Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Simply Brilliant ! Just buy it.
I bought this book while I was moving from a point and shoot to a SLR. Its been close to 21/2 years now and I can now say confidently that this book has been the MAJOR reason for improvement in my technique and quality of my photographs ( as remarked by friends and family). Here is what I learnt from this book...1) Mainly, I feel an overpowering sense of joy and enthusiasm as I hold the camera in my hands, thanks to Bryan Peterson. From a hobby, it almost becomes an obsession as I read through his various photographic exploits. 2) I understood the principles of "correct" exposure, a term that is highly debatable. I learnt the basic principles of
a) Shutter speed
b) Aperture
c) Film
which he calls photographic triangle. I learnt how to expose for a starting aperture and then from that point on, he guides you to explore different settings to achieve specific results. Along with these techniques, you will learn a little about
i) Light meters
ii) Quality of light (sidelighting, backlighting etc)
iii) Depth of field
iv) Close-ups
v) Freezing the action, blurring the subject, panning, implying motion
vi) Print v/s slides etc. 3) He rarely lays out rules. He stresses out the importance of trying out different styles and techniques and one can see from the 147 beautiful and stunning pictures, the variety of shots that one can try. For each of his pictures, he gives out a brief introduction regarding time of day, location etc, followed by important technical details like the shutter speed used, aperture used, film speed, focal length etc. I find myself, sometimes, just flipping through the pages, and trying to estimate the shutter speed,aperture and focal length used , just by looking at the picture and not looking at the text and after the estimate, comparing my estimate with the one actually used. I find this habit really useful, because the next time I see a sunset, snowfall, or waterfall, I instantly have in my mind the shutter speed, aperture etc, to begin with. Just the fact that you actually know what you are doing when you operate the camera, give you so much more confidence. 4) Amazing consistency in technique. Pretty much for every photograph in the book (147 of them, in all), he begins by taking an accurate starting exposure. In fact, I now feel, that this technique alone, if learnt well, will improve the quality of your photographs 100 %! Then he explains the reason behind each (shutter speed + aperture) combination. I have found this consistency missing in other books that I have read (I have easily read more than 30 books cover to cover by now). Other books, that I have read, tend to approach each scenario (like a sunrise, sunset, cloudy weather, bright sunlight, indoor scenes etc) as a separate technique, which is kind of confusing. The result of this consistency is that, you would be quite confident while approaching different subjects that you see in daily life.
Also he does not throw in special accessories that might confuse people into thinking that good photographs are not possible without them. I see that a lot in other books. Examples of accessories are
i) different kinds of fancy flashes
ii) Filters
iii) spot meters etc. 5) I would pay 5 times the amount of the book, just to learn the above points. I have spent 5 times that amount, by going to photography courses and let me tell you I did learn some fine points here and there, but without the basic and solid background that this book provides, those points would have just been lost on me. Just to be complete in this review, besides the three fundamental elements (shutter speed, aperture and film), he explains
a) Tungsten balanced film
b) Pushing and pulling film
c) Multiple exposure and deliberate under and over exposures
d) Bracketing
e) Small section on filters 6) Finally I learnt much to my satisfaction that
a) Creative photographers are not born. Like any other form of art, it's directly related to your effort and your ability to learn from your mistakes.
b) It is wise to waste film rather than to waste a moment.
c) Even professionals like Bryan Peterson himself, get only 3 "zingers"(strong photographs) in a roll! So, that fact alone should be proof that practically everyone will continue to be beginners in this fine art and the terms expert, intermediate are all very relative terms. Looking back at my collection, I can safely discard majority of my pictures, since I now know what to look for! Bryan Peterson has been and will continue to be my "virtual" guru! I think this book belongs in every aspiring photographer's collection. Finally, a list of the few areas that this book does NOT address (but which can be found in other books) are: 1) Equipment details like
a) how an SLR works and functions
b) different kinds of lenses available(zoom, macros,standard etc) and their working
c) brand comparisons (like canon v/s nikon) etc. though he does compare brands of slide and print film. 2) Darkroom techniques - developing your own negatives etc. 3) Black and white photography techniques 4) Digital photography comparisons/techniques. 5) Creative techniques (rules!) that will be found in most books like golden mean, rule of the thirds, framing, crosslines etc. But this is fully justified, with what I mentioned earlier, that there are no "rules" laid out. This book is more about shooting from the heart rather than mind.
