Bryan Peterson's Understanding Photography Field Guide: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera Paperback – August 18, 2009

I have owned many photography books over the years and Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Photography Field Guide" will be the book I pack with me from here on out.The book is organized into the 11 chapters detailed below and each chapter is organized into smaller sections which help you seek out the specific topics you want to review.1) A Few Digital Basics - Chapter topics range from file format and shooting in RAW to a gem of a section on white balance that explained better in 2 pages how this setting can really improve my photos than anything else I have come across in the past.2) Exposure - Topics in this chapter include exposure explanations, the photographic triangle, creative exposures, and more. Bryan is a master at de-mystifying exposure and you will improve your photography with this chapter.3) Aperture - This chapter does much more than just explain the effects of proper aperture settings, Bryan teaches you how aperture helps you tell the story you intend to with the photo.4) Shutter Speed & ISO - This chapter offered one of the best explanations of how ISO effects your photos I have found since being introduced to digital photography and I find the section on "motion in low light" to be very good. Bryan also explained the relationship between apeture and shutter speeds in an easy to understand and apply in the field format.5) Learning To See - This chapter covers a lot of ground on lenses and selecting the right lens for the right shot. Advice sections such as "shooting up" and "looking down" are helpful if you are looking for new ways to shoot but the photos included throughout the book are the best way to get new ideas for framing your shots.6) Designing A Striking Image - This chapter is the largest in the book and covers more than I can go into. Suffice it to say that this chapter is all about composition, choosing your subject, getting creative, etc. These kinds of chapters have always been inspiring to me because the photos are amazing and Bryan does not let you down here. If you aren't motivated to get up and grab your camera after reading these sections you should probably put it down for good.7) The Importance Of Light - This chapter covers a lot of ground from the best light, to low light, to backlight, etc. I found the material on exposure settings for various light conditions helpful and I was surprised that HDR exposure was covered in the detail it was...though not enough to start shooting HDR in my opinion. It seems as though you would still want to buy an HDR book to get into that in earnest.8) Close-Up Photography - This chapter is a pretty good introduction to macro and it did answer many questions I have had. I have been flirting with getting more into macro and this chapter has helped me get just a little bit closer to making the investment.9) Photographing People - This chapter is really about being a more professional, courteous photographer when people are the subject. This is the smallest chapter at just 7 pages and Bryan uses most of them to play armchair psychologist at getting people to like you taking their picture so you can get the best photos possible.10) Unconventional Techniques - This chapter covers various "tricks of the trade" such as "making rain" or unusual ways to mount your camera and it will only really be useful on a lazy weekend day when you can't find anything else to do or photgraph. Fun info here but basically a bonus chapter.11) Useful Tools - Here is the chapter that every photo book has and it basically feeds the gear addiction...tripods, filters, and more...It is impossible to get into all of the details that you will find in this book, and at 400 pages you will not be short of info to learn from and grow as a photographer.A couple other comments about the book itself...it is very high quality with good, heavy, high gloss paper that make the photos really pop of the pages. The book is very well built too and I can see that it will last for many years to come being lugged around in my camera bag and on trips. Also, this has to be the most compact and small 400 page book I have ever seen which is great because I do want to carry it with me when I go.And the photos...they are simply spectacular. I have found myself just flipping through the pages to look at the photos and that can be just as instructive as the text in my opinion. Bryan has selected excellent examples to demonstrate his topics/lessons and all of the photo captions have detail about the photo's exposure settings which I like because it helps reinforce the lessons being taught.I do not think anyone will be disappointed with this book and unless you are a seasoned pro already you will learn and grow as a photographer when you read and re-read this book's thorough chapters.

Let me preface my review by saying: I'm relatively new to DSLR cameras, and in the course of self-teaching myself have purchased and poured over about a dozen different photography books. Some are camera specific (because let's face it, the manufacturer product manuals that come with most cameras are dense, generally lack anything resembling the how and why, and assume a high familiarity with the lexicon of photography), others--like Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Photography Field Guide"--aren't camera specific, but instead focus on the fundamentals of DSLR photography, and a few are basically quick sets of tips and tried and true recipes for great shots (the how, but no why).By far, my favorite among these books is this one. It's written in language that's clear and concise, Peterson takes time to explain the industry jargon so you know what it means, and it provides a really strong foundation for understanding the fundamentals of photography. I wish I had started with this book; it would have saved me a lot of time and money (since I wouldn't have purchased many of the other books if I'd started here). I especially love how the book is generally organized in such a way that most topics span just one or two pages--so it's entirely possible to read just a few pages here and there (e.g., if you're in the waiting room before an appointment, or for whatever reason find yourself with three minutes to kill) and really get the concept he's talking about. And it means that you don't need to approach this book only when you have a few uninterrupted hours available for reading.Of course, like all authors and professionals (and especially photographers, it seems), Peterson has his biases. He's not particularly subtle (his primary bias is his take on White Balance: he basically recommends only ever shooting in "Cloudy" mode because he loves color saturation and assumes you'll correct for any imperfections during post-processing; he's also not a fan of the histogram), so it shouldn't be an issue. If you read similar photography books by other authors, you'll be able to approach his biases with a more balanced view. But to be clear, I didn't find this distracting or in any way detracting from the quality and utility of the book (honestly, out of 400 pages, this impacts fewer than half a dozen pages); I only mention this in case it's a personal pet peeve of yours to such an extent that you'd rather avoid it entirely. Also, this book is best used by someone with a DSLR camera; the "How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera" subtitle on the cover is a bit misleading and really should say, "...with Any DSLR Camera". Of course, there are a few tips and tricks in here that can be applied to point and shoot cameras, but not enough to justify purchasing this book if P&S is the only camera you own and you don't have plans to purchase a DSLR camera.I anticipate that I'll come back to this book many times over the years and re-read portions of it extensively. Highly recommended for anyone who is new to DSLR, or anyone who needs a refresher or who's been exposed to photography basics but never felt like they truly mastered or "got" it. For best results--especially if you're new to your camera and just figuring it out--I recommend using this book in conjunction with a camera-specific book such as those by David Busch or those in the "From Snapshots to Great Shots" series. There will be some overlap, but I've found that once you figure out where everything is on your camera and how to access the many different functions on it, Peterson's "Understanding Photography Field Guide" provides the best approach for understanding and mastering the fundamentals of DSLR photography.