held camera shutter seeds (minimum 1/focal length speed rule comes to mind). The whole book assumes the use of a tripod for its teaching.
  - Doesn't mention fill-flash for balancing light, although there is an extensive chapter about types and angels of light.
  - Although filled with many beautiful photos, only a couple of instances show comparison shots. The author hasn't made the effort to take good and bad pictures to compare and illustrate his point.
  - The author preaches about matrix metering, but emphasizes the fact that he only uses spot-metering. Spot-metering is not explained - it's too complicated and error prone, so use matrix metering. I thought this was what the book was all about!
  - The author doesn't make it very clear about "low key" and "high key" images and how the meter wants to put everything in the middle 18% gray. There was an attempt to explain this, but it was so simplified, that is was confusing.
  - No mention of the "zone system" for exposure
  
  The internet has much more helpful info for free.
  
  
• Purely basics
  By A3UKI7WN5700Z4 on 2005-02-01
  I bought this thinking it would have a lot of in depth information about exposure. However I went through the book within 30 minutes and did not find anything new or quite interesting. It's a very basic book in understanding the importance of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture and how they work together. Not really much past that. I would definitely recommend this to beginner's, but if you want to save a few bucks you can learn all the information provided in this book via online resources, just use your favorite search engine ;)Was also kind of upset that they mentioned anything about digital cameras seeing as how there was maybe 4 pages at the end of the book that talked about irrelevant fluff.
  
  
• A little basic
  By A3VGRB6K5SXEFB on 2005-01-04
  This book is a reasonably good introduction to exposure for the absolute beginner. If you've had an introductory photography class or equivalent experience, much of what is written in this book will be very basic and redundant. (There's actually very little text in this book - you could read the whole thing in a couple hours or less.) Note that Peterson is exclusively a color photographer, so any kind of discussion of black and white tonality and contrast is totally missing. The book covers the basics of aperture, shutter speed, and different lighting conditions (though it lacks specifics on how to shoot in these different lighting conditions), plus a little bit on multiple exposures and polarizing and neutral-density filters.
  
  A more thorough introduction to zone system concepts than this book provides would be useful. For that, I'd recommend reading "The Confused Photographer's Guide to On-Camera Spotmetering" by Bahman Farzad (which errs in the opposite direction, running these concepts into the ground) along with this book. If these two books were combined and a happy medium was found between Peterson's brevity and Farzad's beating to death of simple concepts, you'd actually have one solid introductory book on exposure.
  
  Other drawbacks - Peterson is mainly a stock/magazine photographer and his photographic style is, to my eyes anyway, rather boring, and I found little inspiration in looking at his photos. Also, his writing style is rather goofy, with lots of exclamations over less than profound photographic insights and silly terms for substitute reading methods like "The Sky Brothers" (various kinds of skies when used for exposure) or "Mr Green Jeans" (vegetation used for exposure).
  
  In the end, I picked up a few useful tidbits from this book, but turned around and resold the book right after reading it, as it really wasn't valuable as a reference.
  
  
• 95 Reviewers can't be wrong!
  By A1VO0WPLN8BKYV on 2006-03-29
  This book is a must for anyone new to photography! Should be included with the owners manual of every new digital camera!
  
  The proof is in the pudding...here are some examples of shots I took after reading his book...I would never have imagined capturing shots like these prior to reading his book...
  
