Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Light on instruction, big on ego September 9, 2008
Barely a chapter in I determined that this book was not for me. Looking for instruction I was dissappointed to say the least when I found that this book was more informative of the photographer's talent with gadgets which we are to assume are needed based on what he writes. The photos are fantastic but if you are a digital photographer looking for instruction and not another book about how great the photographer is or about how some gadget is going to help you become a great photograper also, then pass on this book.
 Mr. Zuckerman's Perfect Exposure June 30, 2008
One of the most gifted author/instructors I have ever encountered. Mr. Zuckerman passes on knowledge that he's obtained over years of trial an error, basically so you don't have to go through some of the error. A vast amount of knowledge is in the book about shooting in extreme lighting conditions, where to meter, how to meter. I wish that I had purchased the book years ago.
 For serious photographers June 13, 2008
I think what makes this book a great book is because you know the photographer is passionate about his work, he wants to get it right the first time around, which is why he doesn't recommend bracketing. He doesn't bash in-camera TTL metering, he is just saying, if you, a serious photographer don't want to mess around or have to bracket your shots, get it as right as you can the first time around. He offers different ways of metering and suggests the ones that work best should be the ones you strive for.
So many factors go into a photograph such as composition, your lens, how it affects your picture, how you want it to affect your picture, the nature & temperature of the colors, ambient and fill-in lighting, aperture, speed, etc. If you don't think you need an external light meter, you probably don't, as long as you're happy spending a lot of time post-processing.
If you've never used a light meter before, are adamant about getting good exposures the first time around, and want to lessen your time in post-processing, you need to know this information. I am so happy I got a light meter, finally, it has meant the difference from an imbalanced inferior histogram to one that reaches effective tonality consistently.
For those things that have been left lacking, you can't learn everything from a book, and the author leaves room for you to move. After all, it's not just all about exposures, but it sure would help if you moved in the right direction to getting it right! Keep on shooting your photographs and learn about your own taste. That way you will strengthen your own opinions and teach someone else great photographic technique!
Very satisfied March 28, 2008
It is not an elementary book of photography. It is an advanced book of photography with a lot of examples based on images. In my opinion it has been very helpful.
Wow photos March 2, 2008
Just take a look at the cover. The book is full of photos like that one. Photos that I look at and think "wow". The author explains how he took the photos, concentrating on where he measured the light.
For my taste he concentrates too much on external meters, though. Personally I do not have one and do not intend to carry even more equipment around with me...
|
