 • Buy this item from our featured Merchant - Featured Price: $25.95
 |
Product Reviews:
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Not a picture book as some think at 1st glance
Comments: This is an excellent book for beginners as well as advanced photographers. When I 1st got the book I flipped through it and I was disappointed in thinking it was almost allly a picture book on how the photographer got the picture. I decided to go ahead and give it a chance. As I read it, I understood why the pictures are there and also learned how to make excellent pictures. It's1of those books you read several times as you get better and better with photography. It's great for those learning and great for those trying to improve. I thought it was easy to understand and have referred back to it many times. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: One of, if not the best out there...
Comments: This is the best book on the subject of understanding exposure for a digital camera. The author breaks it down into a few basic components that are universally applicable. When you are done with this book, you will have an understanding on how your light meter and digital sensor work and how to compensate for their inherent characteristics. The digital sensor reacts to light differently than film and you have to know what it wants to do in order to get the exposure you want. This book logically builds on what the sensor wants to do and then walks you through a number of examples that you will encounter and how to handle them. As a photographer, I can not think of any info that has helped me more. I always endorseed this book to people wanting to learn about digital photography. If you honestly understand how your camera interprets light, then the rest (composition, the moment, etc...) is up to you. |
Rating: 3 (out of 5)
Summary: Decent, however.....
Comments: Bryan has obviously written a great book explaining the fundamentals of exposure and spent more time explaining the holy trinity of photography (ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed) and how varying them impacts the photograph. The book is also full of educative pictures. This is the biggest strength of this book.
Bryan does not come across as a great teacher like John Shaw comes across. The book also falls short (for me personally) on the metering techniques. There is little space devoted for Spot, Matrix/Evaluative or Center Weighted Metering in the book and the pros and cons of each method. It also does not cover in detail the pros and cons of using an external meter.
Overall a great read however I do not endorse it highly.
|
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Purist greatness
Comments: This book is a total opposite of the highly rated Scott Kelby's Digital Photography books. I read them all and I got to tell, you Mr. Peterson's style trumps the Kelby's. Why? Kelby's books adopted "American" approach to teaching while Mr. Peterson's style is more of a purist "European" style. Which1is better? It's up to you of course. While Mr. Peterson teaches you how to think, Mr. Kelby chokes you up with examples with little or no explanation why. When you are out in the field, which1do you think will serve you better?... That's what I thought!! I only wish it contained a short general optics crash course. That would make it perfect. Anyway this is a great book you will not regret reading.
|
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Easy to follow - Great Book
Comments: Based on the positive reviews, I purchased Bryan Petersons, Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by Michael Freeman at the same time.
While both are great, Understanding Exposure is much easier to follow. The later is more dry and text bookish; however, it goes deeper into how to develop great shooting skills, not just explaining how exposure works. I endorse both.
This book will take you through the basics of how aperture, shutter speed, and film speed work together. Apertures are split into groups, and explanations given for conditions that are best for each group.
It points out differences between fixed lens digital cameras and digital SLRs; Such as, why there is a difference in depth of field when I used an f/2.4 on a fixed lens and an f/2.4 on an SLR. Advantages and disadvantages for both, when it comes to aperture, were enlightening.
Tips are supplied for almost all accurate light metering, filter use, and freezing or slowing motion, to name a few. Exercises are supplied so you can experience for yourself what the author is describing.
Although this book doesn't "need" another5star review, I am giving it1anyway, because I definitely thought it was money well spent.
|