  http://static.flickr.com/36/84610281_f7a933f255.jpg
  
  http://static.flickr.com/40/79454773_2ba97c0107.jpg
  
  http://static.flickr.com/42/115132324_09a2d9f1e5.jpg
  
  http://static.flickr.com/36/79454714_0f8b50d124.jpg
  
  
• 4.5 Stars Actually
  By ANX0QRY1LXA37 on 2006-04-17
  Ever want to take your fancy camera off of Auto mode and explore those other mysterious settings: M, A, S? Ever struggle with understanding how to achieve a proper exposure? Then this is the book for you! Clear, concise and filled with gorgeous photographs by the author, this is the book on exposure I wish I'd had when I first began taking pictures a couple decades ago. Peterson jumps right in teaching the reader about what he terms the "photographic triangle" - how shutter speed, aperture and ISO (film speed) relate to one another and how they can best be used to not only make a correct exposure, but a "creatively" correct exposure. So why would I give this awesome book only 4.5 stars instead of 5? Because while Peterson hammers home the concept of the photographic triangle, the sample photographs contain information about aperture and shutter speed but no mention of what ISO he used. Considering how these settings directly effect one another it was a little disappointing to not have that information made available. Hopefully he will include this information in future editions. Still, don't let that minor quibble steer you away from this highly recommended book.
  
  One minor point worth mentioning: to get the most from this book you MUST have a SLR (single lens reflex) camera - digital or film. Today's popular point and shoot cameras have lenses that make selective depth of field nearly impossible (Peterson has a two page explanation as to why this is). While you can still get great pictures from a point and shoot, your creative options are severly limited if you want to, for example, isolate a subject against a blurry background. As the majority of this book is on not only proper exposure but using it creatively, I think quite a bit of information would be useless to those without an SLR camera.
  
  
• Avoid the school of hard knocks and take the express
  By A3MQAQT8C6D1I7 on 2006-07-16
  I ordered this book after a couple of years of being a serious amateur photographer. I can say that many of the lessons regarding exposure that I have learned the hard way over the last couple of years would've come much easier if I had read this book back then.
  
  To the book review -- The book focuses on three concepts and their inter-relationship of the concepts to come together and form an exposure:
  1) Aperture
  2) Shutter Speed
  3) ISO
  
  The author is clearly extremely knowledgeable and has mastery of photography to where he can explain all of these concepts in very easy to understand terms. The book also has a very sincere and down to earth "feel" to it. It's almost like I can hear the author is sitting next to me and explaining the concepts.
  
  The book also helps the reader understand what he calls the "creatively correct" exposure. That is to say, the right combination of ISO, Shutter and Aperture to get the "best" picture.
  
  There are tons of full color examples in the book that illustrate what the author is trying to convey complete with shutter speeds, aperture, lens, film type etc --- very helpful.
  
  Back to me for a bit and how the book helped me after 2 years...In the last few years, I've progressed from using shooting in full automatic to shooting in Aperture Priority and in Shutter Priority. That is to say, semi-manual as I like to call it and I thought that's all I needed. Through it all, I stayed away from full manual mode.
  
  After reading this book, I'm shooting most of my shots in full Manual mode and am considering getting a light meter. It wasn't so much that I didn't know, its that the book reinforced the concepts I've learned along the way to where I've made the leap to full Manual mode.
  
  
  
  I still use full auto, aperture priority, and shutter priority but I find myself in full manual more of the time. So even after a few years of shooting -- (1 hour total shooting time by the author's measure), this book was still helpful to me......but I would've gotten here two years sooner if I had read this book back then. Mind you, I have no formal training in photography. I just got into it several years ago for a variety of reasons including avoiding royalty fees for pictures I needed for business presentations.
  
  I must say I didn't read the book cover to cover but used it as a reference -- skipping around until I had gotten it all.
  
  This is what I recommend:
  
  1) If you're a novice photographer and want to learn how to shoot good exposures, this book will help.
  
  2) If you're a semi serious amateur and haven't made the leap to full manual, this book will help you make the leap.
  
  3) If you already know all of this but don't shoot very often, get this book and use it as a reference.
  
  It's the easiest to understand book on exposure I have read to date mainly because it has enough full color examples combined with solid writing to help you learn.
  
  
  
  
  
• There are better books...
  By A281BMXTBKLLPM on 2007-12-28
  Too many errors, a condescending (almost insulting) writing style, inconsistencies, and a lack of real information make this book hardly worth reading. It would be difficult to know about these problems without reading the book first so I hope this review will give some insight into these issues.
  
