Creative Exposure Control: How to Get the Exposure You Want Everytime [Paperback]

Les Meehan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

On the face of it, taking photographs has never been easier: it seems that, as cameras become increasingly automated, all the photographer has to do is find a subject and press the shutter. However, this is often where the creative photographer's problems start: until you understand the limitations, as well as the potential, of your equipment and film stock, you will never have true control over your image making. This book aims to give creative control back to the photographer. Divided into three main sections - Factors Influencing Exposure, Exposure Assessment and Creative Exposure Techniques - it takes you from simple theory through metering systems to adjusting exposure, both in the camera and at the processing stage. A refreshingly jargon-free guide for anyone who has ever wrestled with the intricacies of Ansel Adams' famed Zone System or simply wondered how to take a meter reading, Creative Exposure Control will help you make sense of the theory and get the shot you want every time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Les Meehan is a freelance photographer who has worked regularly for national magazines and major companies. He also spends time conducting photography workshops, writing and pursuing personal image making for exhibitions and private sales. His next book for Collins & Brown, Digital Image Making for Photographers will be published in September 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817437274
• ISBN-13: 978-0817437275
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,582,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author's response, March 18, 2002

By 

[e-mail] (Lancs, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Exposure Control: How to Get the Exposure You Want Everytime (Paperback)

The 'review' by Mark is highlighting one of the banes of an author, the typographic error! Yes, the shutter speed/aperture combo is incorrect but this is not my error but the publishers. He makes much of this but it is the only error in an otherwise very practical and useful book aimed at those people wanting to improve their picture taking. It is also one of the few books on the subject that is easy to follow and understand, and it has enough detail to make you a better photographer.
I am trying to balance what is obviously an unfair review.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great images, well written, packed with sound advice, March 28, 2002

By 

Janice (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Exposure Control: How to Get the Exposure You Want Everytime (Paperback)

This book is superb! It avoids a formulaic approach to achieving "good exposures" (whatever they are) that many books offer. Instead we get a masterly exposition of how to use exposure controls creatively to achieve your OWN personal interpretation of a scene. Along the way we get excellent tutorials in how to understand film contrast, evaluate a subject, use a light meter (camera or handheld varieties), and many other key issues.

Mark Nelson is right about the ONE typo - where is the book without typos? Furthermore, he is also right that this book will teach you everything you need to know about exposure. The lack of detail is surely due to the fact that author's write to contraints imposed by publisher's.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great communicator giving authoritative advice, March 24, 2002

By 

Janice (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Exposure Control: How to Get the Exposure You Want Everytime (Paperback)

This book is a God send. Rather than trying to tell you how to take so called 'good' exposures (like many other photo books), this book explains the techniques of exposure control and how to evaluate a subject so that you make more informed exposure decisions. This way your exposures will achieve your preferred creative interpretation of a scene. In other words, not a formulaic approach but an attempt to open up possibilities for the thinking/creative photographer.

As Mark Nelson says in his review, the book has everything you want to know about exposure - a testament to the author who has packed the book with hundreds of useful insights written in clear prose.

(Mark is right about the ONE error. But where is the book without typos? As for the lack of detail, books are written to a publisher's brief so it is a bit unfair to bash an author who was doubtless working to a publisher's word limit.)