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Title: Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson ISBN: 0-8174-3712-6 Publisher: Amphoto Pub. Date: November, 1990 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.57 (83 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Just take a chance
Comment: I recently purchased and have read about 90% of this book. It's very helpful in explaining the exposure triangle as Peterson describes it, as well as depth-of-field including when to use it, how to use it, and how to compensate for it.
Some of the most important advice that Peterson gives is to take some chances with your photographs by trying different techniques and types of film. He also notes that even the best photographers end up with two or three great photos out of a roll of film. This makes me feel a little better that most of the photos I take aren't fit for lining the bird-cage. It should also help keep things in perspective.
I'm looking forward to finding the time to attempt some of the techniques described in the book. There's nothing in it specific to Digital Photography, if that's your area of interest, but if you choose to shoot with film, this book will be invaluable.
Rating: 5
Summary: Simply Brilliant ! Just buy it.
Comment: I bought this book while I was moving from a point and shoot to a SLR. Its been close to 21/2 years now and I can now say confidently that this book has been the MAJOR reason for improvement in my technique and quality of my photographs ( as remarked by friends and family). Here is what I learnt from this book...
1) Mainly, I feel an overpowering sense of joy and enthusiasm as I hold the camera in my hands, thanks to Bryan Peterson. From a hobby, it almost becomes an obsession as I read through his various photographic exploits.
2) I understood the principles of "correct" exposure, a term that is highly debatable. I learnt the basic principles of
a) Shutter speed
b) Aperture
c) Film
which he calls photographic triangle. I learnt how to expose for a starting aperture and then from that point on, he guides you to explore different settings to achieve specific results. Along with these techniques, you will learn a little about
i) Light meters
ii) Quality of light (sidelighting, backlighting etc)
iii) Depth of field
iv) Close-ups
v) Freezing the action, blurring the subject, panning, implying motion
vi) Print v/s slides etc.
3) He rarely lays out rules. He stresses out the importance of trying out different styles and techniques and one can see from the 147 beautiful and stunning pictures, the variety of shots that one can try. For each of his pictures, he gives out a brief introduction regarding time of day, location etc, followed by important technical details like the shutter speed used, aperture used, film speed, focal length etc. I find myself, sometimes, just flipping through the pages, and trying to estimate the shutter speed,aperture and focal length used , just by looking at the picture and not looking at the text and after the estimate, comparing my estimate with the one actually used. I find this habit really useful, because the next time I see a sunset, snowfall, or waterfall, I instantly have in my mind the shutter speed, aperture etc, to begin with. Just the fact that you actually know what you are doing when you operate the camera, give you so much more confidence.
4) Amazing consistency in technique. Pretty much for every photograph in the book (147 of them, in all), he begins by taking an accurate starting exposure. In fact, I now feel, that this technique alone, if learnt well, will improve the quality of your photographs 100 %! Then he explains the reason behind each (shutter speed + aperture) combination. I have found this consistency missing in other books that I have read (I have easily read more than 30 books cover to cover by now). Other books, that I have read, tend to approach each scenario (like a sunrise, sunset, cloudy weather, bright sunlight, indoor scenes etc) as a separate technique, which is kind of confusing. The result of this consistency is that, you would be quite confident while approaching different subjects that you see in daily life.
Also he does not throw in special accessories that might confuse people into thinking that good photographs are not possible without them. I see that a lot in other books. Examples of accessories are
i) different kinds of fancy flashes
ii) Filters
iii) spot meters etc.
5) I would pay 5 times the amount of the book, just to learn the above points. I have spent 5 times that amount, by going to photography courses and let me tell you I did learn some fine points here and there, but without the basic and solid background that this book provides, those points would have just been lost on me. Just to be complete in this review, besides the three fundamental elements (shutter speed, aperture and film), he explains
a) Tungsten balanced film
b) Pushing and pulling film
c) Multiple exposure and deliberate under and over exposures
d) Bracketing
e) Small section on filters
6) Finally I learnt much to my satisfaction that
a) Creative photographers are not born. Like any other form of art, it's directly related to your effort and your ability to learn from your mistakes.
b) It is wise to waste film rather than to waste a moment.
c) Even professionals like Bryan Peterson himself, get only 3 "zingers"(strong photographs) in a roll! So, that fact alone should be proof that practically everyone will continue to be beginners in this fine art and the terms expert, intermediate are all very relative terms. Looking back at my collection, I can safely discard majority of my pictures, since I now know what to look for!
Bryan Peterson has been and will continue to be my "virtual" guru! I think this book belongs in every aspiring photographer's collection.
Finally, a list of the few areas that this book does NOT address (but which can be found in other books) are:
1) Equipment details like
a) how an SLR works and functions
b) different kinds of lenses available(zoom, macros,standard etc) and their working
c) brand comparisons (like canon v/s nikon) etc. though he does compare brands of slide and print film.
2) Darkroom techniques - developing your own negatives etc.
3) Black and white photography techniques
4) Digital photography comparisons/techniques.
5) Creative techniques (rules!) that will be found in most books like golden mean, rule of the thirds, framing, crosslines etc. But this is fully justified, with what I mentioned earlier, that there are no "rules" laid out. This book is more about shooting from the heart rather than mind.
Rating: 5
Summary: The best book on photography I have ever read.
Comment: I have read sections of this book numerous times to continue
to understand all the aspects of exposure w/ a camera. I highly
recommend this book for beginning and experienced photographers.
I plan to purchase his new edition which comes out in August, 2004 as soon as it comes out. Go buy the book--you will not be dissapointed.
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Title: The Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography by Lee Frost ISBN: 0817450416 Publisher: Amphoto Pub. Date: 15 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography by Bryan F. Peterson ISBN: 0817441816 Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide by John Shaw ISBN: 0817440593 Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns Pub. Date: 31 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The A-Z of Creative Photography: Over 70 Techniques Explained in Full by Lee Frost ISBN: 0817433139 Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: National Geographic Photography Field Guide 2nd Edition : Secrets to Making Great Pictures by Peter Burian, Bob Caputo ISBN: 079225676X Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: 01 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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