  The book is probably aimed at beginners yet those are the ones who can least afford to get bad information. Those who already know about exposure can see the errors for themselves but the beginners will read this and think this is the real goods. It is not.
  
  There are far better books from which to learn about exposure, among them: Ansel Adams "The Negative" and "The Camera" and Alain Briot's "Mastering Landscape Photography".
  
  Peterson's book is highly rated and my guess is the rave reviews are from those new to exposure, who don't know they are being shortchanged.
  
  
• Great examples of photo composition and exposure selection
  By A31N8Y8IFE8XPH on 2005-02-02
  I found this book to be very helpful in understanding the selection of good exposure to achieve artistic effects with my photography. I like Peterson's differentiation between "creative exposure" and "correct exposure," and found his tips for deciding what you wanted to emphasize in a photo helpful.
  
  I also read the Grimm Basic Book of Photography at the same time, and although that book is *much* denser and longer, learned less about composing a photograph and selecting exposure while reading it. Peterson's many colorful comparisons helped me understand his methods and reasons for choosing his exposure.
  
  This book is a quick read, and is the opposite of the Grimm book in terms of depth of discussion of equipment and history (if you want to learn details about different film grains and all of the pieces of equipment you might want to buy for your portrait studio, by all means, get their book instead). However, for a very concise book with great examples on SLR photographic composition, I can't ask for much more.
  
  A final word for digital photographers. This book touches little on specific differences between digital and film photography, but does not ignore digital. Peterson makes a good point that digital retouching can fix a lot of mistakes, but that good composition and exposure saves a lot of time later, whether you're using film or digital. I have to say, though, I'm still looking for the book that will explain in-depth how to properly select white balance for digital SLR.
  
  
• Great Book for beginners and intermediates.
  By A2M4PQPBV45U71 on 2005-12-30
  Even though I've been informally an amateur photographer for several years, when I decided to make a living out of this profession, I needed some technical foundation in order to achive consistency and futher, inprove my skills. I tried several other books to no avail. However, this book was like fallen from heaven, so to speak. The author writes in a concise yet coherent manner. The examples are very useful and easy to replicate (unlike some other books I've read). Very thorough explanations of each of the techniques shown. The author unassuming and candid tone make this a great book to read, browse and learn from. In fact, if it was physically smaller, it would make a tremendous pocket reference to carry around. In short, if you're an absolute beginner or an intermediate looking to sharpen your skills, this book is what you are probably looking for.
  
  
• Very remidial
  By ACN674KEKWSSZ on 2007-02-03
  This book was nowhere near as detailed and in depth as I had hoped. But putting that aside I found it to be a frustrating read. The author makes extensive use of analogies that I found confusing at best, and simply absurd. I found the author consistently patronizing, and his writing style to be extremely long winded. I actually found the 2 pages on exposure setting in my camera's instruction manual to be considerably more informative and easier to understand.
  
  But, if exposure is a complete mystery to you, and the idea of 100 worker bees carrying buckets and trying to catch water from a variable flow faucet makes it easier to understand how a camera works, then by all means this is the book for you. Hence my 2 star rating.
  
  
• Depth of field examples
  By A307P8E3KQS80X on 2005-11-14
  I've first edition: This book should be called "how to choose best shutter speed with your automatic camera, depth of field examples...".
  Author doesn't explain light measuring... For me, the most important thing when setting exposure.... how to correctly measure incident light, how to work with the spot meter, how useful the sunny 16 rule can be... The author relies only on the automatic metering system in his camera and that's the problem for me. If you don't plan to use manual camera sometime and set exposure by yourself, it can be book for you.
  
