For serious amateur photographers who already shoot perfectly focused, accurately exposed images but want to be more creative with a camera, here’s the book to consult. More than seventy techniques, both popular and less-familiar approaches, are covered in detail, including advanced exposure, bounced flash and candlelight, infrared, multiple images, soft-focus effects, unusual vantage points, zooming, and other carefully chosen ways to enhance photographs. The A-Z format make sit easy for readers to find a specific technique, and each one is explained in jargon-free language. Top Tips for each technique help readers achieve superb results, even on the first attempt.

This is an excellent book for beginners as well as advanced photographers. When I first got the book I flipped through it and I was disappointed in thinking it was mostly a picture book on how the photographer got the picture. I decided to go ahead and give it a chance. As I read it, I understood why the pictures are there and also learned how to create excellent pictures. It's one of those books you read several times as you get better and better with photography. It's great for those learning and great for those trying to improve. I thought it was easy to understand and have referred back to it many times.

This is the best book on the subject of understanding exposure for a digital camera. The author breaks it down into a few basic components that are universally applicable. When you're done with this book, you will have an understanding on how your light meter and digital sensor work and how to compensate for their inherent characteristics. The digital sensor reacts to light differently than film and you have to know what it wants to do in order to get the exposure you want. This book logically builds on what the sensor wants to do and then walks you through a number of examples that you will encounter and how to handle them. As a photographer, I can't think of any info that has helped me more. I always recommended this book to people wanting to learn about digital photography. If you truly understand how your camera interprets light, then the rest (composition, the moment, etc...) is up to you.

Bryan has obviously written a good book explaining the fundamentals of exposure and spent more time explaining the holy trinity of photography (ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed) and how varying them impacts the photograph. The book is also full of educative pictures. This is the biggest strength of this book.

Bryan does not come across as a great teacher like John Shaw comes across. The book also falls short (for me personally) on the metering techniques. There is very little space devoted for Spot, Matrix/Evaluative or Center Weighted Metering in the book and the pros and cons of each method. It also does not cover in detail the pros and cons of using an external meter.

Overall a good read but I don't recommend it very highly.

This book is a total opposite of the highly rated Scott Kelby's Digital Photography books. I read them all and I got to tell, you Mr. Peterson's style trumps the Kelby's. Why? Kelby's books adopted "American" approach to teaching while Mr. Peterson's style is more of a purist "European" style. Which one is better? It's up to you of course. While Mr. Peterson teaches you how to think, Mr. Kelby chokes you up with examples with little or no explanation why. When you are out in the field, which one do you think will serve you better?... That's what I thought! I only wish it contained a short general optics crash course. That would make it perfect. Anyway this is a great book you will not regret reading.

Based on the positive reviews, I purchased Bryan Petersons, Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by Michael Freeman at the same time.

While both are good, Understanding Exposure is much easier to follow. The later is more dry and text bookish; however, it goes deeper into how to develop good shooting skills, not just explaining how exposure works. I recommend both.

This book will take you through the basics of how aperture, shutter speed, and film speed work together. Apertures are split into groups, and explanations given for conditions that are best for each group.

It points out differences between fixed lens digital cameras and digital SLRs; Such as, why there's a difference in depth of field when I used an f/2.4 on a fixed lens and an f/2.4 on an SLR. Advantages and disadvantages for both, when it comes to aperture, were enlightening.

Tips are provided for most accurate light metering, filter use, and freezing or slowing motion, to name a few. Exercises are provided so you can experience for yourself what the author is describing.

Although this book doesn't "need" another five star review, I'm giving it one anyway, because I definitely thought it was money well spent.