Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light (Voices That Matter) [Paperback]

Ibarionex Perello (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0321752503 | ISBN-13: 978-0321752505 | Edition: 1

Light. It's the most transformative tool at any photographer’s disposal. Whether the lens is turned to people, wildlife, or landscape, the creative use of light is often the difference between a snapshot and a powerful photograph. In Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light, renowned photographer, writer, and educator Ibarionex Perello shares his unique insights for partnering with natural light to create evocative digital images. He brings his palpable passion and personal approach rooted in decades of experience, and reveals his honed techniques for controlling focus, exposure, white balance, and sharpness to create beautiful and impactful photographs. In an industry so obsessed with gear, this book bridges the gap between the technical and the creative and returns to a personal, inspirational narrative about perceiving and photographing light.

This book will enlighten photographers of all levels about

• the elements of exposure, metering, and ISO
• light’s impact on color and controlling color balance
• combining brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and pattern enhancing portraits with available lighting
• direction and quality of sunlight and shooting in rural and urban landscapes
• the power of light in black and white

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: New Riders; 1 edition (April 7, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321752503
• ISBN-13: 978-0321752505
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Lighting

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ibarionex is a passionate photographer who has poured himself into this book, and his joy in photography comes through. These are positive photos that make you feel good about the world we live in."
— Rob Sheppard, Author, photographer, and editor-at-large at Outdoor Photographer Magazine

From the Back Cover

Light. It's the most transformative tool at any photographer’s disposal. Whether the lens is turned to people, wildlife, or landscape, the creative use of light is often the difference between a snapshot and a powerful photograph. In Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light, renowned photographer, writer, and educator Ibarionex Perello shares his unique insights for partnering with natural light to create evocative digital images. He brings his palpable passion and personal approach rooted in decades of experience, and reveals his honed techniques for controlling focus, exposure, white balance, and sharpness to create beautiful and impactful photographs. In an industry so obsessed with gear, this book bridges the gap between the technical and the creative and returns to a personal, inspirational narrative about perceiving and photographing light.

This book will enlighten photographers of all levels about

• the elements of exposure, metering, and ISO
• light’s impact on color and controlling color balance
• combining brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and pattern enhancing portraits with available lighting
• direction and quality of sunlight and shooting in rural and urban landscapes
• the power of light in black and white

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: New Riders; 1 edition (April 7, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321752503
• ISBN-13: 978-0321752505
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Lighting

More About the Author

Ibarionex Perello is a photographer, writer, educator and filmmaker with over 25 years of experience in the photographic industry. His photographs and articles have appeared in numerous magazines including Outdoor Photographer, Digital Photo Pro, PC Photo, Shutterbug and Rangefinder. He is the host and producer of the popular interview show, The Candid Frame, which features conversations with some of the world's best established and emerging photographers. Guests have included Jay Maisel, Pete Turner, Lynn Goldmith and Dan Winters. He is an instructor of photography at Better Photo as well as an adjunct professor at the Art Center College of Design. He is co-founder of Alas Media, a multimedia production company. He lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and their dogs, Spenser and Tracy.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Light April 13, 2011

By Conrad J. Obregon TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

As one moves along the continuum from the simplest of point and shoot cameras to the most sophisticated cameras, the major changes are usually with regard to the controls over the features available to effect the image, including ways to affect the focus and to take photographs in low light. To my way of thinking the most important of the more sophisticated features is the control over exposure, that is, the amount of light to record. It is the ability to control exposure that permits the camera user to change the captured image from a snapshot to something that displays more of how the user saw and felt the subject. The market for photography books supports this conclusion by creating so many books that cover this topic, either as part of the content, or as the sole subject of the book. "Chasing the Light" is a recent entry into this field.

The author starts out with an explanation of exposure, emphasizing the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. He explains the factors involved in his photographs that would lead him to select settings for one or more of these elements based upon what he wanted to achieve with his image, like using a wide aperture for a narrow depth of field. He then explains the use of the camera histogram as a device for determining exposure, and the exposure compensation control as a device to shift the exposure to achieve artistic goals. He also makes a foray into the control of white balance to achieve one's vision. The remainder of the book provides discussions of different genres and how lighting can be used to effectuate the photographer's vision. All though the secondary title suggests the book deals with available light, there are occasionally references to using supplementary light to improve an image.... Also, even though the author emphasizes capturing the best possible exposure in the camera, he acknowledges the importance of post-processing in creating the best possible image.

