I feel it is a solid book on topic. The photos are tremendous. The text does a very good job of covering the mix between exposure and shutter speed. It also covers the depth of field relationship to exposure. His books are all solid well written texts. I spent years and years in film with none of the gadgets in exposure that digital cameras allow for use. He reminded me of what that experience means in using exposure as a part of the art of photography.

Easy to read, and makes one look at the use of exposure to create the effect that one wants to capture. Good reminder tool for new or experienced.

I purchased this book based on the other reviews I had read. I'm quite the "newbie" at a DSLR camera and hoped this book would help me understand the mechanics of photography and my camera. It did both -- and in a very easy to understand way. I see it as being a continual reference also as it is quite comprehensive.

After I had already ordered the book I visited our local library which had a copy of it. Yeah, I could have just always checked it out whenever I wanted to reference something in the book, but I'm much happier knowing that I have my own copy. Again, very well done.

Always enjoy taking pics. I recently bought my first DSLR - Canon Rebel Ti1. I am very much a beginner who struggles to understand Aperture, Shuttle Speed, ISO, and my advanced DSLR camera features. On my quest to expand my knowledge, I went to Amazon. It search engine points me to Scott Kelby's book "Digital Photo". Too take the advantage of Amazon free shipping, I decided to add on this Bryan Peterson's book - that is, not my first choice. However, to my total surprise, I extremely enjoy reading this book. Even as a slow reader, I almost finish reading it in just one weekend. It is very easy to understand, very concise, with good illustration. I feel much smarter now, armed with knowledge learned from this book. I could have paid hundreds of dollar for beginner seminar just to get the same result as this $16 book.

I took several pics in manual mode last night in my dark room, under difficult lightning, and quickly saw good results. I now know what a perfect exposure means and how to get it. Going forward, what I need is to turn off the auto mode of my camera, get more practice with Av, Tv, & ISO, to achieve the consistency. Looking forward to read more of Mr. Peterson's books.

This book is for EVERYONE who shoots. Exposure is made very easy after reading this book..

Great pictures which are explained how those are composed, good hints to get better pictures. I like it a lot.

Great read if you are moving to digital-SLR and need to put more work into exposure. It's easy to devise assignments for yourself from each chapter and go out and practice these techniques.This book is for the amateur who wants to lift their game to the next level.A good teaching resource too!

This is just a great book, I like how easy it is to read, put more in basic terms for a beginner to understand. I keep this book near for reference and have re-read many pages; it has just opened up photography for me and I can't wait to read more of his books.

This is such a fantastic book. It breaks down photography and gives examples. It also has pictures to demonstrate how changing the ISO, or exposure, ect can change the picture. I am an amateur photographer, learning daily on how to take pictures on Manual and this book has been the key to my success with my pictures. With every picture I take, I am learning more and more and I attribute this to "Understanding Exposure". I recommend this to aspiring photographers who are ready to start learning.

If you are having a difficult time understanding exposure get this book, it is a great one!

Instead of taking snapshots, the principles in this book teach how to take a better image. I've been very please with the results by knowing how to get proper exposure, set the depth of focus and to take pictures that consistently wow those who see them. This is the book by which I'll evaluate all other photographs books.

Every book I've gotten by Bryan Peterson has been well worth it. Not only does the book have some great photos in it to please the eye, he tells how he took each shot and many times, gives extremely creative ideas that I'd never thought of before. As a result, I've gotten some really nice shots myself by trying the things he explains. I recommend this book, and any book, by Bryan Peterson!

I just finished Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", and couldn't more highly recommend it to anyone who'd like to get into photography. It requires almost no previous knowledge, and thoroughly teaches concepts while at the same time motivating the reader to go shoot!
5 stars from me, and I'll be loaning/suggesting this one to friends!

I recently came upon a digital camera that had full manual controls and didn't really understand what any of the functions did. I was pointed to this book as a beginners guide to photography. The book seems to make two assumptions : That 1) You don't know a lot about photography but 2) You know how to use your camera. With Camera Manual and book in hand I went through the book and began to understand how exposure works on a camera and roles ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed play. Some of the fanciest pictures became a lot simpler as he broke down how to produce such images.

