Books by author: Bryan Peterson

I very much enjoyed Bryan Peterson's teaching style, in which he juxtaposes a typical snapshot and a good composition of the same subject. In the text, he explains the thinking process or technique that led him from the former to the latter. It's terrific to see dozens of examples of how a simple change of viewpoint or camera setting can make a huge difference in the quality of the resulting photograph. Of the many photography books I've read in the last couple of years, this is the most inspiring, and it's both extremely approachable and immediately applicable.

I really liked Understanding Exposure and Learning to See Creatively and had high hopes for this, but it is Peterson's weakest book. It may be somewhat useful as a first photography book for a beginner, but there's not much here for even the slightly advanced beginner.

Every now and then, I find it useful to read another photography book. Even though by now I've been exposed (no pun intended) to nearly all of the techniques many times, reading a new book on the subject nearly always reinvigorates my photography, suggesting some slightly different twist on the subject. Peterson's book is full of decent images and good, albeit basic, advice. I picked up a few tips on metering difficult scenes like sunsets, and I've renewed my interest in my camera, so this was a worthwhile read.