Perello's strong suit is his emphasis upon getting the feel for the light. His own images demonstrate this concern for the light, although I'm pleased to say that few of the pictures are over the top in their lighting. This getting a feel for the light is not an easy thing to learn, and most photographers spend their entire career trying to refine these skills. Reading this book will not make an instant transformation but it will get the new photographer at whom the book is aimed started. More experienced photographers, who are already on their chase, may certainly appreciate the author's images, but are more likely to derive further pointers from examining the work of the great photographers.

Although Perello discusses the basics of exposure, I wish he had spent just a little more space emphasizing these points. If the beginner doesn't understand the relationship of aperture, shutter speed and ISO after reading the author's text, and how the histogram reveals this, he would be well advised to pursue another introductory book on exposure.

This is a good start in coming to appreciate the way that using the light can turn snapshots into something more. Read more ›

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Inspiring May 19, 2011

By Enche Tjin

Format:Paperback

Chasing the light, by Ibarionex Perello is a photography book intended for beginner and enthusiasts. The book discusses primarily about light and shadow, how to see the light interplays with shadow and how the light affects other visual elements such as color, shape and pattern.

For beginner, Perello gives great explanation about exposure (shutter speed, aperture and ISO). Not only that, but Perello also gives his personal workflow. Perello considers to set ISO first based on the available light, aperture and shutter speed. He also explain about camera metering system and exposure compensation/bias, and when to use it effectively.

Then, Perello proceeds with explaining how to build a visually effective photos , how to set white balance and how to juxtapose color to make your photos more interesting.

In the heart of the book, Perello discusses how light plays in many type of photography, from landscape, portraits, nature, urban and so on. Perello also briefly explain about light modifier like reflector and flash, but he doesn't get in depth on that topic.

I regard this book as a very informative and inspiring. It is a must read if you are beginner or if you are enthusiasts that want to learn how to make a visually interesting photos by observing and using available light.

for more reviews, please visit my blog which can be found in my profile page. Thank you for reading.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Light and Vision May 15, 2011

By S. Lewis

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are a number of things I really appreciate about this book - besides the fact that it is well written and well organized.

First, the author demonstrates throughout the book that the camera does not make the photograph. There is incredible camera variation in the photographs he included in this book -- different brands and from point and shoot to pro level. Diversity is not limited to the type of camera either. It extends to the subjects of the photographs, whether it be portraiture, night photography, or landscapes. I also found particularly useful his separate chapters on close-up/macro photography and black and white photography. The variation makes the book feel accessible to photographers of different specialities and levels.

Second, the book does a great job of emphasizing the importance of understanding the intricacies of the technical aspects of exposure and light to support a photographer's ability to both discover and convey his or her own vision. That is an extremely useful lesson for someone learning to see and communicate through photography. If there was one technical issue I wish he had covered just a wee bit more it would be focus.

Third, the author generously integrates his own experiences into the text of the book. I will definitely benefit from what he has shared from his own experience to become both a more efficient and persistent photographer. I particularly liked his discussion on how, earlier in his career, he allowed comparing his work to others get in the way of his own development.

I will no doubt revisit this book, at least until I feel like I have a handle on light and my own vision.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sit back and savor this book. October 21, 2011

By Alan Morris

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Chasing the Light" is about seeing the light and understanding that light illuminates and shadows define an image. It is well written by a photographer who is a real student of photography, a great teacher and someone who I enjoy listening to.
I have been a fan of "The Candid Frame" since I listened to Ibarionex's interview with Vincent Versace several years. Ibarionex is the real deal. Along with Chris Orwig and Vincent Versace, I have learned more from Ibarionex than anyone else.
I also saw Ibarionex in San Francisco at an Adobe event this summer. Even if you have been making pictures as long as I have (60 years), you will learn a lot from this books. Sit back and savor this book.