If you're new to photography this book is a good place to start. The topics range from the very basics of what your camera does to capture an image to how to use your camera, to more situational photography (landscapes at sunset, large landscapes, nature scenes, etc). I'm not even a competent photographer yet but my pictures are starting to get better. I still find myself coming back to the book often to take a look and reference what is in it.

For those who have picked up a DSLR and don't have any idea how to use it - the contents of this book do apply to you as well. It's not 30 pages of how to load and select film, it really is mostly about how to correct expose a picture. It touches on composition mildly, but isn't a book about that. If you already know the roles of ISO, Aperture, and Shutterspeed and are looking for a guidebook about how to take more situational shots, this probably is not for you.

The book construction itself is solid. It's not flimsy paper but not stiff either. Glossy pages like you might see in a photography art book.

You might also get a chuckle out of the several somewhat shameless references to his 'beautiful' wife the author intersperses at various times throughout the book.

... just because even if you are not a novice anymore you will want to read it at least once a year. The second copy is because 1) you won't be happy loaning your only copy or 2) at some point you will want to give this as a gift to a close friend who is on his/her first steps of serious photography.

The secret of this book lies on its simplicity and straight to the point talk. Its like a close friend teaching you with all the patience a human can give.

This is an excellent and quick read with lots of visual content representing the topics being discussed. My guess is that most of us are visual learners and this book caters to us.

The book is clearly written by an artist which in this case is good. Being an IT person, I would have liked to see a few diagrams illustrating the concepts and ideas. I think many things like aperture, ISO, shutter speed, etc. could have easily been explained using diagrams instead of words. Perhaps in the next edition.

This book has helped me connect the dots (as we say). It clearly explains the reason for selecting the various settings on the camera and the results to expect.

This book was recommended to me and I will recommend it to others.

To the author: Thank you for helping me get introduced and excited about photography. Although my true passion is video, I have learned a lot about the value of still shots.

This book is for beginners. It explains the same thing again and again.
Anyway, for beginners, it is a good book and you can enjoy the good pics.

This book will make older photographers happy, rather than the younger digital generation photographers.
That said, after I read through the book, I did learn a lot of things. So I guess it still does it's purpose well, despite the aging content.

When I got this book I was someone with a keen interest struggling to go further with my photography. This book helped me understand both the technical and artistic aspects of photography well enough to move to the next level.

We are really enjoying this book. It is filled with information, not only on the functions of a camera but also on other aspects of photography.

for this book, I felt a review for this was quite necessary. I am a beginner when it comes to photography, (as far as years of experience) although going to several classes has made me realize I am in a slightly higher category. This book was a little disappointing in my opinion. I don't know what I was expecting but from all of the high ratings for this book I couldn't help but be disappointed. This really makes me wish I had gone to a local bookstore first and thumbed through the sections to determine which - if any - would be relevant for me. I didn't actually learn much until i got to nearly the end of the book in the sections that talk about metering off of the sky or reflections and when and how to adjust your exposures with those settings. The rest of the book was very basic and I guess it has a lot to do with what I've already read. I am not going to put in a shameless plug here and name other books, but most of all he has talked about can be learned in other non one-dimensional books. If this is an update, then for one, the images in the book need to be updated as well. I was not impressed by the content nor of the images. Not many pictures are in this book that make me feel like I want to go out and try to create/replicate an image like the ones illustrated. I understand the authors approach of not having only "one" exposure and the necessity to be creative, however, I think it was more beneficial for me to learn correct exposures before learning to let the creative side come out. Besides, if you don't know the correct exposures then I think you don't have the necessary know-how to know what to change to be creative. Were my expectations too high? I don't think so. Can this book be helpful for many others? Of course. I just wasn't for me. I will keep it and maybe read it again to try to uncover some things that I may not have picked up before but to be honest, I had a certain feeling of emptiness once I completed reading it. Hopefully your experience will be better than mine.

