Customer Reviews

Lighting Secrets for the Professional Photographer

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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

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.

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.

I disagree with the review below titled "Limited book." As an intermediate amateur photographer, I learned a lot from "Lighting Secrets..." Virtually all the 31 shoots are indeed creative. I have not seen multiple Polaroids showing the effects of changes in lighting (pp. 46-133) in any other book. Freeman's "...Studio Manual" has only a few pages devoted to lighting. My only complaints about "Lighting Secrets..." are: (A) The title should have the word "studio," since the book does not cover natural lighting. (B) Chapter Two (pp.17-43) on the "Whys of Lighting" shows only a single lighting diagram and a single photo from each shoot. (C) The images on pages 109 and 125, manipulated using 1990 computer technology, are not very attractive. (D) The photo on p. 113 (identical to the cover) should be swapped with the photos on p. 115. (E) It would have been nice to know the film, camera, and lens for each shoot.