Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

First, my skill level: I am a photography enthusiast who has a fairly good grasp of photographic theory and methods, who has an eye for image composition, and who uses a DSLR to produce quality images, for someone of my experience. NOT a professional. NOT an expert. But passionate and always learning. Now, my review: I celebrate this book's powerful impact on my photography, an impact that occurred because I read the book as a 176 page persuasive argument in favor of manual exposure. On colorful, glossy, and attractively arrayed pages, Peterson argues for a distinction between an image's "correct exposure" and its "creatively correct exposure." The former, your camera's light meter will reliably report; the latter, you must derive based on the scene and your intentions for it. Camera light meters don't care about which items photographers want in focus or left intentionally over- or underexposed; they care only about the degree to which the areas of frames assigned to their attention meet the accepted standard 18% grey specification. When that standard produces an image to your liking, great! But many times, your intended image is not possible if the meter's guidance is accepted. Hence, the need for manual exposure. This book is a concise, yet thorough and eminently readable discussion of factors that affect an image's exposure: aperture (how wide open is the hole that lets light in through the lens to reach the camera's sensor), shutter speed (how long is that hole open), and light (that which allows the camera and its photographer to "see" anything). Interestingly, Peterson does not spend nearly as much time on ISO (the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light) as he does on aperture and shutter speed, but his choice does not damage the book's final excellence. Appearing, on average, about once per page are wonderful images from his professional work that showcase whatever subject matter is currently under review. More importantly, each of those images is accompanied by a marvelously detailed report as to the reason for his presence at the scene reflected, as well as his thought process that yielded the settings and methods choices he made before pushing the shutter button. I am a big fan of such process captions, and Peterson writes them VERY well. Earlier I said this book functioned for me as a persuasive argument for shooting in manual exposure. Because of this book, I made the choice to shoot manual from now on, except when conditions require aperture- or shutter priority. Before reading "Understanding Exposure," I would have snickered at the suggestion that I would shoot in manual. But Peterson's work convinced me that if you understand the interplay of aperture, shutter, ISO, and light well enough - and I think I do - then manual mode is the mode that offers the best chance of producing the image of your vision. As important, the book convinced me that manual mode is not nearly as challenging or cumbersome to employ as I once thought it was. Now that I have been shooting in manual for a couple of weeks, I tell you the book is right. I heartily, unconditionally recommend "Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition."

--PREFACE-- THIS BOOK IS FOR BEGINNERS AND THOSE WHO NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING THE EXPOSURE TRIANGLE (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO). I cannot stress the previous statement enough because I have read many of the reviews of this book including the negative ones (the one and two star reviews seemed as if they were written by people with more experience than a beginner. For example one of them states that the author's opinion of depth field is wrong, which I'm not sure many beginners would know enough about photography to make such a statement.) If you are a beginner, and you have absolutely no clue on how to manually adjust your camera's settings so that you can consistently capture a "correct exposure," you need to buy this book! I also must stress that this book is not about creating beautiful compositions or how to post-process photographs. It is simply a beginners book to understanding how to correctly expose your images. The author, Bryan Peterson, gives you the tools you need to take correctly exposed photographs (he even gives some tips on choosing the "creatively correct exposure" out of the many exposure options for a given shot). However, he leaves the composition of the photo up to you, the photographer, which in my mind is the way it should be. From the many professionals, amateurs, and seasoned hobbyists that I have spoken to, you will gradually develop an eye for photography as you become more experienced, which doesn't sound like something that you can learn from a book in my opinion. If you were looking for a complete guide to becoming a photographer, this book is not it; however, I strongly recommend it as a tool to help you get there. --REVIEW-- I've been easing myself into the world of photography for a little over a year now, and I have purchased multiple books about photography, but none of them have covered the subject of exposure in the simple and understandable way Bryan does. Most books I have read speak about the exposure triangle and how each element has an impact on the exposure, but I can honestly say that I was still guessing after reading those books, and when I was out shooting, I still relied heavily on my camera presets. I wanted to make the jump to the manual setting, but I just didn't understand enough about it, and being a hobbyist, I just didn't have the time to try to figure it out myself through trial and error. However, Bryan explains exposure in such a simple and understandable way that after reading the first section of the book (which only takes about 15-20 min), I understood enough to be able to shoot in manual mode, which was extremely exciting to me. After almost a year of struggling, I understood enough about exposure to shoot the way I wanted to in only 15 min. I was so excited at this point, I almost put the book down to go out and shoot more photos, but I didn't, which was a positive because after the short introduction, he goes into more detail on what he calls "creative exposures," aperture, depth of field, and much more throughout the book. I only received this book yesterday, so I'm only to page 83, but I plan on updating my review after finishing. ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER, AND YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CAMERA'S SETTINGS, BUY THIS BOOK. IF YOU ARE TRUELY A BEGINNER, YOU WILL NOT REGRET YOUR PURCHASE!