I'm a novice photographer with a new Nikon DSL and looking to understand more about the basics of light. This book gives you a great basic understanding of many of the fundamentals such as shutter speed and depth of field. Excellent pictures are included to visually show you the points being made. Probably not for experienced photographers but would definitely benefit novices as well as those with some experience.

Learned all about exposure with my film camera with this book. Well illustrated, both in examples and photographs from what I remember. Can't imagine it's not still useful for the digital age, even the non-updated version.

Learned all about exposure with my film camera with this book. Well illustrated, both in examples and photographs from what I remember. Can't imagine it's not still useful for the digital age, even the non-updated version.

I love this book. The book tells you every single thing you should know in order to create superb exposure. Never failed to have this book on hand.

This is just a great book. I found it very well written. Some people called it basic info. But if you are a pro, then you don't need this book. But if you just started photography, or you just didn't get the idea of Exposure, then this book is going to explain it well to you...

I do recommend this to entry-level and photographers that want to increase their knowledge and skills taking better shots..

Understanding Exposure had me shooting in manual mode in under 10 minutes. It is incredibly easy to do once you know how. Also getting to know about your cameras metering system will help you advance your photography ten fold. This is a must read book for new photographers. Just got your new DSLR? Just get this book, period!

This is one of the only instructional texts I've ever read cover-to-cover. Admittedly, that was painful at times, but I managed. I have mixed feelings about the value of having made the effort.

Part of the problem is the misleading title and product description, both on Amazon and on the book itself. This is NOT a book for someone who can already reliably make satisfactory exposures, nor is it expansive enough to be justifiably called "Understanding Exposure". I needed basic instruction on some subjects covered by the book, but if I were a more experienced photographer seeking advice on advanced exposure techniques, I'd be tremendously frustrated with this book. Even at my level of experience, I occasionally found it to be pretty over-simplified.

And yes, the writing style is truly insulting and juvenile.

I also had some theoretical problems with the treatment given to photography in general. "It's easy to make pretty photos, which can be sold! Hooray for boring-but-lucrative stock images!"

I still give it three stars because the challenge it presents - that of sifting through a lot of crap in order to determine what information is really useful - is part of the deal with most how-to books. While there are some gaps and inconsistencies (the discussion of metering is slapdash and really quite useless), it still helpfully describes the basic components of successful exposure, which makes it an acceptable reference text for the beginner.

The book itself is very much advisable, both for beginners and for little bit more experienced photographers. A great variety of different circumstances of exposure are illustrated in an excellent manner. Worth every penny.

The books were, however, slightly bruised during the shipping. The shipping package for three books was oversized and there was no filling whatsoever to cover the books. Clear minus for Amazon.
The shipping (economy) was, however, quick indeed. Plus for that.

The book is an absolute eye opener for people like me who are just stepping into SLR or Pro level photography..you learn about the basics of an exposure: Aperature, Shutter speed and ISO..The only problem I can think of with the book is that the basics about metering have been discusses a little too late in the book though Bryan himself considers light to be the heart of the photography triangle..but still a great book

I'm an average amateur in photography but I love to read about it and I read
pretty much anything I can get my hands on.

I got this book hoping to know more about exposure and paired it up with a
manual 50mm lens to practice because I wanted the hole experience.

The book fell short... It's way too technical, even to the point when it
became boring for me to read because i could have well been written in japannese
for all I care, and then the easy to understand parts where the ones that only
said "check your light meter until it says your exposure is fine" :s

Maybe for more experienced photographers this is THE BOOK, but for me it felt
short and I couldn't relate to the author like I have in other books like the
ones from Lee Frost for example.

This book is a wonderful asset to anyone wanting to go from a 'point and shoot' method of photography using automatic settings to manually tweaking the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture of a SLR type camera. If you are the type of person that wants to truly comprehend the hows and whys of photography and actually capture the image as you see it in your mind's eye, then this is the book for you.

Before this book I read at least 6 (probably more) photography books cover to cover and still didn't 'get' exactly how the photographic triangle of ISO, shutter speed and aperture work. This book explained it, taking it one concept at a time, and offered beautiful visual examples of the concepts he's presenting. It is a fabulous first course in photography from a motivating teacher.

