Understanding Exposure

Mav · Mar 6, 2008

good stuff, mrodgers! You've got my favorite link in there too: Canon DSLRs and Lenses 101 - Canon Digital Photography Forums. That's a very good read for newbies, and it's free. :thumbup:

Rolland · Mar 6, 2008

Here's a link for a good explanation of exposure Bens Newbie Guide
The mod should sticky this this thread to the top...

DigiJay · Mar 6, 2008

I just bought Understanding Exposure.. I'm not even half-way through it and I already love it..

Mav · Mar 6, 2008

Rolland said:
Here's a link for a good explanation of exposure Bens Newbie Guide
The mod should sticky this this thread to the top...

Very nice! :thumbup:

I'm going to link this thread in my sig, along with some other good ones.

JerryPH · Mar 6, 2008

kundalini said:
Dammit Jerry, why on earth am I agreeing with you so much lately? Are you getting smarter?

I am going to take that as a compliment and run. :lmao:

As for those links from mrodgers.. damn, someone cut and paste those into a sticky somewhere, that man's gone and done his homework en masse!!! :hail:

ANDS! · Mar 6, 2008

Understanding Exposure is good because you can take it with you, and its just like a mini all purpose manual. Of course there are online resources that do the exact same thing, but I find a lot of them lack the - personality - of a book specifically written by an Author focusing on a single subject.

JerryPH · Mar 6, 2008

I also prefer books over internet tutorials, but I don't discount their value.

I love carrying around a book and test things out with the camera in my hands as I read... but a LOT of what I learned and follow by practicing, comes mostly from the net.

All my basics may have been handled by books, but all the more advanced things (advanced strobism, portraiture, etc...) come 75% from online sources.

Use them both and get the MOST you can out of it, thats what I say... and another wise man who's words I enjoy following are "excellence comes ONLY from repetition". Reading/seeing/hearing about our hobby from several places and in different forms only reinforces them in my head.

mrodgers · Mar 6, 2008

JerryPH said:
As for those links from mrodgers.. damn, someone cut and paste those into a sticky somewhere, that man's gone and done his homework en masse!!! :hail:

It's because it is currently winter and I am a wimp anymore when it comes to the cold and snow, thus I am not outside with my camera doing anything. I spend my free time (not much with 2 young kids) on the net. Also, I can't exactly sit in front of my workstation while my equipment runs with a large book, but I can browse through some sites while at the workstation

.

Any time I have seen someone post a link, I've saved it for future reference to read. I probably haven't even looked at half of those yet, hehe.

Newbie questions are always asked. I'm a newbie myself. Do you think that list would be too much to put in my signature? hehehe

ir0n_ma1den · Mar 6, 2008

Wow, I didn't know so many people have read this book! The funny thing is, before my trip to Alaska last year I wanted to take great pictures so I went by my library and stumbled upon this book. Read it at least three times throught the trip, and it helped me emensley, more than any photo teacher could. I really like how he uses film, not digital format. I only wish I had read this book prior to my trip as I didn't pick up the best film.

Oh well, I will be going back to Alaska this summer (hopefully) armed with DSLR!

STINKY PICTURES · Mar 6, 2008

WOW mrodgers thanks and thanks again!! Your post is worth saving to my computer so I can find it later!
Stinky

petey · Mar 7, 2008

ANDS! said:
Understanding Exposure is good because you can take it with you, and its just like a mini all purpose manual. Of course there are online resources that do the exact same thing, but I find a lot of them lack the - personality - of a book specifically written by an Author focusing on a single subject.

:thumbup: Peterson writes in a more creative view, without totally leaving out technical information.

He explains relationships of concepts spot on, in plain language like one would think it while shooting.

I dig it because of the way its written. It's not over-engineered.

He knows the importance of the fun factor.

potato · Mar 7, 2008

I'm on page 40 as of last night. It has been easy to understand what he goes over in the book so far - aperture, shutter speed and ISO as related to exposure and depth field. But I had the impression that he's assuming that I already know about focal length? Or is he going to go over it later in the book?

JerryPH · Mar 7, 2008

potato said:
But I had the impression that he's assuming that I already know about focal length? Or is he going to go over it later in the book?

Focal length is the magnification level or zom of the lens. If it is a prime lens, it has ONE focal length, if it is a zoom lens, your focal length is whatever you set it to.

The reason he doesn't explain that is that it is beyond easy.

For example, if your lens is a 50mm prime, your focal length is 50mm. If you have a 70-200mm lens, your focal point is anywhere between 70-200 depending on your zoom amount. 70mm at its widest and 200mm at the end of it's zoom.

Easy as pie.

potato · Mar 7, 2008

JerryPH said:
For example, if your lens is a 50mm prime, your focal length is 50mm. If you have a 70-200mm lens, your focal point is anywhere between 70-200 depending on your zoom amount. 70mm at its widest and 200mm at the end of it's zoom.

Yeah, that I understand. What I'm asking is how 50mm prime (forcal length of 50mm) relates to the actual picture taking (relationship between this and other factors) as opposed to, say 10mm or 300mm. Am I making sense?