I ordered this book for two reasons (1) I just purchased an entry-level DSLR and (2) a friend who is an avid ameteur photographer recommended it. Some background information about me (because it does matter, especially if you read the other reviews): I took some basic photography classes in college, I developed much of my own film in college, I've been an amateur photographer since high school (mid 1980s), and I have used both film and digital formats. I'm smart and understand the basics regarding light, composition, shutter speed, etc. Please understand what you are purchasing before you spend money on this book. I wanted an easy-to-understand bok on exposure that would serve as a good refresher. (Too many years using inexpensive "point and shoot" cameras tend to dull one's memory). Peterson's book -- a long-time best-seller in this particular genre -- is just that. It's geared towards the amateur photographer, contains many sets of "comparison" images (i.e., same image with different settings so you can understand the differences in camera settings), and is not overly technical. Amazon does allow you to "look inside" the book prior to purchasing it. Peruse the content available to you and then make the decision as to whether or not you want to spend your money. In my opinion, the book is a worthy addition to your library of photography "how to", especailly if you are an amateur photographer or, like me, need a mere brain boost. Peterson is an expert in the field and, like anybody, has his opinions. You may agree with some; you may disagree with others. So be it. The information in the book is based on his many years taking images as a professional photographer, and he has written in a style that will appeal to a wide audience. If you want a more general text, Peterson does offer Understanding Digital Photography. If you want to know more about shutter speed: Understanding Shutter Speed. If you're into close-up (macro) photography: Understanding Close-up Photography. If you want a more specific text with tons of technical detail (I.e., geared more towards the academic, engineer, professional photographer), this book -- admittedly -- is probably not what you are looking for. But you could have easily figured that out before spending any money. In my amateur-photographer-smart-and-educated opinion? A good book. And I'm not at all upset I spent my money on it.

I thought I should review this book here, because I have recommended it many, many times over the years, and beginning with the original edition, have purchased, and given it away to an aspiring photographer at least 3 times over the years. I have read the few 1 star reviews and have been surprised. Most of them don't like the book but give no specific, concrete reason why. Those that do, seem to feel "cheated," because it doesn't say "beginner's guide" and maybe tells them something they already knew. I went back and read the narrative on the Amazon site for each addition. If you read it carefully, it lays out what the book is going to cover. It is not intended by the author to be an Ansel Adam's look alike (Ansel already did that as well as can be done, and I'll be the author has read it :-) ). This book is aimed squarely at someone who is new to a camera that allows you to control the aspects of exposure (for most shooters this means an SLR/DSLR) and wants to know how to do that successfully and correctly. It is not an in-depth, theory of exposure book. It is aimed at an audience who needs clear, plain, easy-to-understand explanations that they can take and work with right away. I have always thought Peterson hit the proverbial home run with this book. Whenever I have someone start asking me questions about exposure, etc. who is not an experienced photographer, I recommend this book. I will keep doing so. And, every few years or so, I get out my highlighter and read it again, myself. Many successful people believe that basis of success is knowing the fundamentals of their craft and practicing them. Having shot SLR/DSLR cameras for 30 years, I am still surprised to sometimes find (or remember) a gem of wisdom when I go back and read this book. It is not the most sophisticated book on my shelf, but it is a "go-to" book in many circumstances. In my view it certainly does what it suggests it will, and what it was intended to do, and does so in a way that has helped many photographers become better at what they do.