5-stars, A+, This is no contest the best introduction into the world of manual SLR photography I found. It took my photography to a completely new level. If you are already a professional, adjusting your aperture and shutter speed without a second thought and obtaining the perfect results, this isn't the book for you. If you want to get to that level, it is.

This is another one of those books that attempts to save the new photographer time and effort by coming up wth a set if "rules" about how to expose properly. "Aim your meter at the blue sky" Etc. Etc. Etc. Thirty five years ago as a newbie photographer I wasted several years of my life reading this sort of stuff in the photography magazines and the more I read the more confused I became.

Eventually I bit the bullet and purchased Ansel Adams book on exposure. Alas, try as I might I was unable to summon up much enthusiasm for reading them as they were dryer than the desert he sometimes photographed. Happily I eventually stumbled upon Minor White's crystal clear explaination of the Zone System favored by Ansel Adams. One read and things began to get clearer. Two and I was well on the road to becoming a better photographer.

So why did I buy this book? Because with the increasing sophistication of todays digital cameras many exposure techniques that once worked well for me now often seem to get me into trouble. Time and again I've used techniques that once served me well only to later discover in the lightroom that I'd made a bad situation only worse.

Simply put, while the manual that came with my camera does a pretty good job of telling which button to push it literally saids nothing whatever about how the button changes things, or, worse yet perhaps, why you would desire to change them in the first place. What I need to know as a serious photographer is what pushing the button achieves and how it achieves it. To whit, when you have an in camera computer based exposure system that attempts to make exposure idiot proof and then try to use that meter in a more traditional way you can get yourself into a world of trouble! Simply put if the camera manufacturer doesn't tell you how their meter measures light, what sort of info it gathers, and how it uses that info to determine correct exposure you are up the proverbial creek badly in need of the proverbial missing paddle.

If you are thinking of purchasing this book in an effort to best utilize your camera's exposure meter look elsewhere...

Plain and simple I have not used my camera in automatic mode since I picked this book up! The manual modes are so much more creative! A very nice well written book, that will have you learning and trying new things with your camera, that you never dreamed possible!

This is by far in my 10 years as a hobby photographer the best instructional, sample oriented, informative read I have come across. Since my purchase of this book by Bryan Peterson I have purchased 2 additional titles authored by him, Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography, as well as Beyond Portraiture: Creative People Photography. If either of these books are representative of the Understanding Exposure title, I will have certainly found my favorite Photography book author. With many examples given, reasoning for why pictures were taken and the thoughts represented for the composition given for each photo in this book, this book is a wealth of knowledge for any photographer at any skill level. Instead of being lost in a sea of complicated verbiage and theory, Bryan writes in a straight forward manner that is easily understood and absorbed. This is the 9th photography related book I have purchased and by far has been the best.

I am very satisfied with this purchase. Amazon has great prices and the book was in excellent shape.

This book has taught me how to shoot in manual setting on my camera! Wonderful!

Beautiful picture illustrations too!!

Exposure is very important to the outcome of opening and closing a shutter. This book brings out all the important things you need to think about before recording a picture on a digital sensor or film. Bryan Peterson has been all over the world recording pictures and shows you how you can improve your pictures by understanding the importance of the hole (aperture) in the front of the lens. Depth of field is one thing I learned over 30+ years ago when I started out with my first SLR. It can make or break a picture. Read this book and you to will learn the importance of depth of field along with a lot of other useful information.

I found this to be quite an inspiring book. Not only does the author relay to the novice how best to approach exposure, which resides at the heart of hearts of photography, but he does so in a conversational, highly engaging style. You not only get so much from the book, but you also don't tire of reading it. Very, very well done.

My girlfriend is a novice freelance photographer. She loves the book, considers it her photography bible. She says she loves the way he breaks everything down and makes the content easy to understand. Pictures are great. Excellent learning tool.

This may be the best book there is explaining how to capture great images with your DSLR using the manual settings. Included in the different sections of the book are multiple photos of the same subject, with the camera settings tweaked in different ways so the reader can see first hand what can be accomplished.

The book came in a reasonable amount of time and was in good condition. Would do business again.

