Maybe I should have gotten this book first thing, but I just don't see the big deal about this book, It was somewhat informative, but really not much I hadn't already read online or in other books. It doesn't have any of those ah-ha moments or anything that just makes exposure 'click'. Since this book was recommended to me, I thought there might be some valuable info that I have been missing in order to get that perfect exposure and it just wasn't in there.

I think this book is probably ok for your first photography learning tool, but if you have read other book and online through forums and such, you probably already know everthing this book has to offer.

Excellent excellent book to learn from. Some parts of it are kind of technical for newbies (like me), but after taking the book outside with me and practising with my camera and the book at my side, it began to make sense. I've learned alot from reading this book. Would definately recommend it to beginner to enthusiast level photograpers.

When I first bought this book as an absolute beginner to photography (I didn't know the meaning of basic exposure terms, camera and lens features etc.) I couldn't get thru the book. I kept reading about photography from the internet and other books and six months later I gave the book another try. This time I breezed thru the book and found it gave me a very practical framework for putting together all of the info on exposure I had learned in the past six months.

I know experts can find fault with the content but the value of this book is in its teaching effectiveness. The book does a five star job of teaching its main subject -ISO, aperture and shutter speed. The effectiveness does depend on your skill level. This book maybe too challenging for an absolute beginner and too basic for more advanced photographers but if your skills are somewhere in between you will probably find it very useful.

This book is a keeper. I highly recommend it. It is one of my most valuable learning resources.

I am an experienced photographer and I found this book helpful. It is written very well so that photographers of many levels can get something out of it. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in perfecting their exposure.

My three copies are worn out! When technology exist for a book to be transplanted into memory (my brain), this will be amoung the first photography books I choose to have implanted! Thanks for writing it.

This book is a great primer to get you started understanding how exposure effects your photographs and how to take more control over your photos and make them more interesting.

This book has got an average rating of 4.5 stars, and is supposedly a good book on exposure. For this reason I checked out one from the public library once it became available. On the same day I spent a few hours going through the book--I could do this because I am already familiar with such concepts like aperture, depth of field etc. At the end, the conclusion, a disappointing one, that I formed in my mind is that, this is just a mediocre photography book, and in certain ways it is even misleading!

The thing that I care about most, and that I am most confused with, is exposure compensation. The reason, which I learned from John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide, is that in the world around us objects are of various tonality, and your camera metering system tend to render everything as middle-toned gray. In this book, however, you won't find the term "exposure compensation" at all in the first three chapters (this book has six chapters), not even any similar or equivalent terms, leading one to believe that all you need to do is point your camera to your subject, take the metering reading, ajust aperture or shutter speed and shoot. Unfortunately, to make good photographs you have to do more. That's why I am still learning.

You might see a hint of "exposure compensation" in Chapter 4 if you are an alerted reader. Even here the discussion is very limited, in my opinion.

The book provides a generic introduction to photography for what regards light. Of particular interest the emphasis put in picture comprising slices of sky suggesting invariably to expose for the sky in most daylight situations.

Well written, concise overview of the most important concept of photography..."proper exposure" and how to "get there" !

If I had to sum up this book in one sentence I would describe it as "A map without any roads".

The title is misleading because there is no real "How To" involved in this book. If the author's goal was to say "Hey! Look at my pictures and the setting I used to get them" then he has succeeded. The rest of the books are some sectioned off background information to help the reader to understand the images better.

The reason this book gets a 2 instead of a 1 is because there are some really nice images in the book. I was going to give it a 3 but then I just remembered how the author was breaking his arm patting himself on the back when ever there was an image of his wife & kids involved instead of leaving them anonymous like the other subjects.

As far as teaching, you would receive better information from the person working at the local camera shop.

Its a great book with an easy to follow way of explaining. Great photos taken by Bryan PETERSON.

He starts of by saying that the photos in the book have been taken with a low budget DSLR so by this way you can understand that you also can take these kinds of photos if you really wanted.

