Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second

5 Comments

1. 

   Michael R. Stoller Jr. / October 9, 2010

   Review by Michael R. Stoller Jr. for Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
   Rating:
   I first bought “Understanding Exposure” from this same author, and felt it was one of the best books I have ever read re: photography. A manual of sorts I still keep nearby. This edition focuses on the sub-point of shutter speed as it relates to exposure.

   The Good:
   
   Great color photography with good examples of how varying shutter speeds will affect an image. There are a number of tricks — like you can shoot action coming directly at you at 1/250, but need 1/500 for lateral or vertical movement.

   The Bad:
   
   I felt the book had a lot more fluff than the author’s other effort. Some of the images were re-used — or at least came from the same shoot — and it had a lot more creative examples which I personally didn’t like. It was outside the box a bit in terms of how to use shutter speeds, my complaint is that the results, even if intended, were not desirable.

   Overall:
   
   I liked this book, and glad I have it as a supplement to my growing photo library; but, I would not buy this before having his other edition. Shop price on this. I wouldn’t overpay. I would give this 3 1/2 stars if Amazon allowed it.

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2. 

   Conrad J. Obregon / October 9, 2010

   Review by Conrad J. Obregon for Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
   Rating:
   I’ve seen photography books on many subjects but this is the first one I’ve ever seen that claimed to limit itself to an understanding of shutter speed. How could I resist?

   Bryan Peterson is the author of “Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)”, a very popular book with photographers just getting into using cameras that allow them to adjust shutter speed, aperture and ISO for a proper exposure. This book might well have been entitled “More Understanding Exposure”.

   The book, which reads quickly and clearly, offers chapters covering the range of shutter speeds from 1/2000 of a second to several seconds and shows you when their use is appropriate. Peterson shows the reader how the use of different shutter speeds may be appropriate for the same subject, as when photographing action one might use a fast shutter speed to stop the action dead or a slow shutter speed to achieve deliberate blurs. Along the way, he scatters tips some of which are directly related to shutter speed, like shooting into the light in the rain at 1/60 of a second to get the best rain trails, and some only indirectly related, like using a Bogen Magic Arm attached to a broom to get a broom’s eye view of sweeping. Occasionally the pictures offered in illustration are extremely striking, like the image of a cat making its way down a flight of purple stairs, and sometimes quite banal, like the pictures of his daughter running toward the camera. The final chapter of the book, a summary of the rules of composition, seemed more like an add-on to make sure the author had a book’s worth of pages.

   I found Peterson’s description of clinging to the roof of a car without handholds, while being driven down a road taking pictures, to capture a sense of movement, alarming. It also seemed to me that a great deal of the information related to capturing blurred images, either as a result of camera or subject movement. I’ve used the procedure myself to convey my artistic intent, but here there seemed to be a suggestion that the result would inevitably be art, and I’m certain that’s not a correct conclusion.

   New photographers who have just begun to master exposure may benefit from the wide array of techniques offered and may find the inspiration to experiment. On the other hand, there is little here that will be new to experienced photographers, most of whom will have already learned the virtues of slow shutter speeds.
   

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3. 

   M. Warriner / October 9, 2010

   Review by M. Warriner for Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
   Rating:
   I have read and used the material presented in all of Mr. Peterson’s books and I have found them all to be extremely helpful in my quest to learn photography. “Understanding Shutter Speed” is yet another fine example of his excellent teaching abilities simplifying even the most complex topics so beginners like me are able to “understand”. This book like his others is full of beautiful sample photographs vividly illustrating the subject he is discussing. I highly recommend this book for any beginner photographer!

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4. 

   Harold Davis / October 9, 2010

   Review by Harold Davis for Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
   Rating:
   When I first looked at “Understanding Shutter Speed” by Bryan Peterson on Amazon I wondered how shutter speed, only one of the components of an exposure, made up a book. In fact, there are some organizational problems that are caused by choosing this particular slice as a wedge into the topic of photography. A good editor might well have wondered what the final chapter on “Composition” is doing at all in this particular book.

   The great strength here is idea generation. It’s hard not to look at the illustrations in this book and say, “Hey why don’t I try that?” The caption information is explicit enough so that you can recreate the ideas shown for yourself, or use them as a jumping off point. As an idea book, “Understanding Shutter Speed” is well worth its price.

   Personally, I find the text (as opposed to the photo captions) problematic. Peterson seems out of his depth when it comes to digital. He really seems to think that from a noise viewpoint you are better off underexposing by two stops and adjusting in RAW as opposed to boosting the ISO and exposing properly (he’s wrong). His discussion of ISO using a metaphor of hundreds of carpenters struck me as simply silly and without much point.

   But leaving the intellectual muddle out of it, this is a book you’ll want to own as a glorious idea generator.

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5. 

   Robert J. Gladys / October 9, 2010

   Review by Robert J. Gladys for Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
   Rating:
   When I ordered this book my first thought before receiving it was that I didn’t think I would learn too much but I have always loved his photography.

   Boy was I wrong. After reading the book I realized how many of my photos could have been better if I paid more attention to shutter speed. I had become so used to all of my photos stopping the action, that I realized if I had slowed the shutter and let some of the background blur, it would have actually improved the photo.
   
   shutter speed was something I was taking for granted and this book helped remind me of a creative element I had forgotten.

   Like all of Bryan Peterson’s books, this book is easy to read and all concepts are explained in a clear and concise manner. another plus is that many photos have two different versions to show what a change in shutter speed can do.

   and if nothing else, this book is worth it for the fantastic photos within it’s pages. He truly has a wonderful eye.

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