This is a must have for anyone who buys a DSLR but doesn't know how to use it. The book covers various topics starting from the basics, and gives you interesting exercises to try out on your camera. By the time I finished the first 25-30 pages, following the author and his little exercises, I was pretty comfortable using the Manual mode and even more so with Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes. This book also includes link to the author's website where you can find video tutorials of some of the items covered in the book. I highly recommend watching them, because they help clarify the author's point beyond just text and photos and its a free add on (while the videos are no substitute to the book, they are a welcome add-on). The book is targeted for DSLRs, but if you have a high end point and shoot with lot of manual modes, you can find it useful too. However, it will be easier to follow the author if you have a DSLR (usually since DSLRs have these settings more easily accessible, than Point and Shoots which require you to dig down in menus). I have a Canon T3i and a Powershot S90. After reading the book, I can take better pictures with my S90 and make good use of all the manual modes it offers, which I found daunting before I read the book. But while reading the book, I kept playing with the DSLR to understand the author's point. The book is a little wordy. The author often throws in notes from his personal diary, about his experience when he shot the photo. Sometimes these are not even directly related to photography, but I found these interesting to read and sometimes helped me get a glimpse of behind the scene from an already interesting photo. While some people criticized this, I find it a plus. I'd say this book is more creative than scientific. The author is an experienced Photographer and its nice to learn the tricks from an old-timer Pro, who firmly believes in the basics. I loved the book and it inspires me to go out there and shoot.

My Photography Experience/Skill: Beginner (I got my first DSLR in October of 2011, so about 9 months ago). This book is amazing and I'd recommend it to any beginner in photography. Bryan Peterson explains aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and the light meter really well and the explanations and examples he uses were very helpful and memorable for me. I honestly had no clue what I was doing with my DSLR before I read this book. I watched online videos about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and the light meter before, but after a few days none of the information I learned really stuck with me. After reading this book, I now have a better understanding of how to take a correct and creatively exposed picture. I'm nowhere close to being a pro, or even a skilled amateur, but at least now I'll actually know how to use manual mode on my camera. This book is also filled with beautiful photographs that made reading this book very easy and enjoyable. I loved every single photo in the book. I only bad thing I can say about this book is that some of his explanations of how he took his photos were pretty confusing/unclear to me and still are (probably 3-4 of them). A couple of others (2-3) were initially confusing as well, but I understood when he explained it later in the book. For example, he talks about metering throughout the book, however, he doesn't explain where to take meter readings until 2/3 through the book. However, despite this, this book is probably still the best photography book out there for beginners. It's not long or boring to read (173 pages and half are filled with pictures). It really made everything click for me and it'll probably help you as well if you're a beginner.

This book was awesome...I believe the author took the criticism of his other books and updated the book based on them...When researching to buy this book I looked at the reviews of the other editions and some of the comments were "I wish he would put what type of lens he uses or exposure he used in the photos." Well, he does that in this edition. Another person said that they wished he would put photos to show what he means and he puts two photos (sometimes 3) of first the auto or what beginning photographers would do and then show an example of the same picture with the exposure changed based on what he is trying to teach you (did that make any sense?!?). How about a before and after type of photos (maybe that makes more sense). His style of writing is not textbook style. I think he tries to make it fun and entertaining and that sometimes makes people think he is condescending to the reader, but I don't think that is his intention and I enjoy that sense I'm definitely not trying to read textbook style reading (I did enough of that in college). I say this is for beginning photographers and not for intermediate or professional because I believe he is very brief and dumbs down what he is trying to teach to relate to those of us who know absolutely nothing about cameras or the intricate of how cameras work. He will use things like "The Sky Brothers" or "Mr. Green Jeans," which will feel like kid stuff for a pro or semi-pro person, but for me the beginner a welcomed help. After reading this book I feel like I can go out and take photos on manual and not be intimidated about getting the wrong exposure. I included the link to his previous edition because that has more reviews than this edition (as of this review) and I believe the author revised a lot of the gripe the "One Star people" are talking about. Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)