  
• Answers and Examples
  By A1EVLOB1B8JFDI on 2005-12-13
  I wanted a book that would teach me how to set up my camera to take great pictures. This book answered my questions and also taught me how to think about each shot, what to look for and consider when setting up my camera to take a good exposure. Bryan has an easy to understand way of explaining his thoughts behind his methods and also tells you the settings for each shot shown in the book. I read this book in less than 2 days and will now go back through again to make myself a little "cheat sheet" to carry with me for those rare situations. He covers a lot of ground and I found myself absorbing it all very easily. I only wish it came with a pocket guide. Unless you are a seasoned pro, I believe you will gain a lot from this book. I know I have.
  Thank you Bryan.
  Carlton
  
  
• Non technical/doesn't impart understanding
  By A1Y5DZVRBSQ1AO on 2006-01-21
  This is a very gentle introduction to exposure. Good for my parents perhaps but not for a geek like myself - little technical explanation or language is used. I knew almost everything from casual web reading. I'm returning mine. As an aside the photographs weren't my style either; the author specializes in high-saturation color photos for stock use whereas I'm currently concentrating on B&W portraits.
  
  
• Learn creative ideas, not techniques
  By A5JLAU2ARJ0BO on 2004-12-19
  Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is a book geared toward beginners, as it talks about topics (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) that any advanced photographer would deem "mundane."
  
  However, the book is best used not as a guidebook on how to set the various exposure modes on your advanced SLR camera, nor how to set up a state-of-the-art studio with fancy lights. It discusses how to make *creative* exposures (not just technically correct ones) in natural lighting situations. I do wish the author had presented some clearer explanation on certain technical aspects, e.g., how to preset focus and how to get teh most out of a light meter, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. Otherwise, it's a book that helps you think about how to create a photograph, not how to use every feature of your camera.
  
  Most of Peterson's instructions are taught through his own wonderful photos. Each photo is well captioned about the context, his thought process, and his technique. Again, this is not a "read and memorize the f-stop" kind of thing. It's all about provoking ideas, and Peterson includes a lot of exercises (some more useful than others).
  
  I've been an advanced beginner for almost 20 years, and my photography has not improved much. I hope this book can help me get over the hurdle and take better pictures.
  
  
• Soud From Sultanate of Oman
  By A3LAEGA6APBIUH on 2005-05-31
  sorry to Mr Bryan...but i'll say don't trust what other saying about the books specialy when they give up 5 stars. I bought this book due what other wrote and now i feel shy to show and tell any one who doing photography that i spend my money on it. I ordy complete almost 10 years since i start learning photography, i read many books about that also i took a course through New york institute of photography, but this book no no no. Mr Bryan with highly respect to him, he must review himself before write another book..again i'll say sorry but this the truth what i feel.
  
  
• fluffy
  By A2QIJGC2EOB79I on 2005-01-13
  i bought this book partially because many ppl recommended it. I have to say it was disappointing. The pictures were fantastic however the information was sparse. There's like 5-6 pages worth of information the rest of the few hundred pgs are fluff. There are other better books that will cover the info in this book and more.
  
  
• Had high hopes
  By A38M22XR2JEJS7 on 2005-06-23
  I really had high hopes for this book... But it is really basic, it tries to explain ISO shutter speeds and aperature by giving examples of types of pictures. If you are looking for a beginning photo book, there are far better choices such as, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0131896091/qid=1119554867/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/103-9059832-9557401?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
  
  I used this book a long time ago, edition 5. It is a far bettter intro to photo book.
  
  
• Best how to photography book
  By AQJXVR6U7WCHT on 2005-03-20
  I learned more in this book about correct exposure than I learned in a hole year of photography school. Bryan peterson is an excellent teacher. He expains the basics in an effective easy to remember way. For anyone who is confused about apeature, shutterspeed, ISO, or metering, this is a must read! I rented this book from the library and loved it so much I decided I had to buy it. The best photography book I've read so far; I plan to read all of his books.
  
  
• Clearly understood!
  By A2PSD2R9A1CXG7 on 2005-11-14
  As a serious hobbyist with no formal training, I was a bit concerned about how much I could really learn from this book. My experience comes primarily from reading text books, how to books, and from hands on experience. Prior to reading this book I had a basic understanding of exposure already.
  
  Exposure is a concern for both film and digital cameras alike. A chapter titled "Film vs. Digital" helps to explain some of the differences. There are many inspiring color images showing both how your camera's metering is fooled, and the methods of correcting the exposure. Topics include filter options and exposing for low light, backlit, overcast weather and motion photography.
  