Rating: - MAKES IT EASY
you have to really laugh at human nature. on one hand you havesome people here saying "understanding exposure" is one ofthe best books they've ever read. and then you have other people panning the life out of it. as far as i'm concerned, i'm well and truly in the first camp -- i just can't believe how anyone could disparage this treasure trove of simple, practical advice. as someone stated before me, this book -- and particularly peterson's "learning to see creatively" -- was the catalyst behind my professional career. (i also love garrett's "the art of black and white photography"). peterson simply takes the confusion out of photography -- so you can focus on what really matter: framing the shot. you want to be able to understand what you're doing, so you can do it without thinking. peterson's books are a stepping stone to that level of awareness. and of course, you must shoot, shoot, shoot. i took 5,000 shots the year i read "learning to see creatively" -- a testament to the infectious enthusiasm peterson brings to his subject...good luck. and thank you, mr.peterson!
Rating: - Simply Brilliant ! Just buy one .
I bought this book while I was moving from a point and shoot to a SLR. Its been close to 21/2 years now and I can now say confidently that this book has been the MAJOR reason for improvement in my technique and quality of my photographs ( as remarked by friends and family). Mainly, I feel an overpowering sense of joy and enthusiasm as I hold the camera in my hands, thanks to Bryan Peterson. From a hobby, it almost becomes an obsession as I read through his various photographic exploits.
Here is what I learnt from this book...1) Principles of "correct" exposure, a term that is highly debatable. Learnt the basic principles of
a) Shutter speed
b) Aperture
c) Film
Learnt how to expose for a starting aperture and then from that point on, he guides you to explore different settings to achieve specific results. Along with these techniques, you will learn a little about
i) Light meters
ii) Quality of light (sidelighting, backlighting etc)
iii) Depth of field
iv) Close-ups v) Freezing the action, blurring the subject, panning, implying motion
vi) Print v/s slides etc. 3) The book rarely lays out rules. He stresses out the importance of trying out different styles and techniques and one can see from the 147 beautiful and stunning pictures, the variety of shots that one can try. For each of his pictures, he gives out a brief introduction regarding time of day, location etc, followed by important technical details like the shutter speed used, aperture used, film speed, focal length etc. I find myself, sometimes, just flipping through the pages, and trying to estimate the shutter speed,aperture and focal length used , just by looking at the picture and not looking at the text and after the estimate, comparing my estimate with the one actually used. I find this habit really useful, because the next time I see a sunset, snowfall, or waterfall, I instantly have in my mind the shutter speed, aperture etc, to begin with. Just the fact that you actually know what you are doing when you operate the camera, give you so much more confidence. 4) Amazing consistency in technique. Pretty much for every photograph in the book (147 of them, in all), he begins by taking an accurate starting exposure. In fact, I now feel, that this technique alone, has improved my photographs a great deal . Then he explains the reason behind each (shutter speed + aperture) combination. I have found this consistency missing in other books that I have read (around 15 books now). Other books, that I have read, tend to approach each scenario (like a sunrise, sunset, cloudy weather, bright sunlight, indoor scenes etc) as a separate technique, which is kind of confusing. The result of this consistency is that, you would be quite confident while approaching different subjects that you see in daily life. Just to be complete in this review, besides the three fundamental elements (shutter speed, aperture and film), he explains
a) Tungsten balanced film
b) Pushing and pulling film
c) Multiple exposure and deliberate under and over exposures
d) Bracketing
e) Small section on filters I think this book belongs in every aspiring photographer's collection. Finally, a list of the few areas that this book does NOT address (but which can be found in other books) are: 1) Equipment details like
a) how an SLR works and functions
b) different kinds of lenses available(zoom, macros,standard etc) and their working
c) brand comparisons (like canon v/s nikon) etc. though he does compare brands of slide and print film. 2) Darkroom techniques - developing your own negatives etc. 3) Black and white photography techniques 4) Digital photography comparisons/techniques. 5) Creative techniques (rules!) that will be found in most books like golden mean, rule of the thirds, framing, crosslines etc. But this is fully justified, with what I mentioned earlier, that there are no "rules" laid out. This book is more about shooting from the heart rather than mind.
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