This third edition of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is brilliant! In the first 30 pages, I've gotten more information on how to use my camera settings to take creative photographs than the dozens of books I've read, or all the courses and seminars I've taken. And all for less than $20! Some reviews have suggested that this book is only for the very basic beginner. I beg to differ. I have been counseled by and shadowed many professionals who've been in the industry a number of years, (never mind all the money spent on books, videos, seminars, clinics and courses). After spending any time with the pros, I was always certain that the only way to get the best photos was to get a bigger bank account to be able to purchase the best, most up-to-date gadgets, special lights, expensive strobes (in multiples), and super expensive/fancy lenses. Oh... let's not forget the assistants that you'll also have to hire to hold some of the gadgets. And yet, most of their photos looked so homogenized and truly a product of all the photographic "stuff" rather than the camera. I kept thinking that maybe I was just not getting it. I was almost convinced that obviously, all the creative photos are just good quality, basic photos which have been processed, and re-processed in one or more editing software programs such as Photoshop (another one of the "must have" gadgets). NO!! Bryan Peterson explains how to really use the camera to get that creative shot. After all, capturing a photo, is really nothing more than capturing and manipulating light. He makes it simple enough for the beginner to understand, and yet, without being condescending, can teach (or remind) the pros of the all-too-frequently overlooked simplicity of how to use only the camera, considering ISO, aperture and shutter speed to work in harmony to get a 'one of a kind' photo. One of the statements I have heard all too often from professional photographers is that the on-camera flash is useless. Interestingly, I have found it to be a godsend in many photographic situations, and then get accalades from the same professionals about the quality of the lighting. Hmmm... Anyway, Bryan Peterson shares information on what I've already discovered; the on-camera flash is another great tool that already comes with your camera. I will, in all fairness, confess that I have a DSLR, so I can't deny or confirm the book's subtitle of "how to shoot great photographs with any camera" and how it relates to the 'point and shoot' cameras.

Note : I was a bit familiar with certain things cause I was coming from the video world, but more on the post-production side of things. It's been a long time since I wanted to grab a good camera and start taking pictures, and when I finally had the chance, like a lot of people, I couldn't settle for the all-auto modes, but I couldn't either fully grasp how to setup the damn thing in manual mode. Like my father says : those cameras are nice, but they can't capture what the eye really see... Well, they can (more or less) ! After reading almost the entire book in one go (maybe not recommended, even if it flows naturally...), I just grabbed my cam, applied my settings, and bam, I had what I wanted. This is its use : making you able to capture the scene like you envision it, not "because I didn't have a flash" or "because this X mode does that". And thats exactly what we want when taking pictures, right ? Anyway, even for a non-native English speaker, everything is clear with lots of exemples, and the pictures have most of the interesting settings for you to understand. And, well, for the rest, grab your cam and try ! I know I'll never bother with auto mode again.

Ótimo livro com muitas dicas interessantes, abordando o uso dos diversos recursos do equipamento e tėcnicas fotográficas de maneira criativa

This is my first purchase of a Bryan Perterson book and I am super impressed. I am a pretty serious amateur photography that has enjoed my fair share of experience and success in my photography. Like most who love their "camera time", I constantly look for ways to sharpen my skills and get better results in less time, relying on improved knowledge and leaving fewer variables in the photographic equation . This book has taught me a new, that which, I thought, I already knew! Bryan Peterson has an amazing manner of explanation in a well thought out arc of progressive teachings, supported by techinical insight, his personal experiences and a concise series of photos to illustrate his points. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how I now treat (fine tuned) my work, a little differently, producing very good results, due to a new approach. I believe this book would equally serve the most hapless beginner, right up to and including, serious amateurs such as myself, it is just that good a teacher. I very strongly recommend this resource. I believe it to be worth much more than it's selling price. It could radically improve both your photograhic approach and understanding, as well as the all important results! Learn and apply... reep the rewards!

This book helped me understand mistakes I was doing and the book will also serve me as guide in future to get correct exposure!

Da tempo ne avevo sentito parlare in diverse recensioni su canali dedicati alla fotografia ed avendolo potuto acquistare in amazon con ad un buon prezzo ho potuto confermare le aspettative Spiega gli argomenti alla base della fotografia digitale in maniera concisa ed efficace Lo consiglio a tutti quelli che iniziano il percorso fotografico con la loro prima camera digitale