Customer Reviews

Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fil Hunter and Paul Fuqua have written a truly essential reference for product photographers and an outstanding educational text for all photographers. Light, Science and Magic teaches its readers the principals of lighting. It describes in detail how to light surfaces, metal, glass, liquids, extremes (black-on-black and white-on-white), and people for different effects. These subjects were chosen because they are reputed to be the most difficult subjects to light. But because the book emphasizes the principals of lighting, those lessons can be applied to all lighting situations. The examples in Light,Science and Magic are in-studio, but the principals apply out-of-doors and anywhere that there is light. You don't need to have a background in studio photography or a knowledge of lighting equipment to understand and benefit from this book. You need to have only a good understanding of exposure and camera operation. Information on basic lighting equipment is found in the appendices for those who are unfamiliar with studio equipment. Because the principals of lighting apply equally to film photography and digital image capture, most of this book's content will not go out of date. No photographer should be without the knowledge in this book. If you can absorb all of the book's content, there is nothing that you will encounter in all your photographic adventures that you won't know how to light to get the effect you want. It is well worth its price!

I love the approach in this easy to read book. The authors' philosophy is to be as creative in as many ways as possible, even down to improvising equipment and overcoming lack thereof. If, say, candles will suffice, then why use strobes? I feared a huge shopping list for my foray into the world of studio lighting. This very helpful alternative to months of expensive experimentation has shown me a more structured approach, the focus being on Return on Investment while maximising results.

Whether you're a beginner with a point-and-shoot or a professional with a huge investment in equipment, you need to know how light works. This book can teach you everything you need to know. It has both theory and practical guidance. The authors don't tell you which lights to use in a given situation -- they teach you how to determine what lighting to use to achieve the effect _you_ want. And they help you select lighting equipment.

To be fair, it's not always an easy read (there's a lot of theory and some math/physics to wade through), but it's worth the effort. I saw the difference in the next roll I shot. I only wish I had found this book a few years ago...

I am a professional photographer, and I was looking for a book on lighting technique - which this book supplied excellently.

Their step by step approach is easy to follow and understand, and all explainations have images attached so you can see what they are talking about.

They slowly build your general knowledge on how light works rather than supplying specific lighting diagrams, allowing (and suggesting that you do) you to adapt the knowledge to your own use. They then go into more detail with difficult lighting subjects such as metal, glass, and more, and how to deal with them.

My only complaint is that the book is starting to feel a little old, especially when they talk about colour. It is almost exclusively film based with virtually no reference to digital technology. If they were to do an updated version with more emphasis on lighting for digital, I would provide 5 stars.

Anyone intimidated or confused by the subject of artificial/studio lighting must read this book. Very well prepared and very objective. The author describes how lighting WORKS, not how HE does it. Text is filled with numerous example photos and lighting diagrams. No experience with lighting is necessary to appreciate this book, but a solid photography background and a little understanding of physics helps. Top Notch.

If you are tired of the average "artsy & wondering" lighting book then this one may be for you. The writers do a better job of covering the placement of lights and how that effects the creation of direct or diffuse lighting than any other book I've seen and I've easily read 6 lighting books from cover to cover over the years. Hunter and Fuqua (love that name) cover product photography and the problems of achieving good edge contrast and handling glare. They don't wimp out when you want to know how to handle black-on-black or white-on-white contrast problems. They tell how to light glass and metal also. Their explanations of light physics are given at a layman's understanding level though this does not hurt the book much. Just remember, light angle in = light angle out, and you can probably follow their examples.

The portrait chapter falsely called "An Arsenal of Lights" is better than most portrait books that I've read. Other writings on portraits I've seen just put their head in the sand and maybe give a couple of their pet peeves of bad lighting then tell you that their are no rules. This book is much better as it covers the basic lights for portraits, short and broad lighting technique, and more. They give you the tools to work with, telling you which lights go where and why so you at least have a starting point when trying to make a person look beautiful in 2d. This is not really an aesthetics book but a tools and techniques of the trade kind of book that is greatly needed. Very Highly recommended.

Really good book for a beginner to understand the basics of photographic lighting. Takes up each type of material and goes logically through lighting the material up. By the end you get a grasp of the concepts which you can use to light up any subject. Must Read for aspiring photographers.

This is the best book ever written on the subject.It explains the physics of light and types of reflection, which is what the camera records.

Lighting strategies and appropriate lighting technics are given for different subjects like flat surfaces, metal, glass, portrait, volumes (cube, cylinder, etc.) white on white subjects, black on black subjects.

You better read this book before starting to invest into a studio or taking a studio shoot with artificial light for the first time. It clearly pays back.

This is not a "how to" or "cookbook" however. If you are offended with physics and mathematics, this book is not for you.

But if you are patient and eager enough to understand the book you will never need a how to or cook book anyway.

I must agree to the reviews below that diffuse reflections requires a larger section for the next time. Also the book must be in color for the 3. edition.

If you are serious about lighting this must be the main reference book in your library.

After reading this book you will realize that you begin to master lighting!

I have a number of books on lighting, but this added information I had not seen elsewhere.

They concentrate on the size of light sources, the types of reflections produced by various subjects, and how to manage those reflections in a way that will add significant elements to your technique.

The discussions about lighting glass alone are worth the price of the book.

After you have read it, you will be seeing and using new knowledge both on the street and in the studio.

Their sections on electronic flash need to be updated to include modern TTL systems and upper end flash meters, but there is a lot of good information about using flashes.

It is important to [photograph] their examples for yourself to learn the techniques. The time will be well-invested.

This is NOT a book with a bunch of recipes for lighting specific subjects.

Instead, this is a book on what photographers really need to know to effectively light just about anything in the studio.

This book talks about types of reflections and the nature of reflected light. You will learn how to light people, very reflective metal, transparent glass, and and various combinations.

I am a professional photographer and this book gave me a better foundation on WHY to light things a particular way. I feel much more confident in my lighting skills and I think my work has improved. (If only someone would write a similar book on how to get clients to pay faster!)

The book flows from simple to complex in a very logical and easy to follow way. There are plenty of relevent diagrams and example photos too.

If you do any studio work with artificial lighting this is the very next book you should by.