equipment

First off....if you buy this book skip Dr. Farzad's other book on "On Camera Spotmetering". This book includes the latter. In fact many pages in the Zone System book are simply lifted from the Spotmetering book (or is it the other way around?). Either way the Zone System book is a more thorough review of the exposure techniques and not that much more complicated that the on camera spotmetering book. In fact I find both books very easy to understand. Any beginning photographer should read this book. The book does have some minor typo errors and is only in black and white print (appropriately enough I think since camera light meters see everything in shades of grey...no color is involved) but it explains the subject well. It is repitious though and I often lose my patience with author as he repeats the same points over and over again. However, if you consider who the target audience is (artists are not very technically inclined....and would be terrified by involved theory) Dr. Farzad is right on track. Still as an engineer I am not used to this level of repition in the texts I read. It requires a little patience but the photographer is well rewarded with a better appreciation and understanding of how to take good photographs.

I can honestly say that anyone who has ever looked through a camera's viewfinder can benefit from this book. Bahman Fazard takes an otherwise confusing aspect of photography and put it in a format that anyone can understand. Like most amateur photographers, I viewed EXPOSURE as the "Rocket Science" of photography. The more I read on the subject the more confused I became. "The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System" by Bahman Fazard has taken the mystery out of obtaining the correct exposure. This book is a MUST for all photographers striving to be a little better.

This guy isn't just trying to sell books or prove how talented he is. You can tell that the author is a teacher and has lots of experience helping people learn about exposure.

If you're a somewhat experienced photographer, you might find your eyes crossing for the first couple of chapters because of how boring and repetitious they are. The author doesn't want to leave anyone behind, so it's kind of a slow paced book. However, if you can make it through those chapters and read the whole book you will find yourself completely understanding photographic exposure. I've been taking pictures for years with some nice cameras and this is the first time I've ever felt comfortable and confident about the pictures I was taking.

Another thing that's awesome about this book is that it is perfect for digital camera users. Let me say this:

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK IF YOU USE A DIGITAL CAMERA. OTHER BOOKS LIKE "THE NEGATIVE" WHILE INFORMATIVE WILL JUST LEAVE YOU CONFUSED WHEN IT COMES TO SHOOTING DIGITAL.

As far as I know this is the only book on photographic exposure that's very well suited for digital photography.

Another thing that I really like about this book is that the author is a teacher and has a lot of experience teaching the subject matter to his students. He probably knows from teaching what people find confusing and how to best explain it to them. You'll be reading along and something may seem a little confusing. Well, before you have a chance to rack your brain about it, the author addresses it and puts it into laymen's terms. Sometimes he explains the same concept two or three different ways.

One last comment on the book. I also appreciated the fact that he threw in lots of extra stuff that wasn't really necessary like different ways to figure out exposure under different circumstances without an exposure meter or a spot meter. He covers lighting, moonlight, and even fireworks. He even helped me understand why the Ansel Adams approach to the Zone System didn't really work with my digital camera. I've used my camera like ten times as much since reading this book.

I noticed a couple of poor reviews right before I started writing this one. It seems that some people find it to be a little too simple. Remember, this is not an advanced book. The words "simplified" and "confused" in the title might have tipped you off! If you already understand the zone system, how to use your cameras spot meter, and how to use a light meter to get good exposures, then this book is definitely not for you. However, if you're afraid to put your camera on manual mode and aren't quite sure how to get a good exposure with your camera, then this is the book for you.