All photos in the book have an info bar below it giving you the information about which settings were used to take that particular shot.

I don have a camera yet and although I dont I had great time reading this book.

Go for it with no hesitation!

I purchased this book based on recommendations from a photographic web site, I am on my second reading, it is a must buy for persons who want to know more about why your pictures are the way they are, the good and the bad. With knowledge and understanding, comes the power to improve and perfect your shots. The book is easily read, not too technical, and the photo's provide visual evidence of whats being discussed.

A must buy.

This is a Must Read for anyone interested in improving their photography skills. I purchased this book for my assistant and have read it myself many times. If you are looking for an easy to read and informative maual on the basics, this is the book for you.
The photos in the book are beautiful, and the tips are great.
Well worth the money.

I highly recommend this book, it was well written and explained photography in a easy to understand format.

The author gives a clear explanation of the importance of different exposure combinations to provide different artistic results. It's fairly basic, but it is a good review with photos that do reflect the text.

He uses the term "Who Cares" aperture for F8 and F11. His explanation of when to use those apertures is fine, but the term is silly, given that the whole book concentrates on how important making a conscious choice about aperture is.

Great advice in simple terms! I can simply say that this book will make you use more and more of the features of your camera you've never used before, and look at the "everyday" features in a new way. Furthermore, the book is filled with big, full colour photos by the author, which is very inspiring - he is truly an excellent photographer.

This is a really good book if you want to get off automatic modes and start being more creative with your photography. Packed full of easy to read information and step by step guides.

I found this book to be very helpful and understandable. I liked how he would explain something and then say "now go do this with your camera". After reading this book I now shoot almost exclusively in Manual mode and feel confident doing it.

I would highly recommend this book. It is great for beginners and helpful for professionals (although I'm sure most professionals have read something like this already.) It explains Exposure and the recommended general settings for specific situations in a language that is very easy to understand -- not too technical, more practical. And it does give you a brief overview of the technical aspects of Exposure, as well.

I have had this book for a few weeks and am already taking better pictures. Very easy to read and to understand. Highly recommended!

I learned so much from this book. I highly recommend this book to all beginner photographers.

This book worked wonders for a beginner like me! I'm not a professional but I now have a basic knowledge of my dSLR.

This book is a treasure troft of advice and expertise. I have ordered the other book Understanding Shutter Speed and I hope it is just as good.

This book which is clearly written makes it easy to understand exposure. I also read 'Understanding Shutter speed'...both get the same review...buy it, you will dare to get off Auto...it is excellent!

Bryan guide you throug the discovery of f/secrets and the right choiche for the shooting speed, with great and simple examples.
Very well made, a pleasure to read. You have to buy it if you are a beginner, you may consider to buy it if you are at an intermediate level.

If you want to get off AUTO and PROGRAM mode, you MUST GET THIS BOOK! Since reading it I have not hardly set my camera to anything but MANUAL mode! For everything from outdoor shooting to indoor weddings, manual is the way to go!

My dream is to find a similar book to help with the harsh over exposing or heart breaking under exposing of external flash (i.e. speedlite) photography. Anyone have any recs? This book won't really help with flash photography, Bryan is mostly into natural lighting, which is great. But sometimes (a lot of times) you just have to power up the old flash unit.

This book has improved my shooting skills. I rarely if ever ventured to the manual setting on my D300 before reading this book. Now I embrace the ability to have more flexibility then just shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority modes.

Having just made the jump from digital P&S to a dSLR, I bought this book on a friend's recommendation.

The author does a good job of explaining the basics of photography, something most of us using P&S cameras have little clue about.

The book was very informative and helpful. The pictures in the book are stunning (especially Bryon's smoking hot wife!), as should be expected in a book about photography.

If you're already knowledgeable about exposure, shutter speed, f-stops, etc, then this probably isn't the book for you.

However, if you're just getting started in real photography, I would highly recommend this book.

this book helps alot when it comes to the effects of exposure in photography. I'm still lost though. I can't seem to get my camera off the automatic setting yet. The book shows what happens at different settings it even gives examples of subtle changes. It clearly shows the results of changing the exposure settings and demonstrates alot of photos where the exposure is just OK but how to get the same photo to POP by adjusting exposure settings.

