Rating: 
Summary: Simply Brilliant ! Just buy it.
Review: 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:
Summary: Just take a chance
Review: I recently purchased and have read about 90% of this book. It's very helpful in explaining the exposure triangle as Peterson describes it, as well as depth-of-field including when to use it, how to use it, and how to compensate for it. Some of the most important advice that Peterson gives is to take some chances with your photographs by trying different techniques and types of film. He also notes that even the best photographers end up with two or three great photos out of a roll of film. This makes me feel a little better that most of the photos I take aren't fit for lining the bird-cage. It should also help keep things in perspective. I'm looking forward to finding the time to attempt some of the techniques described in the book. There's nothing in it specific to Digital Photography, if that's your area of interest, but if you choose to shoot with film, this book will be invaluable.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous book
Review: The other reviewers have said it all. I will put it simply. The book is a great reference for those who do and do not know about photography. And it's an enjoyable read. The best part, it explains f-stops and shutter speed together. This is so helpful because most books address the two separately. Mr. Peterson explains how they work together in an easy to understand manner, with pictures!! And great photographs at that. Buy the book, it's cheap and you will love it.
Rating:
Summary: The best book on photography I have ever read.
Review: I have read sections of this book numerous times to continue
to understand all the aspects of exposure w/ a camera. I highly
recommend this book for beginning and experienced photographers.
I plan to purchase his new edition which comes out in August, 2004 as soon as it comes out. Go buy the book--you will not be dissapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Book was a surprise. Indeed.
Review: In my humble opinion:
Book is for: serious amateurs.
Pros:
1)explanation of every single photo in this book, including settings of the camera for each and description by author on the subject of the photo, technique and problems solved while gaining result.
2)Patient and deep description of photo essentials. Cons: Lacks author's experience or arguments on equipment. Personal touch: I chose it online and was pretty surprised on the print format of the book and tongue this book has, describing stuff with experienced, but not 'you know this already, so next one is..' point of view. It became very obvious to me, that author really wanted to Share his experience, describing stuff deeply and covering it with more than basic or typical examples. I would recommend it to anyone allready knowing basics and willing to move on.
Rating:
Summary: Great Place To Start...
Review: Hi. I'm a guitar player as my nickname implies----but I'm also a serious amateur photographer, and I know just enough about photography to be dangerous. This book helped me alot---partiularly with aperature, shutter speed, and film speed. But I did have to go elsewhere to find definitions of some of the nomenclature used and equipment mentioned in this book. But then, I guess the author didn't intend the reader to know absolutely nothing going in. Types of lenses are covered very little---flash photography and/or studio photography are covered very little. However, the author does a fabulous job of driving home the basics of achieving good exposure---lots of good photo examples too. The book is easy to read----and it is a fast read. It didn't answer all of my questions, but this book is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Why I Skipped Lunch
Review: Looking back at the review I posted a long time ago, I realized the ravings were proper only if you are an absolute beginner.
________________________________ Reading other people's review of this book I was ready to think these are paid ravings. Or perhaps these are the author's drinking buddies or relatives up to the fifth degree of consanguinity trying to boost its sales. But I was desperate to understand the biggest mystery of them all -- exposure and how to achieve it. Tell you what, the more I read about the subject the more I am confused. To make my ramblings short I bought the book. Then I stayed up until midnight trying to devour the whole thing. Usually I would end up choking on the first five pages or so but this one is so honest and so clear and focused as to what it was trying to achieve that I couldn't put it down. It inspired me so much, given me so much confidence that I wanted to jump out of bed, grab my gear and shoot the night away. The more I read the more I understood. If they took away the main text and printed just the captions accompanying the sample photographs taken by the author this will still be a smart buy. Am I allowed to say this book is timeless? Master Bryan Peterson wrote it in 1990 but he can claim it was written just last month and nobody would have noticed. The concepts discussed and explained still tugs at the hearstrings of one pampered by the Digital Age. Buy this book. If they say it is out of stock swamp the publisher with orders until they give up and decide to have it reprinted. Books of this kind may be hazardous to people selling books on photography. After owning this book, it makes you think twice whether you need another tome on exposure and its mysteries. This one splendid volume makes you believe you have learned everything there is to learn and is ready for the lunch you just skipped.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I just recently bought this book and it is definately a "have to have"! Some of the things he explains maybe hard for the beginner to understand but if you keep reading it all falls together smoothly! I noticed that he uses a tripod, it would be hard not to notice, he is always saying "securely mounted on a tripod"... however, I don't think you need to use one as often as he does, unless of course you have a real unsteady hand. I definately think if you are thinking about buying this book you should! It has helped me in improving my photographs! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding presentation of essential concepts
Review: I loved this book. It is absolutely perfect for beginning photographers as well as for advanced shotters who need a refresher (that was me). The information was presented in an easy to understand way and example photos were given with each conecpt or technique, If you haven't mastered the topics in this book, or do not use it regularly, you need to read it here! It's a very small investment for such valuable knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: Learning More Already!
Review: I've only read one page of the first chapter, and already I understand more than I ever did before. I love taking photographs, but I've never really understood all the photo terms that go along with it: aperture, f-stop, shutter speed, etc. I even asked a photographer friend to explain, but she just couldn't make it clear. This book has done that in less than one page, and I can't wait to read more. A great book for casual photographers like me who'd like to get a more professional look to their photos and sound more professional when they talk about them!
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