Steven Finlay Photography

 I’m relatively new into the world of photography (less than 2 years) and once I got my first DSLR, I wanted to dive in and learn everything I could about that camera. I quickly realized that reading the manual would only get me so far in really understanding photography. Enter in “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson. I bought this book off a recommendation from a blog post on The Digital Photography School website (a great resource for learning photography in its own right).

The book starts off defining the aspects of an exposure. These aspects make up the “Photographic Triangle,” which is a combination of Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. Each of these aspects plays a pivotal role in obtaining the perfect exposure. 

Subsequent sections go into greater detail about the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO and what effects different settings for each create. Believe it or not, at the core or photography lies a lot of math. Now don’t let that statement scare you away from purchasing a camera, you won’t need to multiply fractions to take a photo, just know that all of these settings come together every time you press that button.

For anyone staring out in photography, or just looking to brush up on your skills, I highly recommend this book. It is extremely easy to read with plenty of example shots (along with an explanation). Its one of those photography books that makes you want to put it down, pick up your camera, and start shooting.