Opinions Bryan Peterson / Al Judge: I know this may be an open ended question, and with that in mind. Based on the opinions of those who have read or used these books by either/both...

foxfirerodandgun Loc: Stony Creek, VA

I know this may be an open ended question, and with that in mind. Based on the opinions of those who have read or used these books by either/both authors which author do you prefer and why.

Al Judge: Mastering Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and Exposure: How They Interact and Affect Each Other

Bryan Peterson: Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

Many thanks.

CO

I have Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" and "Understanding Flash Photography". I especially like Understanding Flash Photography because it covers a lot of different situations where flash can be used. A lot of other books on flash photography focus on wedding photography. Bryan Peterson's book focuses on every day situations where flash can be used.

foxfirerodandgun Loc: Stony Creek, VA

CO wrote:

I have Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" and "Understanding Flash Photography". I especially like Understanding Flash Photography because it covers a lot of different situations where flash can be used. A lot of other books on flash photography focus too much on wedding photography. Bryan Peterson's book covers much more and gives practical information.

Thank you.

I saw the one on flash photography and have considered buying it. This is an area that I am very weak in. Has the one on exposure been a big help?

CO

foxfirerodandgun wrote:

Thank you.

I saw the one on flash photography and have considered buying it. This is an area that I am very weak in. Has the one on exposure been a big help?

Understanding Exposure is good but I got tired of reading it. It seems like it could have been condensed much more - too much text for the amount of information it provides. If you like to do flash photography definitely get Understanding Flash Photography. You can do a Look Inside on the Amazon website.

I learned something valuable in the flash photography book. Peterson describes a technique for dealing with situations where the main subject is close to the camera and is getting overexposed by the flash. He puts both the camera and flash in manual mode and exposes for the background and main subject separately. When the flash is in manual mode, it displays the ideal flash to subject distance on its LCD screen. He estimates how far away the main subject is and adjusts the output level until that distance is shown on the screen.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

I like both authors, but I guess I like Al Judge a bit more. Like his relaxed but practical style.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I have Bryan Peterson's exposure solutions and was intrigued when I first started reading it. Next time I went out on a wildlife shoot, I was excited to try it and framed a landscape shot with a close up subject then upped the fstop to f22 and got horribly soft results from diffraction. My f8 and f11 shots looked far better. So, I guess I'm going to need to study a bit more, maybe try it with a film camera or maybe stacking shots at different focus distances.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

For flash photography I like Neil Van Neikerk. His website and books are excellent much better than Bryan Peterson. Although I do like Peterson’s Understanding Exposure.

farleymr Loc: Brevard NC

Agree 100%

spraguead Loc: Boston, MA

sueyeisert wrote:

For flash photography I like Neil Van Neikerk. His website and books are excellent much better than Bryan Peterson. Although I do like Peterson’s Understanding Exposure.

That Neil Van Neikerk site is awesome, thanks for the info.

Dan Ausec

CO wrote:

I have Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" and "Understanding Flash Photography". I especially like Understanding Flash Photography because it covers a lot of different situations where flash can be used. A lot of other books on flash photography focus on wedding photography. Bryan Peterson's book focuses on every day situations where flash can be used.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Don't overlook the FREE YouTube selections featuring Bryan Peterson with amazing "How To Do It" selections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH1Lw5hpCyA&list=PLC807CCF3F5186201

foxfirerodandgun wrote:

I know this may be an open ended question, and with that in mind. Based on the opinions of those who have read or used these books by either/both authors which author do you prefer and why.

Al Judge: Mastering Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and Exposure: How They Interact and Affect Each Other

Bryan Peterson: Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

Many thanks.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I am not a fan of Peterson's books but that is just me. I have read many books on photographic exposure and to me the best and the one that taught me more than the others was one written by the late Brahman Farzad called "The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System." It is a book with a long title but easy to read and understand. It made me a better photographer in just one week. His other book on spot metering is also a great value and of excellent quality. Let me repeat it, those are the best books I have read about exposure and both were very easy to read and understand.
John Shaw also has in his books simple chapters about metering and exposure. Those books were written during the film era but they still apply today. I know he has also books written for digital photography but I am not familiar with them.
Lots of information about photography and flash photography in planet neil.com, the website of famous South African photographer Neil van Niekerk.

Siemienczuk

Same experience. I got back into photography 18 months ago after an absence, finally making the jump to digital. I read Understanding Exposure to refresh and update my perspective. It is good for the most part but the f/22 business is a problem. After a tip from a friend I made identical shots of landscapes that needed sharp focus in foreground thru distance. f/11 wins convincingly every time. I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t done the comparo.

SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

A book that practically no one references and I think is better than Peterson's book, "Understanding Exposure" is Tony Northrup's book "Stunning Digital Photography". I have both books and I like Tony Northrup's book the best.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

SteveLew wrote:

A book that practically no one references and I think is better than Peterson's book, "Understanding Exposure" is Tony Northrup's book "Stunning Digital Photography". I have both books and I like Tony Northrup's book the best.

I don't agree with everything he writes, but I've learned quite a bit from Northrup's book on balance. I like the exercises after every section and the accompanying videos. The indoor exercises are great for those cold rainy days. I tend to read a lot, so it's not the only book on my self (iPad), but it's worth the read. Now the best online stuff is at: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/