Customer Reviews

David Busch's Quick Snap Guide To Lighting

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This book is aimed squarely at avid photographers who are ready to use more advanced lighting techniques, but who need some gentle hand-holding, basic introductions to the terms and concepts of lighting, and lots of visual aids that let them see exactly what a particular lighting technique will do.

Like the other Quick Snap Guide I purchased from this author, this one is designed with each topic presented on a pair of facing pages, each with several illustrations, bullet points, tips, and interesting sidebars that explain the key things you need to know about that topic.

For example, in the first few chapters you learn about high contrast lighting, low contrast lighting, high-key, low-key, and using exposure. Later chapters offer pairs of pages that show all the various lighting tools, including reflectors, umbrellas, soft boxes, electronic flash. I especially loved the chapters on portrait lighting, lighting for action photography, macros, and travel. In the portrait lighting chapter, Busch uses photos to show how to set up split lighting, short lighting, broad lighting, butterfly lighting, Rembrandt lighting, and other effects so that anybody can do it.

All chapters with specific lighting techniques use example photos and a "How It's Lit" diagram that shows exactly how the lights were placed to achieve that effect. Beginners can graduate to advanced lighting effects without being snowed under by a lot of technical jargon and confusing explanations. This is really a very visual, Scott Kelby-like introduction to lighting.

That said, I need to point out that this book is a comprehensive introduction to lighting, but it doesn't cover every possible lighting technique, nor is it aimed at pros who are already familiar with studio lighting. I recommend it for beginners and intermediate photographers who want to feel comfortable and confident in their use of available light, electronic flash, continuous lighting, and multiple light sources.

I purchased this book after meeting the author at his booth at PhotoPlus Expo in NYC, and found him to be as knowledgeable and engaging in person as he is on the printed page. I had read two of his other books when I was learning how to use my Nikon D60, and got this one now that I am ready to branch out and (hopefully) master the use of available light, electronic flash, and multiple light sources.

I've managed to read through it quickly, as the ideas and techniques are presented in a clear no nonsense way with lots of photos that illustrate types of lighting and their effects. Now I plan to go through and study it. I'm no professional (and do not plan to be), but I'm confident that this book will help me take pictures that look pro in every way. The illustrations are great, but I know I can do just as well myself once I've learnt the lessons this little book provides.

I bought this book because I wanted to know more about lighting techniques with external flash and studio lighting.

This book has been very helpful in showing me how to take a variety of photos in various lighting situations. It is very easy to read and you don't need to read it from cover to cover. You can skip to the section that you are interested in.

I rented some studio lights from lensrentals.com and used the techniques shown in this book to take some very professional looking photos.

Very helpful. I am just getting into portrait photography and Busch explains things clearly. There is plenty of information for a more advanced reader. I would definitely recommend it along with his Nikon d90 book which I bought recently.

If you want to know everything about the proper lighting under all different kinds of circumstances, then you need this book. What to do with artificial lights, sunlight or using your flash under any and all times.

I am not a professional photographer and this book was not written for professional photographers (who probably already know everything written in it, anyway). It is written for people like me, who photograph for pleasure, don't have a lot of peripheral equipment, and want to take the best photo they can with what equipment they do have (or, at least, not buy any extra equipment that is superfluous).

The book is arranged very logically: There are major topic divisions which are chapter headings, then subheadings for relevant situations that fall under that heading. Ex: Chapter: Travel and Architecture. Subheadings: Choosing Best Light and Best Angle; Monuments and Museums; Interiors; Mixed Illumination; Sunsets and Sunrises; Night Lighting; Fireworks; Water, Beaches, and Snow.

Each category is supported by relevant text and on-point and well-captioned illustrations. Often, the illustrations include a "right" version and a "wrong" version so that you understand the underlying principles that govern each situation.

The two chapters dealing with portraits were very helpful to me, even though I don't own any lighting equipment other than a flash. The series of illustrations demonstrating not only how to use light, but also how to use shadows were extremely interesting. I have always taken the safe route of having everything well lit and adding drama in post-processing. I'm now trying to consciously allow for shadow to happen from a selected angle to better sculpt the subject. Post capture processing is not an adequate substitute for getting it right in camera, and lighting is the single biggest contributor to a good photograph. So I'm trying to understand light, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

There are ample illustrations of side lighting, bounced lighting, reflected light and countless other combinations that I can create using my flash (straight, bounced, or fill-in), existing lighting, and a simple reflector (using one of those collapsible sun shields you use to keep cars cooler). I will probably never consciously worry about lighting ratios, but actually seeing the different effects achieved by each different ratio, gives me a better idea what my final photo will look like before I take the picture.

Of course, if you do have umbrellas, off-camera lights, and other specialized studio equipment, the lighting setup sketches showing how each photo was lit will be useful (although I would think that, by the time you set up a professional studio, you already know all this). For people like me, those setup sketches are still helpful, since I can visualize what the main light is doing and what the contributions of the peripheral sources might be. It's sort of the left-brain part of photography, not the art.

The best thing I took away from this book is to understand my lighting options when presented with a photo opportunity. Whether photographing my grandson or a an interesting site during a trip, there are ways to make the best of whatever conditions are present at the moment I'm there. A professional might set up lighting or come back at a time with better conditions. But I'm not a professional, I'm there when I'm there, I don't have much time to set up, and rescheduling is not an option. So it is particularly important to fully understand what options I do have.