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.
Linda had some other reading material stacked up so I took the liberty to read the book first. You know, in case the book sucked I could save her from wasting valuable time – wow, the gift comes in so many facets. After reading the first few pages I was hooked. Bryan has the ability to take a technical subject and make it both entertaining and understandable. If only he wrote Calculus books when I was in school! This book is loaded with example pictures that drive home the main points of every chapter along with the zoom setting and triad configurations (the triad being the interrelationships of ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture). Thanks to this book I now have the confidence to progress from the programmed settings (A/S modes) to full Manual giving me full control of the photography experience. It will take a long time to get used to this much control, but the last couple of outings have produced some very nice shots (and some equally crappy shots, but no one said this hobby was easy).
If I had take some points off from this work, I would have to ding it for the chapters on shutter painting. This is more from a personal perspective, since imposed motion on a subject doesn’t really appeal to me much. Now panning a moving subject can produce some pretty cool effects by slowing down the shutter speed and moving the lens in the same direction as the subject is moving. This will produce an image where the subject is still, but the background is blurred providing a classic motion sensation. Contrast that with the other painting modes described by Bryan that includes taking a picture (again with a slow shutter speed) and moving the camera up, down, diagonal etc. causing a finger painting effect. Some people may enjoy these more than Linda and I, but we prefer the more classic photography techniques. For example, if you happen to see this book, take a gander at the incredible light house picture complete with light beaming through the fog or the long shutter shot of a statue with a lighted Ferris wheel in motion behind it. Those two pictures were alone worth the price of admission.
In summary, this was a fantastic book and highly recommended for any photo enthusiasts library. Bryan did an an excellent job of presenting shutter control concepts and encouraging us to keep striving to get better. Now we just need to put this new knowledge in practice! Oh, and a note to the author… including a picture of your wife in a bikini is just showing off.
Hit the jump for my takeaways
