Exposure Digital Field Guide Paperback – January 1, 2009

இ Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary:ѾѾѾѾѾ Highly recommended with warm fuzzies!Even though I purchased this book more than two years ago, this book on exposure stands the test of time in my large collection of photography books. During the past two years, I have continued to add to my collection of photography how-to books and this book is still one of my two favorite books on exposure that I read for insight, with my other favorite exposure book being Bryan Peterson's excellent book  Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera .While I have also read other photography books on exposure, I love this excellent "field guide" stuffed with useful how-to guidelines that I may need out in the field, on-location, or while traveling, and its compact 9"x6" size makes it easy to fit inside my camera bag or backpack. I have another so-called "DSLR field guide" written by a well-known photography expert, and while I also really respect this other author, his field guide spends way too much time talking about the history of photography, camera parts, CMOS versus CCD digital image sensors, and post-processing. While all of this is interesting, it really does not belong in a field guide where the reader needs to quickly look up information to help answer some specific questions that may arise while actually photographing or getting ready to photograph.This book is nicely balanced in its coverage of a wide range of exposure topics and a multitude of scenes and shooting scenarios that you may encounter. The first five chapters, covering 86 pages or about one-third of the book, discuss the various factors that affect exposure, including your camera's exposure and metering modes, the color and direction of lighting, and the three amigos of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings.Chapters 6 through 13 then each cover a different kind of exposure scene: event photography, portraits, landscape and nature, night and low-light, sports and action, wedding photography, wildlife and animal, and ending with "creative exposure" where you are purposely overexposing or underexposing to create a mood or effect. Each of these eight "scene" chapters begins with an "Exposure Considerations" section that discusses variables and factors to consider along with offering suggestions of how to adjust your camera settings. This is followed by a "The Right Equipment for the Job" section in each chapter that discusses the cameras, lenses, lighting, and accessories that you may need to successfully shoot those kinds of scenes. Each "scene" chapter then ends with a list of very useful "Shooting Tips". The layouts of these chapters have a very useful cookbook approach to guiding you through properly exposed shots of various scenes, helping you to mentally think through various considerations that you may need to take into account for a particular scene. The book ends with an Appendix that discusses post-processing software and how to use the included combination gray card and color checker card. The inclusion of the gray and color checker card in the book adds even more to the usefulness of this book.Even though I have practiced my own exposure techniques for years now, combined with LOTS of learning from my mistakes over the years, I still periodically flip through this compact book because it is filled with lots of great tips!

I am professional commercial/fine art photographer, and OH how I wish I had this little gem back when I was starting out. It's got a recipe for everything! That makes getting great shots very simple, way before needing to learn the "theory" behind the settings. My favorite part was Alan's explanations of the LOGIC, that is questions to ask yourself...the order of decisions one must consider before taking a picture. It's the kind of thing most shooters learn school-of-hard-knocks method, by years of experience. Here Alan Hess has made the mysterious digital photography world accessible to all. Chock-full of picture examples on almost every page, this guide lists the specific camera settings that created each one. Fantastic! The color checker card was a nice bonus as well. (Sold separately, a checker costs more than this book!) A really unbelievable bargain to get this much at such a reasonable price. It's going to be a great gift to all the friends I mentor in photography. Thanks, Alan!

This book is small enough to carry with you for reference. It is very specific about how to handle certain situations so that you have the best presentation for your photo. This is written for the avocational photographer who is starting to use a digital camera. Those looking for a "point and shoot" only camera will not spend the time to use this guide to best advantage. Many of us "old style" photographers making the jump to digital have a learning curve and have to rethink how we handling setting up the camera for the best shot. Just becoming familiar with all the options available with digital is overwhelming. This book breaks down each facet of setting up your photo and does a good job explaining how to physically perform the function you want. There are plenty of pictures which provide a great visual presentation to go along with the writing.

This is the book that should've been in my less-than-amateur hands back in 2005. Clear sentences, clear explanations, clear LOGIC. Alan Hess surely knows how to communicate to the non-professional enthusiast, and gives tons of positive moral support by explaining the basics of exposure, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in a totally chewable presentation.If you're just starting to get your feet wet in digital photography, don't pass up on this excellent book. Mastering the concept of exposure should be a primary goal, and Alan Hess gives a pretty impressive overview of how to start thinking and deciding upon the best way to produce beautiful images. Very insightful tips too.A great sub-title for this book would've been "Exposure Exposed!" Luv it. And, yes, this will travel alongside my camera for a long, long time.