  After reading "Understanding Exposure" from cover to cover I can say without doubt reading this book changed the way I comprehend exposure. Bryan Peterson has a simple and clear method of explaining exposure. I didn't really learn as much as I gained a deeper understanding and a fresh perspective of the subject. I also learned a few tricks along the way.
  
  If you have mastered the subject, this book is not for you. However, if you are a beginner with no understanding of how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together, get this easy to understand book. If you already have a basic understanding, this book will help fill in the missing pieces.
  
  
• an amateur photographer MUST HAVE
  By A2HAJ5DTNMGYZI on 2005-12-13
  This book is simply outstanding. I've bought quite a number of books from Amazon on a variety of subjects but this particular book forced me to go out and buy a highlighter. The information shared here is easy to understand and, with so many examples and samples, you really feel like you're learning.
  
  The author goes into great detail about how to "see" a great image and how to properly expose that image. whether you're a digital or film shooter this book is a MUSt for anyone looking to really dive into their photography hobby/profession. I just loved it and keep it in my camera back pack as i travel taking pictures and constantly going back to the text.
  
  BUY THIS BOOK! You won't be dissapointed!
  
  
• The classic guide to exposure for beginners.
  By A1SIY68AHPS3VT on 2005-08-22
  This book is a reasonably good introduction to exposure for the neophyte, unless you've had an introductory photography class or equivalent experience, because much of what is written in this book will be very basic and redundant. Note that Peterson is exclusively a color photographer, so any kind of discussion of black and white tonality and contrast is totally missing. The book covers the basics of aperture, shutter speed, and different lighting conditions (though it lacks specifics on how to shoot in these different lighting conditions), plus a little bit on multiple exposures and polarizing and neutral-density filters.
  
  This book is better than the previous edition, and expands on some of the topics that were only briefly touched on in the first book. One in particular that sticks out in my mind is that he explains the "don't care" apertures of F8 and F11 that he uses often. The old book mentioned it in passing, but I don't recall an explanation on why those apertures were useful. There is a short section on just that in this book and suggestions on when to use them.
  
  It is best used not as a guidebook on how to set the various exposure modes on your advanced SLR camera, nor how to set up a state-of-the-art studio with fancy lights. It discusses how to make *creative* exposures (not just technically correct ones) in natural lighting situations. I do wish the author had presented some clearer explanation on certain technical aspects, e.g., how to preset focus and how to get teh most out of a light meter, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. Otherwise, it's a book that helps you think about how to create a photograph, not how to use every feature of your camera.
  
  Full color photos are used throughout, and are a great help in understanding the concepts that he talks about. Each picture has a caption with the information used to take the exposure. He shows you the same picture with different settings so you can see the effects the settings have on the exposure.
  
  This is all about how to capture the image, not processing of the image after it is captured. There is brief mention of pushing or pulling film and the effects it can create, but in general, this is about how to get take a proper picture. If you are looking for a book on how to process the picture after you have taken it, this is not the book for you.
  
  
• Absolutely amazing!
  By A2M1C6J8GO941H on 2005-01-31
  Wow! This book is amazing! I am fairly new to photography and have been looking for a book that will answer the fundamental questions with regards to exposure but couldn't find one. Until now, I have never taken the time to write a review on Amazon but if I can coax even one person into buying this book, I will be helping that person make a great investment in their photographs.
  
  The book as a huge assortment of top-notch color photographs which are explained in-depth by the author. He actually takes the time to say, "I used this exposure and this shutter speed and here's where I metered the scene and here's why". I learned so much just from the captions for the pictures - not to mention the amount I learned from the text itself.
  
  Please, if you're interested at all about photography, this book is a MUST have. You will learn more from this 160 page book than most 400+ page books on photography!
  
  

• The Digital Photography Book
• The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
• Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
• Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography (Updated Edition)
• The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography (Amphoto Guide Series)