Readers often ask for a photography book recommendation. There are many good How-To photography books, but here is my favorite one. I’ve read many (too many) How-To photography books and none comes close to this one: Understanding Exposure
This is the one book that I recommend to any new photographer wanting to learn how to take better pictures. It’s all about exposure, how to select the shutter speed, aperture and ISO to get a well-exposed (as opposed to over-exposed or under-exposed) photo.
It is also choke full of beautiful photos and explanations about how they were shot. As is the case with any other paper-based book, what it lacks is a step-by-step handholding, and I wish Bryan Petersen would do a YouTube or TikTok version showing in more detail how he shoots those pictures. It’s one thing to be inspired by a particular picture and another to see the behind-the-scenes of how it was actually captured.
It doesn’t matter what camera you have: DSLR, mirrorless, compact fixed lens, though it is preferable if your camera has PASM (Program AE, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Manual) shooting modes.
It’s a must-read. Highly recommended!
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