This is a short update from last month’s post about my relationship with photography. I’ve mellowed out somewhat. I’ve read some stuff. And I’ve learned a bunch of things.
The first book I picked out from my rather sizeable to-read pile was Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. In short, I really enjoyed it. It’s pretty heavy on the photos (as you would expect), but the text is easy to get into which makes up for it. Bryan’s writing style is very conversational and personal, which took me a little while to get used to, but that’s just me being me.
There’s a more recent pressing – 3rd edition of Understanding Exposure – which no doubt has updates for more recent technology, but I rather liked the edition I had. I’m less interested in the modernity of photography gizmos and more keen on composition and grasping the basics of manual control.
The biggest change since I read the book? I shoot manual. I’m still no better at it, but I’m learning to spot my mistakes and understand why I suck, and I’m working on sucking less.

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