One of the first books I read on photography was “Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera” by Bryan Peterson. My goal was to improve the images I was producing, and this book opened my eyes to what I could achieve through using the tips and techniques he disclosed.
After reading the book, I practised the techniques and found that my photography was improving. I was developing my artistic vision by using exposure to tell my story in the images. Just because you read a book doesn’t mean that you are automatically a better photographer. My experience has been I need to experiment with the knowledge provided and practice. That way, I learn and retain what has worked for me with my image-making.
Here are some of the things I enjoyed about this book:
- Each scenario described has good photos to explain the technique used.
- Peterson focuses on using Manual mode, which enables greater creative control.
- Recommendations are provided based on sound reasoning.
- While Peterson uses Nikon cameras, he explains the scenarios using generic camera terminology.
Here are some of the things I didn’t like about the book:
- The first chapter is wordy, but the chapters after that are concise.
- Light metering is explained halfway through the book – I would have preferred the explanation earlier as I regard it as critical to understanding exposure.
My bookshelf contains many photography books, but I regard this as being one of the most helpful. It takes the fear out of moving from “point and shoot” to using Manual mode and being creative with your camera.
I highly recommend this book.
