Customer Reviews

Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm an advanced hobbyist photographer. I have Canon bodies and flashes. I've found lots of general flash resources that have all been somewhat helpful. However, the missing link is a book dedicated to Canon flash devices.

The author does an excellent job of examining the Canon system and of explaining the features of the flashes.

That said, this isn't a replacement for the manual; it doesn't go over every button press and configuration option. Instead, there are a lot of examples showing how to use the flash and its features to get better pictures. There's lots of before and after photos to show how a feature changes the resulting image.

If you've just bought your first Canon flash, you might feel that this book assumes you have too much knowledge that you don't already have. However, if you've already learned the basics, this book will teach you some techniques that you won't easily find elsewhere, and as it does it will also show you how to set up your flash (and sometimes, Canon camera) to enable them.

I've uploaded a picture to this page that was taken using a technique learned via this book. The link is near the picture of the cover of the book at the top of the page.

First of all, this book is big, it is also comprehensive and whilst up-to-date it does not seem like it will age too much (at least it will be relevant for some time to come). This is going help beginner and intermediate users and should help you make the most out of your flash and lighting techniques. Having said that this book is not weighed down by just focusing on specific lighting techniques, these areas are covered enough to get you going and help you understand what you need to be aware of - there are plenty of other books to cover just lighting configurations and setups.
This book does cover pretty much everything Canon, outdoor and indoor lighting and will keep me occupied for months to come.

I waited a LONG time for a book like this. Probably a couple of years or more.I know of the author and he has online information that is also covered in the book. The book has a bit more though. If you are an advanced Canon EOS user and you feel comfortable that you have most Canon flash controls understood, this book is probably not for you. I actually expected more out of it for myself, but now that I've read the book I did not get much out of it. HOWEVER, this is not to say the book is not very useful for less advanced users. It certainly is well written with examples of just about anything you can think of. It even covers off brand gear that works with Canon EOS system.

It covers some really basic elements of photography lighting, as well as touching on deeper Canon EOS workings. This book is for a beginner to somewhat advanced photographer. It covers studio lights to a degree, many types of studio and portable flash modifiers, and radio and optical wireless and wired remote control of Canon EOS flash systems (and non Canon).

My rating of 3 stars is more indicative of this book not providing the information that I was looking for instead of the quality of this book. I recently bought a 580EX II and want to learn how to use it in my photography, which is not studio-based. I also want more than an explanation of what every knob and switch does. I want to understand what one can do with a small flashes and form an understanding so I can run with the information and implement the knowledge in a way that serves me. I have made it through half of the book so far and this would be an excellent book for someone setting up a lighting system for a Canon camera. It talks about compatibility with Canon flashes (old and new), third party flashes, options for controlling those flashes and such. I have a current Canon camera and flash. I found that I got bogged down in the copious amount of information that does not apply to my "system". I really appreciate that this book explains how the Canon flash system works so that I can understand and troubleshoot when something goes unexpectedly. As I peruse the rest of the book, it appears to continue in the same vein. It does have a small section at the end for technique. This book would be one to consider if you are putting together a lighting system or trying to get a hodge-podge of lights to work together with your Canon camera. For the right audience, I imagine this would be a great book to have. Hope this information is helpful when considering all of the other feedback about this book.

Never wrote a review before, but I thought I owed it this time to all those folks my age (48) and consider themselves semi-pro photographer or really serious armatures. (You know the kind; called on constantly to take pictures for every event imaginable, but by the grace of God never have to charge anyone for what was done.) I make it a point to read every bit of the instructions for every piece of equipment I have from Canon since I purchased my gear (and got serious) in 2008. Without a doubt, this book takes me to a level with Speedlites that I just couldn't seem to do using the internet or the manuals. And this is even AFTER going to wonderful sites like [...]! At first I kind of thought the book wasn't worth the money I paid. But after using the actual principles and "how to's" with multiple Speedlites, (I now have 4), it was easy to see just how much the book helped me and worth the money. Basically, this is a manual on how to use the lights and make them work. Keep it around until you remember how, then share the book with someone else. Hope this helps someone.

I really enjoyed going through this book. It is really thorough and goes deep on every single detail about the concepts flash photography, and about all the types of flashes and accessories you can find (and even some you can't find). I expected, however to see more techniques and setups with comparison shots. The book is extremely up-to-date and has really few typos or wrong references.

I ordered this book back on December 19th - I finally got it today (a long awaited Christmas Present to myself) and if I had to sum this book up in two words or less it would be simple elegance. The photo examples of `if you do this and then try this' are great. I have 3 flashes and can't wait until I can put the various exercises to the test. Even though I am not done reading the book, I have learned so much already I thought I would give it a quick review with more to follow.

There is relatively little information available from Canon on the EOS compatible flash system. This book provides all the information you need to make effective use of Canon's various "speedlites" with Canon EOS cameras. It includes a huge amount of information on Canon flash technology, as well as information on flash technique. An outstanding effort. Check out N. K. Guy's excellent website photonotes.org as well.

Filling the gaps that I didn't understand from the users manual. My strobe work has already improved 100% and I haven't even finished the book yet. Thank you.

This book is quite detailed and does good job of explaining flash for a newbie.