I liked everything, I borrowed it from the local library and when I found it so useful I ordered one.

As an amateur photographer, I found this book an excellent resource guide. It is especially helpful for me because it is easy to read and understand. It really clarifies shutter speeds and apertures, which can be quite confusing for a beginner photographer. I only wish the author had written more about the use of the gray card and color checker, which is at the back of the book. (A new subject matter for me) Anyway, I am happy I purchased this book.

Arrived on time and in good condition. I would recommend the book to any photographer wanting to improve his/her skills. It's the kind of book that after you read it you will keep it on the shelf or in your camera case as a handy reference book.

The author explains difficult concepts in a clear, concise way. I had some knowledge of ISO, shutter priority, aperture priority before ordering this book, gleaned from the web. Reading the book though has pulled it all together, so many AHA moments! I will definitely keep it in my camera bag, I know I will always find the information to be very useful.

Good reference, easy to use and to the point.

As a field guide book I thought it would be smaller and more compact and a little more technical so it was a disappointment

Explained every part of exposure in a most simple language.Must for every photographer.

The bane of all photographers, whether professional, intermediate or learner, is exposure. It does not matter what you see in the viewfinder (or LCD screen if that's your preferred method of composing) or how wonderful you believe your luck to be, if the photo you take is not exposed correctly you will be kicking yourself; even more so if the opportunity has passed. Alan Hess' book on `Exposure' is the twelfth in the Digital Field Guide series and the most important. Neither camera nor brand specific, this book is not aimed at those with high end DSL's - they should know what they are doing - it is a mid range user guide covering light, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, low-light, and photographing weddings, events, portraits, landscape and nature, sport, and wildlife. It is all written in easy to understand terms, not assuming that the reader knows what a 'stop' is, nor what RAW, TIFF and JPEGs are.There are plenty of photographs detailing what f-number, speed and ISO was used, but it would have been nice to be shown the same photo with different camera settings so the reader could see the differences in selecting incorrect settings. Admittedly, there are a couple of these but too few by far. Included is a tear out colour and grey card checker for white balance and colour.Though billed as a carry-round-with-you-book, it will need a rucksack or reasonably sized shoulder bag as it is slightly too large to fit in a camera case. There's also a small section covering software such as Photoshop, which is in all honestly akin to `cheating'; the idea in photography is to get the shot right in the first instance through trial and error and not have to rely on software to fix it. Using this book will help you do that.

I hold my hand up here. I am something of a novice in photography terms so go easy on me if I get a few things mixed up in technical speak! What I have done is enlist the help of a more experienced friend as well. She has cast her eye over the book so what I'll do is give my beginners view first. Then I'll offer up some comments from my friend on how useful this book is to someone who knows their aperture from their elbow...My beginners viewThis book is packed with information! I'm not kidding, if you weren't over-awed by the amount of variables that can change a photo then you ain't seen nothin' yet. However, whilst it has loads of information it is presented in an excellent manner. As a beginner I didn't feel too lost and with the aid of the pictures and the very useful tear out cards for checking colour and greys. These cards in particular have been proving worth their weight in gold to me.As I read through the chapters I did feel like I was being well guided through taking more care over settings for photos. The concept of prepping before going out to take particular photos is stressed but the book is also of a good enough size to take out with you in a decent sized camera bag. This I am quite grateful for as it means I don't have to worry about remembering everything! I see this book as a good field aid now and I am certainly getting to point where most of the time I can have a good stab at getting things right without reference.And the most important thing - this book is helping me get better shots and also better shots first or second time. It really is a great book!More Experienced photographers viewThe book is a great reference aid. The cards are really helpful even for people who have been photographing for a while. I'm not an expert by any means but most of the time I like to think I can get by pretty well. What this book has been great for is giving me a chance to recap old ground, hone my techniques a bit and also lose a few bad habits I had grown into over time. It isn't a book I'd carry with me, the cards I would, but it would be a good reference book to keep in my library and re-read from time to time.