I have read many photography books, and this book is my photography bible. It is suitable for beginners and intermediate. Both novice and intermediate photographers should not miss...

It contains theories and clear examples with clear explainations. Following assignments in this book provided, you will get more understanding on taking pictures.

The book is good, it tells you how to properly expose for different scenarios and effects but its explained too much. Its aimed for begginers so it can be a little boring for the ones that already know the basics. The pictures in the book look old and I didnt like that. Overall its a good book for learning from scratch or maybe catch a few extra tips that you may not already know as an intermediate photographer.

the author keeps this so relavant. Is like being in the field with him, as he gives you the way his brain works and then helps you to get the camera set so you capture the image correctly. The exercises are helpful and fun, and with digital you can tell right away if you're on the right path or not...

His images are lovely, the tips he offers are very easy to comprehend and very useful, from setting the correct aperture, to tricks of the trade for action shots, macro and more. He also offers secrets of the pros to keep your images interesting and a bit off the beaten path so they are also noteworthy and memorable...

As someone who has been dabbling in photgraphy, correct exposure has always been a tough part of the technical side of the art for me, but Peterson makes it accessible to anyone

A great book. Excellent first time introduction to the "technicals" of photography or for those who had let their knowledge slip. The photos are stunning and Bryan writes in a style that is entertaining and informative. Highly recommended to those interested in photography at the beginners level.

Although I've enjoyed taking pictures for years, I never really understood what I was doing. It was all the hit and miss approach. I bought this book several months ago as my first book in my attempt to understand HOW to take better pictures.

For a beginner like me I think this book is excellent at giving the reader an understanding of the basics of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The information is presented in a way that it is easy to follow and his writing style also makes it fun.

I think this book was likely somewhat difficult to write (had to dumb-it- down for those of us who are getting started) and in that regard there are times when he could have explained things further. Regardless, this book has helped me "get it" and I find myself referring back to it often. I see myself buying additional books written by Bryan in the future. I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to work beyond the "hit and miss" approach to photography.

I read thru this book in about a week- I have had my DSLR for 1 year, never had a film SLR, & never took a photography course. I read this book and
"The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography" by Jim Miotke - Both great books, easy reads with tons of info! Also they both have assignments that gets you to try out the techniques.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

I am in the process of reading this book. It is very easy to follow and great at helping me review and catch up.

I found this book and the other book ( Learning to See Creatively ) on PDF file and I read these books, then I purchased the two books for my library because these books are very easy to understand and also great reference in photography.

I am new to photography. I have a great camera and have been using it like a point and shoot. I knew that I needed to learn how to use the manual settings if I was going to have great pictures, but I haven't had time to take a class. I purchased this book, along with "Learning To See Creatively" and couldn't be more pleased. These books are like having a teacher in my home. They teach the tools, give lots of examples and even have assignments to learn how to hone the skill yourself. My photography has gotten 100% better since reading these books and they are a great reference for me to go back to again and again.

Understandable, plain English with enough detail that you come away with knowledge that you can put to use. Very readable and practical information that solved my worst exposure problems. I highly recommend this book.

I really learned allot being a photo novice and with three new cameras at the time of purchase it was very helpful.

This was one of the first photography books I bought. It is very good for the basics of exposure, DOF, Shutter Speed and such. Highly recommend it for just starting out.

This is really a very good book! I'm quite new to photography and this book has help a lot. I finished reading it in 4 days! Excellent and very easy to understand. Illustrations (photos) are in colours and most of all, the price is quite cheap for a great book. I really love this book and has not been willing to share it with my friends!

If you are doing outdoor photography, this book is a must read. The techniques described in this book for determing exposure are excellent. If your new to photography it is a good foundation to build on and if you have been taking pictures for awhile it is a good refresher on the very basic princible of photography, getting the right amount of light into the camera.

