Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second |  | Author: Bryan Peterson
Publisher: Amphoto Books
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Seller: BRILANTI BOOKS
Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 9461
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 160
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 11.7 x 9.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 0817463011
Dewey Decimal Number: 771
EAN: 9780817463014
ASIN: 0817463011
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The first book in the Understanding Photography series, Understanding Exposure, was a runaway best-seller, with more than 250,000 copies sold. Now author Bryan Peterson brings his signature style to another important photography topic: shutter speed. With clear, jargon-free explanations of terms and techniques, plus compelling "before-and-after" photos that pair a mediocre image (created using the wrong shutter speed) with a great image (created using the right shutter speed), this is the definitive practical guide to mastering an often-confusing subject. Topics include freezing and implying motion, panning, zooming, exposure, Bogen Super Clamps, and rendering motion effects with Photoshop, all with helpful guidance for both digital and film formats. Great for beginners and serious amateurs, Understanding Shutter Speed is the definitive handy guide to mastering shutter speed for superb results.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 50
 Another Excellent Book April 3, 2008
M. Warriner (Surprise, AZ United States)
49 out of 53 found this review helpful
I have read and used the material presented in all of Mr. Peterson's books and I have found them all to be extremely helpful in my quest to learn photography. "Understanding Shutter Speed" is yet another fine example of his excellent teaching abilities simplifying even the most complex topics so beginners like me are able to "understand". This book like his others is full of beautiful sample photographs vividly illustrating the subject he is discussing. I highly recommend this book for any beginner photographer!
Leaving the intellectual muddle out of it, this is a book you'll want to own as a glorious idea generator July 8, 2008
Harold Davis (Berkeley, CA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
When I first looked at "Understanding Shutter Speed" by Bryan Peterson on Amazon I wondered how shutter speed, only one of the components of an exposure, made up a book. In fact, there are some organizational problems that are caused by choosing this particular slice as a wedge into the topic of photography. A good editor might well have wondered what the final chapter on "Composition" is doing at all in this particular book.
The great strength here is idea generation. It's hard not to look at the illustrations in this book and say, "Hey why don't I try that?" The caption information is explicit enough so that you can recreate the ideas shown for yourself, or use them as a jumping off point. As an idea book, "Understanding Shutter Speed" is well worth its price.
Personally, I find the text (as opposed to the photo captions) problematic. Peterson seems out of his depth when it comes to digital. He really seems to think that from a noise viewpoint you are better off underexposing by two stops and adjusting in RAW as opposed to boosting the ISO and exposing properly (he's wrong). His discussion of ISO using a metaphor of hundreds of carpenters struck me as simply silly and without much point.
But leaving the intellectual muddle out of it, this is a book you'll want to own as a glorious idea generator.
Another wonderful book by Bryan Peterson April 19, 2008
Robert J. Gladys (Cleveland, OH USA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
When I ordered this book my first thought before receiving it was that I didn't think I would learn too much but I have always loved his photography.
Boy was I wrong. After reading the book I realized how many of my photos could have been better if I paid more attention to shutter speed. I had become so used to all of my photos stopping the action, that I realized if I had slowed the shutter and let some of the background blur, it would have actually improved the photo.
shutter speed was something I was taking for granted and this book helped remind me of a creative element I had forgotten.
Like all of Bryan Peterson's books, this book is easy to read and all concepts are explained in a clear and concise manner. another plus is that many photos have two different versions to show what a change in shutter speed can do.
and if nothing else, this book is worth it for the fantastic photos within it's pages. He truly has a wonderful eye.
The best yet! April 12, 2008
Robert M. Stahl (St. Louis, MO)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I believe that I have read everything that Bryan Peterson has written and I even use his digital photography book in my photo classes.
This is his best book to date; he really looks at all aspects of shutter speed in almost any photographic situation. I had hoped that this book would be up to his previous photo books, but it is even better!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it the first time and I find myself going back to it again and again to review specifics. A real wealth of information!
Be Willing to Think Outside the Box July 12, 2008
Roger Moore (DC Area)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I read Bryan's first book, "Understanding Exposure" and thought it was one of the best photography books writtens. Therefore, when he came out with this one I didn't buy it because I didn't want to be disappointed with rehashes of photos I already saw or he just added a few points to concepts already covered in other books.
I was on a photo safari when someone told me how much they enjoyed the book. Therefore, I decided to buy it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how he took something as basic as "shutter speed" and successfully held my interest for the entire book.
Bryan categorizes the book based on the shutter speed. These range from the speeds that freeze action (1/1000, 1/500, 1/250), to the slower ones that emphasize motion.
The books value is in the use of the slower speeds. There is not much to learn about taking images at the faster speeds that freeze action.
I give credit because he didn't just provide a bunch of pictures of the cliche slow shutter images (i.e., waterfalls and people walking). Instead, he shows you how to allow the moving subjects to paint the picture. My favorites examples are the boats in the water and the fields of grass. In these examples, he shows the typical image taken a faster speeds. Next, he shows how slowing the shutter speed allows the objects to move slightly thus producing very interesting photos.
I've taken photos of flowers in the past. I used to get upset because I couldn't use a fast enough shutter speed when I increased my aperture for greater depth of focus without increasing my ISO. In retrospect, I could've used a slower shutter speed to emphasize the motion and create more colorful images. This only works if one dares to try something different.
In conclusion, Bryan does an excellent job of showing you how to creatively use what you already know.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 50
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