Understanding Exposure - SFBA Book Club

No cover — Bryan Peterson: Understanding Exposure (2004, Amphoto Books)

Paperback, 160 pages

English language

Published Aug. 1, 2004 by Amphoto Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-8174-6300-7

(2 reviews)

Veteran photographer Bryan Peterson demystifies complex concepts of exposure in photography by explaining the fundamentals of light, aperture, shutter speed, and how they interact with and influence one another. This book explains how to get or lose sharpness and contrast in images, freeze in action, and take the best meter readings while also exploring filters, flash, and light. This forth edition includes all new images as well as an expanded section on flash, tips for using colored gels, and advice on shooting star trails.

7 editions

John Best reviewed Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Better than expected

4 stars

The first half of this book goes over the basics of how to to choose aperture and shutter speeds, and felt pretty basic. The second half goes over a number of useful techniques for metering in specific scenarios. The chapter on choosing exposures for flash photography provided a nice introduction to the subject, enough to get started. Overall worth a read if you're looking for more control over your exposures.

Ashwin reviewed Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Review of 'Understanding Exposure' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is a book aimed mainly at the beginner-intermediate photographer. I simply loved the book and learnt a ton from it. Why? The book is focussed on explaining the 3 elements of the photographic triangle: aperture, shutter speed and light (ISO) and how they're related. This was perfect for me because I'm now at a stage where I can kind of compose photos, but have no idea what combination of the 3 photographic triangle settings will give the most creative exposure.

The book is just 160 pages and is composed of short chapters (each of just a couple of paragraphs) each dealing with specific details about the above. Every page is full of Peterson's photos which illustrate what he's trying to explain in that page. Also interesting is how Peterson gives the settings for that photo and even the backstory of how he did it. I loved everything -- the …

This is a book aimed mainly at the beginner-intermediate photographer. I simply loved the book and learnt a ton from it. Why? The book is focussed on explaining the 3 elements of the photographic triangle: aperture, shutter speed and light (ISO) and how they're related. This was perfect for me because I'm now at a stage where I can kind of compose photos, but have no idea what combination of the 3 photographic triangle settings will give the most creative exposure.

The book is just 160 pages and is composed of short chapters (each of just a couple of paragraphs) each dealing with specific details about the above. Every page is full of Peterson's photos which illustrate what he's trying to explain in that page. Also interesting is how Peterson gives the settings for that photo and even the backstory of how he did it. I loved everything -- the writing style of Peterson, his examples and explanations. I highly recommend this book. I know I'll be rereading this book soon.

Subjects

Photographic equipment & techniques
Photography
Photo Essays
Techniques - Equipment
Photography / Techniques
Photoessays & Documentaries
Exposure