Lighting Secrets for the Professional Photographer [Paperback]

Alan Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

For amateur photographers or professionals wanting to improve their work, this text takes you step-by-step through 31 photo shoots where the authors outline what they wanted to achieve and how they did it. They offer all the facts, including what type of reflector was used, various lighting angles they tried that didn't work and why, and other special tricks they devised along the way.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 1st edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898794129
• ISBN-13: 978-0898794120
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,107,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars unique in that it shows the inevitable changes during shoot, March 12, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lighting Secrets for the Professional Photographer (Paperback)

I own many lighting books. Although not a beginners how to book, it does show the shots that were taken before the final shot. This is unique! The reader is able to see and read about the small changes that are made in working towards perfection. Most other books show the final shot with minimal verbage. This book discuses very detailed lighting adjustments that are made and the sequences of shots relating to them

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Limited book., July 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lighting Secrets for the Professional Photographer (Paperback)

I'd rate it with 1/2 star if I could! If you read the Booknews Inc. review above, you'll think that the book shows you "how to" do anything you want, but that's not what the book is about. Very limited! It shows you "how to" waste your time and money in extensive so-called "explanations" of few and uncreative shots. It is NOT a step by step book, and it is NOT meant to teach you anything. Everything you could eventually learn from this book, you would learn better if you read Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Studio Manual. Period.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but not for beginners to studio lighting, December 1, 2011

By 

mmoe - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lighting Secrets for the Professional Photographer (Paperback)

I bought this book some 15 years ago and was somewhat of an advanced amateur in photography back then. I was still using my early 1960's era Pentax S3 (35mm film) and wanted to learn some more advanced studio lighting techniques for photographing some of my woodworking projects. The results of applying the information in this book were the best photos that I had ever shot to that point. Not by just a little, the improvement in my photography at the time could be measured in miles by applying this information. It could truly be said that this book made a dramatic difference in both the photos I took then, and eventually the course of my life as I now work as a photographer and continue to apply what I learned in this book even today.

This book is somewhat "limited" as a previous review states, but in a good way. It sticks to a vary narrow subject matter and shows you a series of excellent examples. If you are looking to learn basic studio lighting techniques, this is not a good book for you. It will not teach you how to meter the light. It isn't going to explain how to increase or decrease the contrast of the light. It's not going to go on and on about the differences between an umbrella and a softbox and a reflector for light quality. You must already know these things before reading it. This is a book for people who already have, at the very least, a solid basic understanding of studio lighting and want to learn how to gain extreme control of it. Keep in mind, the examples in this book were not shot with a DSLR and most of the effects generated were done so with only the use of light, not Photoshop. This was when effects, such as the project with the arm coming out of a computer screen, were done through carefully planned multiple exposure

The book gives an explanation of what the goal of the shot is, then describes the process of adjusting the lighting, including reflectors and other lighting related equipment, to get the desired result. It also includes lighting diagrams that are sufficient for those with a basic studio lighting background to understand what was done. There are also good insights as to the thought process used to arrive at the end result, both regarding technical challenges and aesthetic decisions.

The book is not lacking in creativity in the examples which, in fact, are quite challenging for even advanced photographers given that it was done on film. The examples are somewhat dated, so don't be surprised to feel like you've been transported back to the 80s. It is not, as previously reviewed, a step by step book and nor was it intended to be. A photographer well versed in basic lighting techniques could sit and read this book from cover to cover without even picking up his/her camera and learn a tremendous amount of techniques that could be experimented with later. These are all very subtle things that make the difference between OK lighting and really well placed/controlled lighting. It will teach you quite a lot, but only if you have a foundation to understand what is being done.

Again, if you don't already know how to adjust the contrast of your lighting, how to meter your lighting properly, how to modify your lighting and know about a great deal of lighting equipment, this book is just going to seem pointless. I highly recommend this book, but only to advanced amateurs and professionals that may need help in tabletop photography lighting scenarios.