Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)

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1. 

   Conrad J. Obregon / October 25, 2010

   Review by Conrad J. Obregon for Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)
   Rating:
   The electronic age of cameras has, in many ways, made it easier on photographers. Back in the days when I first began to take pictures, I had to remember the speed of the film I was using in the camera, and then adjust the aperture and shutter speed to match the light. Eventually I got a separate exposure meter and transferred the data to the camera, then a clip-on meter where I matched a needle to an index to set the exposure, then a view of the needle in the viewfinder window that I had to set. And one day, all of that disappeared. I just had to point my camera at the subject and press the button. That was it. Or almost. With nothing to set, I sometimes got grey snow, or blurred figures. But usually I remember my earlier days, and compensate for the situation or my vision of what I want. I often run into photographers who started photography after the introduction of electronic exposure who are surprised that I know the adjustments I want before I take any picture.

   This book is aimed at the photographer who is interested in just one thing: getting a handle on exposure. (I know the title includes lighting, but lighting is just the reverse side of the exposure coin.)

   The authors start out discussing the nature of light, and then discuss the three-legged stool of exposure: aperture, shutter speed and media sensitivity. They tell how to use a meter, in camera or separate, and then how to modify what the meter tells you to capture your vision. Next the authors talk about adding light either with lighting equipment or by controlling natural light. Finally they talk about lighting and exposure for specific subjects, like portraits, action, nature, objects and architecture. I particularly loved the fact that they gave a succinct explanation of that favorite of older photographers, the zone system. They also dealt easily but fully with my sine qua non, the histogram. There’s only the slightest reference to digital post processing. For that you’ll need another book.

   The authors write in a clear, concise style and cover virtually everything one would want to know about exposure and lighting. I must admit that sometimes that bordered on the pedantic, but they move along quickly enough to hold one’s interest. For this subject, this book is as good as it gets.

   You may think that you don’t need this book. If you know the sunny 16 rule, and know whether to compensate up or down and how many stops for a snow scene, and use depth of field selectively, and understand what you can see in Zone 0, and know when you want to shoot in aperture priority and at what f/stop, then you probably don’t need this book. All other photographers should read it.

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2. 

   Keith A. Monahan / October 25, 2010

   Review by Keith A. Monahan for Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)
   Rating:
   This book was an easy read, and the 368 pages flew by. The writing style is good, smooth, and the book is well edited for grammar and spelling. The sections on lighting were well executed, and seemed complete enough. The authors’ description of the various types of lights, meters, reflectors, etc was good and included when and how to use them throughout the book. The construction quality of the book is very good. Nice color photographs throughout.

   The exposure sections, which make up the bulk of the book, were simply not practical. First, this book wouldn’t work for a beginner because the authors failed to start on square one. They assumed prior knowledge of subjects, rules, and referred to them without any additional explanation.

   Conversely, if you are well read on the topic of photography, I don’t feel like the authors brought anything new to the table. What sets this book apart from the others?

   Next, the authors pointed out roughly 10-12 “rules of thumb” throughout the book, like increasing exposure compensation +1 or +2 stops for snow photos.

   While the rules of thumb are valuable, it truly becomes “rule by exception”, instead of taking one or two applicable rules that always hold true, they give you 12 rules that apply to 12 different situations. Good luck remembering those!

   The book has an obvious reoccurring cliche that gets boring after awhile. This central repeated theme is:

   1. Shoot RAW.
   
   2. Use exposure bracketing.
   
   3. Default camera metering modes don’t always work, spot meter in that case.
   
   4. Use exposure compensation when necessary.
   
   5. Supplement available light, if possible.

   Better books are available on the subject.

   I’d highly recommend “Complete Digital Photography” by Ben Long, especially the chapters on Exposure and Metering. They are both really strong chapters.

   Complete Digital Photography, Fourth Edition (Graphics Series)

   Another good book, although mostly for beginners, is “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson.

   Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
   

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3. 

   Wayne Holliday / October 25, 2010

   Review by Wayne Holliday for Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)
   Rating:
   I have been using digital point & shoots for several years, and finally decided that it was time to invest in a digital SLR. Among other issues, I was frustrated with the shutter lag. So I made the plunge and my shutter lag problem went away. However, everything comes with some baggage. Now I had all these other capabilities and controls that I didn’t really know what to do with. The camera manual was pretty basic; it told you how to control the camera functions, but not what their purpose was or why you would want to do that. So I got a supplement book (Magic Lantern) that did a pretty good job of explaining the functions, ie, what they did and had a little bit of the why you might want to do it.
   
   Nonetheless, I was still primarily using the auto functions and I didn’t think I was getting anywhere close to the value that my new camera could deliver. What to do next?
   
   Looking through the photo instruction books, I saw some good reviews for this one. I didn’t know if it would be particularly helpful, but it did sound interesting. It turns out that was a good, and very lucky, decision. From the first page through the end, the book was helpful instruction. More than anything, it explained the “why” of things in digital photography. The other books mainly told me about the camera; this one told me about photographs. All through it were “aha” moments when the authors pointed out problems that I experienced all the time and didn’t know what to do about; then they showed how to handle it. For example, I prefer pictures in outdoor settings but peoples faces seldom come out as I want them. Simple fixes like moving into shade, changing white balance, adding a simple reflector, changing camera position or head position; no fuss kinds of stuff, made big differences in the photos.
   
   Speaking of photos, the pictures in the book are great. They do a wonderful job of demonstrating the effects of the various elements.
   
   I suppose that more experienced photographers would not get a lot out of the book. But for someone like me, it was perfect. It showed me how to really get more value out of the digital SLR capabilities. I no longer use the auto setting and my photos are much more appealing. Plus it’s fun to experiment and learn how to apply the principles from the book.
   
   Highly recommend it for people that want to move past “point & shoot”.
   

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4. 

   Under Exposed / October 25, 2010

   Review by Under Exposed for Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)
   Rating:
   This is an excellent book for developing the practical skills of exposure and lighting. It is readable, clear, well-presented, wide-ranging, succinct, and full of well-chosen example images to illustrate the techniques described in the text.

   Although I have read many books on photography, this book really increased my awareness of light and my skill in handling exposure. My photographs have improved, my photography is more confident and enjoyable, and I find myself looking at the world in a new way.

   I found this book much more helpful than books like Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) which I found too vague to be instructive. Compared with my favorite general reference on photography, The New Manual of Photography, this book naturally has much more detailed coverage of lighting and exposure, but also has more relevant information about exposure in digital photography.

   There are some very minor errors in technical detail. For example flash power is measured in watt-seconds, not watts per second. And surely it is not so hard to explain that f/8 means one-eighth of the focal length! These are minor quibbles in an otherwise excellent book.

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5. 

   C. Sheng / October 25, 2010

   Review by C. Sheng for Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)
   Rating:
   While the author makes mention of the word “digital” throughout the book, the majority of the information contained within does not deal exclusively with digital photography. The author himself even admits in his own preface of the book that most of his friends didn’t understand why the book title states “For Digital Photographers Only”. If you’re a photographer who already have a good grasp of general photography concepts and are looking to gain digital-specific knowledge, this is NOT the book for you. You will find maybe 2 pages worth of useful information on digital photography. Maybe. But if you’re looking for a general photography book that covers everything, this is not a bad start. The page layout of the book is worse than average. You often have to turn the page to find a reference or comparison photo, making the reading slow and unpleasant. I would’ve given it one more star if the title had read “Exposure and Lighting For ALL Photographers”.
   

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