Good pointers and pictures that are instructive. Book covers a little bit of everything, but you will take away some points.

I just bought my first DSLR camera. I bought ten photography books on amazon. I'm evaluating these books from the perspective of a semi-advanced amateur. (On things I've learnt is that book by the same author tends to be very similar. So make sure you vary your authors when buying more than one book. Rather than saying this author is good, let me buy more from him/her.)

I read this book from first page to last and loved it. It is a very good intro for beginners to understanding exposure. I have recommened this book to two people and they too found it useful.

This is a very beginner book on how take photographs using manual settings on your SLR/DSLR. The vast majority of it is probably common knowledge to anybody who has looked up beginner guides for DSLR photography online. The book did a few things well:

1) For each photo, the author commented on shutter and aperture setting and on how he metered the shot. This was very helpful in understanding the step-by-step process in taking a good photo.

2) The author provided a few brief, but helpful pointers that made the book worth it. This included tricks for metering, how to approach different lighting situations, and a simplified approach for choosing aperature.

Unfortunately, the brevity of this book leads to lots of confusion. The technical side of photography is glossed over, and I do not have a true understanding of exposure after reading this book. One example of this is his explanation of the various metering modes. The author repeatedly describes how he metered various photos using center-weighted or spot metering, but then recommends matrix metering to his readers. Never does he describe how matrix metering must be handled differently than the center-weighted metering he uses for the books photographs.

In the end, the tips and pointers were helpful, but I'm more confused on some aspects of exposure now than before I read it.

I can't say I was disappointed in the book as it gave me a great deal of "exposure" information. This book is great for explaining the types of exposure shots you are capable of achieving. Putting that knowledge to use might be a little difficult until a person gains some experience with their camera. Shows great examples of exposure techniques, and the pictures are fantastic. Handy reference tool for later on, when I'm ready to take it all in.

This is a great book for a beginner like myself. I love it for it's ease of use and it's plain and simple explanations.

In February I bought my first DSLR camera and read The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion by Ben Long as a great introduction on the features and use of my camera. I learnt a great deal with this book and would recommend it but I was still relegated to shooting from the P (program) mode. Then in an Alleluia moment, I happened across this book by Bryan Peterson. In less than a month, and a few ages into his book, I was shooting in M (manual) mode and actually knew what I was doing. The pictures were amazing. I like the way he explains how to use the different aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings. Many books will almost encourage you to cram what aperture opening goes well with which Shutter speed at a particular ISO setting. Bryan Peterson will have none of that. With several clear and easy to understand examples he teaches you the effect of these settings and makes you learn how to use them to capture a well exposed picture without ever memorizing any sequences at all. To think that I came across this book accidently, still sends chills down my spine - I would still be shooting in P mode 8 months later. This book is a must have for any one starting out.

This is a marvelous book. The first fifteen pages easily got me to understand how to take a better picture. The remaining chapters provided me with creative insight into taking perfect pictures. The material is easy to understand and immediately apply and will result in better pictures. The book is well written and has quite a few example photos. Bryan has a natural ability to teach in a way that is interesting and fun. I have been able to apply the material when using all my cameras, from SLR, DSLR, and digicams. There was a time when I was afraid to shoot in manual mode because I didn't want to miss a shot. Those days are gone. After finishing Bryan's book, I now shoot entirely in manual mode and haven't missed a shot. In fact, my pictures have improved beyond expectation and I have discovered a new passion for taking pictures. If you have struggled with getting the best shot, get the book. You won't be disappointed.

This book is a classic and the reputation and stellar reviews below are well deserved. The concepts of Apeture, Shutter Speed, Light are all explained very clearly to provide a good understanding of exposure. The author stresses that you should not only seek to obtain the correct exposure for a photograph, but also the creatively correct one and provides bountiful examples and ideas for doing so. The book is very well organized and has multiple examples in full color on each page. The revised version continues to film photography for those who still use that medium.

this book is a must read and read again- anybody can shoot pictures but to get them right your need to know about exposure and this book gives you a step by step way to learn it- it doesnt make you a photographer it makes you learn to be a photographer - great reading