The timing of this particular recollection should not be much of surprise based on the previous foreshadowing. Yes, it’s another photography book by Bryan Peterson called Understanding Exposure. As before, this book was actually purchased for Linda and sadly, does not count against the paper buildup. That downside does not eclipse the benefit of this read. Like the Understanding Shutter Speed offering, Bryan has an incredible way of presenting a technical topic in an understandable manner. Per the title, this book was focused on the classic triad of Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO which together deliver an exposure (this would be the good kind, not the perv in the raincoat type). If you recall, one of the legs of that triad (Shutter Speed) was actually the topic of the first book I read. To make that book more effective, I recommend reading this first since the shutter book often refers to the “correct exposure” which is thoroughly explained in today’s subject. As with the Shutter book, this one is full of examples complete with detailed camera settings (again with Nikon so a double bonus for us!).
After reading this book I can safely say I’m pretty much done with the programmable modes on the camera. I think I can correctly mimic all of those settings plus gain more creative control through the manual mode. This may take a few minutes more getting the triad correct than the A and S modes, but the satisfaction of being completely responsible for the results of the photo is kind of exciting. There were a ton of valuable takeaways from this read. If I had to focus in on just a couple, I would have to go with the different sky meterings to get proper exposure for sunsets, skylines and, surprisingly enough, waterfalls in the woods (the latter being a common theme in our own photo shoots). The other important tidbit was the focus points for the small apertures (i.e. f/22). The larger the aperture number (technically the smallest amount based on being inverted) the larger the focus depth is. Knowing to focus 1/3rd into the scene to maximize depth will come in handy out in the field. Our photo output has already improved significantly and Linda was able to take some excellent shots at her latest indoor Agility show which is traditionally a tough environment given the low lighting and movement of the dogs. Apparently others thought the shots were darn good as well based on the number of orders she got for her photo collages. For those of you into photography, at least take a glance at this book and admire Bryan’s awesome shots of tree silhouetted in the sun (pg 26 and 118) and the very nice shot of a Caterpillar Track Type Tractor (pg 124 – possibly a D11) moving coal (of course, I may be a little biased on that shot due to the fine choice of equipment). Oh, and there is a great shot of purple flowers fill flashed against the dark cloudy Chicago skyline on page 169. If there is one room for improvement, I’d suggest giving an outro for the book. It literally talks about a flash mode (Rear Curtain Sync) and simply ends. No summary, not words of encouragement no hope you enjoyed, just the final sentence on the sync topic and he’s out of there. I remember turning past the index and even checking the binding to see if some pages were left out. It’s as if a topic for another book popped into his head and he wanted to get this one out of the way as soon as possible in order to start on that new concept. This is just a minor nuisance and the little nuggets gleamed from this read far outweigh this quirk (although that last impression has stayed with me). Needless to say, this book is a keeper and based on the last two books from Bryan, I’m in the hunt for more offerings from him.
Hit the jump to see read those nuggets!
It’s another month and it would have been another 1/2 inch off the read pile. That is, if the book featured in this post was actually on that stack. I actually picked up this particular book for my wife as a gift for some very special occasion … admittedly, I’ve since forgotten what that occasion was (oops). But hey, it’s the thought that counts and nothing says I care more than a present that we can BOTH get some value out of. In case the light is dim in your reading area, we enjoy a little hobby called photography. This hobby is interesting in the since it always seems like there is more to learn, more creative things to explore and a constant reminder after every photo shoot how easy it is to blow an exposure. Fortunately, there are a lot of experts in this field that are willing to share their tips and tricks. While at the bookstore looking for gifts for Linda (and no, I still cannot remember the occasion), I noticed two books by Bryan Peterson that looked promising. One of those books was Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second. Consider the other as a foreshadowing. Two things immediately popped out in this book. First, it covered a key subject in our photography interest, motion stopping. Linda likes to photograph agility dogs in action and I like to capture birds in flight, both of which generally require at least 1/500th second or faster to freeze the subject in the frame. The other appealing aspect was the author primarily used Nikons and took the time provide camera settings for each of the numerous example pictures.