Customer Reviews

On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a wonderful book. Just having read through it the first time I'm overwhelmed with the amount of fantastic info in here. And the photography in this book is beautiful. He breaks down how each photo was shot in incredible detail, talking about the equipment and camera settings. There are many before-and-after shots that show the shot with and without flash or with different types of flash that really exemplify how important proper lighting really is. This is surely a must-have lighting book for any serious photographer and I can guarantee I'll be coming back to it time and time again.

Disclaimers:
1. I do know Neil van Niekerk
2. I use very little flash

I've known Mr. Niekerk for more than a few years and there are few photographers for whom I have as much respect, personally or professionally.

While I am known for my "available light" work I do consider a mastery of light, be it available or supplemental, to be crucial for the production of great images.

Mr. Williams states, eloquently, in his foreword that we live in the age of the "quick-fix" during which period it really does seem to be de rigueur to eschew knowledge and learning.
If you recognize that "flash" is your weak point, or if you desire to improve your lighting skills & knowledge then I suggest that this book should not only be on your purchase list, at the top :), but also that you do spend the time reading, practicing and understanding the techniques and concepts presented in it, paying particular attention to Mr. van Niekerk's statement regarding manual exposure; "You decide. Not the camera." This is of key importance and is often overlooked or neglected

The book itself is very well written, using precise, unambiguous language leaving little, if any, room for misunderstanding. The chapter subjects are comprehensive.
The diagrams are clear and concise and each and every photograph in the book illustrates its point very clearly.


My only issue with the foreword is that Mr. William's statement this "is a fantastic book" is that it is not in bold print!
It is indeed a fantastic book. It's not a quick fix, I don't believe it was ever intended to be one.
It does require reading and practice, after all practice does make perfect!

George Weir

I was amazed to see this author bouncing flash off a building 30 feet away, but his techniques truly work. A lot of authors tell you to bounce the flash directly above you or slightly in front of you to get the most flattering light, but he tells you how to do it right. Definitely get this book if you take any indoor photos where flash is essential. He makes the light look natural. And he gives one specific tip that will drastically increase your odds of good lighting.

I was very skeptic on well I would like a book about non-studio flash Photography. I have read a lot of Joe McNally books and he certainly has mastered the off and on camera flash! I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this book....

IT ROCKS! I got it today and I am done with it already. I couldn't put it down. Thank goodness I had the time to read it. Here is what I love about it.....Neil shows you the shot would be typically be shot. Then, he tweaks the lighting with a flash.....shows you the difference, then makes another change and shows the different yet again. The examples in this book are AMAZING! The author knows how to teach and he does it extremely well.

Trust me when I tell you to buy this book and memorize it. It's actually going in my camera bag as a reference manual now that I marked it all up.

This might be my favorite photography book to date! Buy it.....you'll love it!

I used to be an "existing light" guy. I really hated the look of direct flash on a subject. I was having a nice chat with my brother-in-law when he told me about this website called planet neil. I read through it and I was amazed by this guy who talked about using flash in such a way that viewers wouldn't know that you used flash! I bookmarked it and told myself that I would throughly read it when I finally bought my flash.

That moment came a few weeks ago. I bought a 430EXII and went through the website again. It had a ad about the site's author also writing a book. I bought the book as soon as Amazon released it and poured through its pages.

I was just amazed at the amount of helpful information the book had. The author, Niel van Niekerk, was really obsessed about making sure that the subject didn't look like a flash was used on her. He showed a lot of examples of how a picture would look like if only existing light was used and how the lighting was greatly enhanced by using flash.

I don't know but he made a believer out of me.

He never suggested this but I went to a hobby store and bought a life-sized styrofoam head so I can practice bouncing the flash while creating a flattering kind of lighting. Sorry if this sounds weird but it is so hard for me to convince my wife to practice using the flash on her.

I think this book would be very helpful for people new to using flash and also to people who already has some flash experience. He uses a lot of examples from his wedding shoots but his techniques can be applied to most situations. He talks about using flash in different types of lighting situations. He does so in a manner that is not very technical. In fact, he only used 1 chart in his entire book.

If you want to read a bit about what he has to say, google "Planet Neil flash photography techniques". Like me, you will be amazed at what he has to say and you will probably buy the book too.

I have already finished it and I will probably read it a couple more times.

One last word about the author. I had a question about a gel he mentioned in his book so I sent him an e-mail. He responded promptly and was very nice.

I pre-ordered this book for a natural light photographer friend who wanted to focus on learning her flash. When I received the book I cracked it open to make sure the gift I got my friend was a decent book. As it was a pre-order there weren't any reviews yet and all I had to go on as to the quality of the book was the author's blog. I had considered purchasing a different book for my friend and was willing to still get the other book instead of this one if this one didn't make the cut, but instead of purchasing the other book, I purchased ANOTHER copy of this book for myself. This book truly is a must have for someone wanting to expand their photography skills and actually use their flash to ENHANCE their images. The book is easy to read, not too long, and chock full of valuable information. Actually, I learned a lot about basic exposure from this book also. And I'm one who already photographs in manual. AND I got to put my new knowledge to use last weekend with my first indoor photoshoot. (I had the book in my camera bag in case I needed to reference it.) WOW! What a difference!
I can't recommend this book enough!!!

