Understanding Exposure

So, you just bought a fancy DSLR but you have no idea on how to use it, right? Of course you could use the auto mode and get the same type of photographs that your little point and shoot used to take but that isn't what you wanted, is it? You, like me, bought a DSLR because you wanted control over the photographs that you took.

When I purchased my first DSLR, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had no idea on what aperture was or how I needed to use it to control the DOF of the photographs that I was taking. Luckily for me a friend recommended that I pick up Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson .

Understanding Exposure is not as much of a training manual as it is a visual representation of what the variety of settings and modes in your DSLR can produce. The basic definitions of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed are covered in the beginning of the book and they are accompanied by stunning photographs of the settings in use.

The real difference maker was the suggested experiments that you could try to see the results for yourself. For example, fixing the ISO and stepping through the range of apertures was extremely beneficial for me. Seeing how the shutter speeds changed as well as the depth of field of the photographs was extremely valuable in my comprehension of how to make the camera capture the photograph the way that I wanted to see it. This simple exercise that took maybe 20 minutes has forever been imprinted in my brain and I pull this knowledge up every time I adjust the aperture of my lens.

If you are new to photographing with a DSLR, you need to get this book. It is very inexpensive and it will go a long way in helping you get the most out of your new DSLR.