Tim Skipper
Vision Photo Image
www.visionphotoimage.com

This book is definitely a must have for any serious beginners who wants to understand the basics in a simple fashion. Highly recommended!

A good book to learn the basics of photography or to brush up on it. Has reveral good tips and some great shots.

No photographer young or old, professional or amateur should leave their home without this valuable tool at their disposal. The author explains everything in easy to understand detail about the mechanics and process of exposure and manual mode with your camera. I learned more in 15 minutes of skimming this book than a weeks worth of internet research. DO NOT THINK OF NOT ORDERING THIS BOOK!

The book is the perfect book for any beginner who is serious about photography. It takes the technical jargon out that most other books of it's sort has and replaces it with usable dialog, practices and peppers the whole book with stunning photographs. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to become a better photographer.

If you are seriously embracing photography, and you are new to it, this is a book you must read.

This book will give you a short but effective and very practical explanation on how each type of "creative" setting will affect the look of your shoot, and as had being mentioned in other reviews, it does it with very representative shots from the author.

It will also explain in a very clear way how to set up your aperture and time for difficult exposure situations, which will greately improve your skills and will let you take much better photos for those almost imposible situations.

After falling in love with photography almost six months ago, this has been the book that have had the biggest impact in the quality of my work, so, I you are new to photography, this should be the first book you read.

Understand Exposure (revised edition)

reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS: (dreric1kansas@aol.com)


Strengths: Beautiful color photos. Not a tutorial type book.This book is not a "pocket guide" but a "full meal deal." It takes time to read and " digest."
Weaknesses: Only 160 pages but is packed with information.

Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Rating: 5/5

I had read information about the author (of this book) and his focus on photography and the difficulties of using exposure. The essence of it struck a cord with me. I wanted to get this book and discover further about the author insights.
I have taken photographs for many years, under many different situation with the main objective being to advance my skills and capture better photos. Since the author had beautiful award winning photos, I wanted to know further about his methods concerning explaining relationships of aperture, shutter speed and film/ digital speed (ISO/ASA) which he considered the cornerstone of making (his ) magnificent photos. Called the "photographer's triangle," the main idea is to perfect this "trifecta" of methods (aperture, shutter speeds, and ISO/ASA). I was hoping that I would find fresh beneficial ideas that might benefit myself as well as other photographers. And I was glad I did.
This book is only 160 pages but is loaded with information within the six chapters and the index. Don't expect a series of tutorials for relaying the information. What this book offers is a set of insightful and easy to grasp notions that expand your knowledge of photography, photographic methods and the ideas which involve creating photograph in general.
The way the author writes is a like an "unfolding story." The ideas and methods actually intertwine and integrate along the way. Each idea has at least one of the author's superb photos that immediately "pops out at you." He weaves his ideas and explains how the final product created this award winning photo. Basic information is included along with the final exposure and additional information. Several times the focus also includes how the photo were initially created and then gradually transformed into a "better photo" and why. One or more photos show the "before and after" effects.
This book is not only enlightening but extremely instructive. Along the way to reading this beautiful books, there is information concerning polarizing filters, double and multiple exposures. Instead of reading this book as a speed reading course, you "digest it slowly " and "think about what is being said." In this day in age, where speed is everything, this is a welcome read.
This book is not a "pocket guide" but a "full meal deal."This definitely is a book that you "slowly digest." If you desire to learn about photography and take your time learning, this is a great book from an award winning photographer. While it might take a little time to finish the book , most will learn from the author's methods and his ideas.
The best way to learn from this book is to read the information, think about the photos and then how it might relate to your photos that you have taken in the past or want to take in the future. Whether you are just starting your photographic endeavors or advanced photographer, the author will give you something to think about, learn and construct your photos to a better level.

This book was a gift to a friend. I already have one and love it. It is not hard to understand but tells you what you need to know about taking a picture as art instead of just a snapshot.
The book is about the title. How to make your camera work for you by directing it through aperture or shutter speed. Well worth the time.