On my 6 year journey from enthusiastic amateur to part time pro I have decorated a large part of my bookshelf space with all manner of photography books. While some inspire with amazing images (see The Moment it Clicks by Joe McNally) it is always those books which take you through the details of each shot with specifics about settings and the reasons behind their choices that I come back to most often. This book is possibly the best example I have come across of the latter and ranks up there with Monte Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook in my indispensable book list.

What I found to be a revelation in this book is the in depth discussion about TTL. Since the beginning of my journey with DSLRs when a few professional photographers steered me away from TTL exposure and encouraged me to use the manual flash settings I have never really cared about or played with TTL. I would even go a step further and say that I felt that TTL was for new camera owners who simply didn't know any better. Based on what I have learnt and hours of practicing these techniques I am now shooting about 80% of my on-camera flash shots using TTL. Moreover I am getting consistently better photographs and spending much less time in Photoshop correcting exposure.

In terms of the level of the book, an understanding of exposure is required and assumed by the author and in all practical terms, photographers without a hot-shoe flash (i.e. those shooting with the popup) should spend their money on the flash before buying this book. There is very little discussion about external flash techniques, so those shooting predominantly with external strobes or in a studio environment should look elsewhere. As I mention above, the book is also unapologetic about focusing on using TTL to get optimal exposure so photographers who refuse to use automated flash metering should (open their minds and) look elsewhere.

The best thing I can say about any photography book is that it had an immediate and noticeable effect on my end product. I read the book on a plane heading to a family gathering and tested some of the concepts throughout the trip. The final prints exceeded my expectations and I continue to see the positive influence of this book in all of the on-camera flash work that I do.

Very highly recommended.

A subject that seems so simple yet so much to be learned, you may not think so until you start reading this book. Although the title states for wedding and portrait phototgraphy, the information can be applied to just about any type of photography. This book does a great job of breaking down elements of on camera flash to tailor the lighting to each image under a variety of conditions. What also makes this a practical book is that anyone with a DSLR camera has or will have an on camera flash. An explanation of equipment and tips and techniques are also great benefits this book has to offer. If you use a flash, get this book.

This is a short, easy-to-read book with good, practical advice on using on-camera flash. The only other *good* book I've read on flash so far is Joe McNally's "Hot Shoe Diaries", which is excellent. I found myself comparing these books after having read them both.

The technical information presented at the beginning of the book was pretty good, and on par with other books I have read. I found it interesting how McNally's technique is quite different than van Niekerk's. Granted, "Hot Shoe Diaries" really focuses almost exclusively on off-camera flash(es!), and this book is about on-camera flash, but still, the choice of camera modes and techniques to measure exposure are very different. For example, Van Niekerk recommends the Zone System and manual exposure, and McNally recommends using aperture priority and using the camera's matrix metering. To each his own, I guess.

I found the chapter on flash sync to be decent, but not as clear as it could have been. The chapter on light modifiers was pretty thin. Some of the example pictures near the beginning of the book I found difficult to relate to (since it seemed they weren't always apples-to-apples comparisons). There was a panel of images that was supposed to show varying the degree of ambient light, which I expected to show differences in shutter speed, but it showed comparisons of different apertures (which obviously affects DOF).

The rest of the book is purely about how you should be bouncing the flash to get best results. There are some good examples given throughout the book showing ambient light, the setting, and the shot with and without flash, to really give you a good feeling of what's going on from the point of view of the photographer (and not just the final picture). Not every example is like this (it'd be nicer to have more). On the other hand, some examples did give the different view points, but it didn't always add to the explanation (sometimes, it was puzzling exactly what the picutre of the environment was supposed to show).

I liked how this book shows some good examples of how a single on-camera flash combined with cheap gels and light shapers, can produce very good results if used properly. This is unlike McNally's book, which shows great images (often stunning!), but McNally is often using much more expensive equipment (even with just one flash, most picutres from the "Hot Shoe Diaries" use diffusers, panels, umbrellas, and other gear to get everything "just right"). I realize that again, it's difficult to compare, since that book is most about off-camera flash.

All in all, this was a great read. Recommended.

As one of the leaders in the industry in wireless TTL flash photography I must say reading this new book by Neil is truly a "must have" item for any photographer who wants to take their art to the next level. From just picking up your camera to being a professional for many years, this new book offers something for everyone. From simple tips and tricks to detailed flash explanations, Neil allows each reader to expand their creative mind to gain more or even complete control over the flash in their photography. From amazing bounce flash techniques to details on gels and other lighting methods, this book really is a foundation for flash photography. My company, TriCoast, believes in honest and educational items, the author has given the photography community just that, a great book filled with straight forward educational aspects.

I strongly suggestion everyone wanting to learn about their flash units to pick this book up, truly it will change the way they see forever.