Customer Reviews

Nikon School presents A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Several years ago, Nikon created the "Speed of Light" DVD, featuring Joe McNally demonstrating the (then) new SB-800 speedlight. Nikon missed an opportunity to create a true educational resource in its quest to quickly highlight the features of its flagship speedlight.

Not this time.

Roughly five times as long as the "Speed of Light" DVD, "Hands-On" is a Nikon flash seminar in a box, chock full of highly detailed information. Photographers Bob Krist and Joe McNally start you in the studio with the basics and then hit the road for some high-end location shooting.

They walk you through both the theory and practice in detail -- you will walk away with a thorough understanding of how to use what is widely considered to be the best flash system in the industry.

They go from simple, one-light setups to a tour de force *13-light* shoot at dusk. The DVD is suitable for all levels, from absolute beginner to long-time CLS users looking for fresh ideas.

You will watch this one more than once, and it will influence the way you light for years to come. Highly recommended for Strobist-style lighting, it is the best resource to date for learning Nikon's Creative Lighting System.


David Hobby
Columbia, MD

wow. what rarefied company among reviewers here!
I purchased DVD based upon David Hobby's endorsement (review) above. Also, it features another of my favorite photogs, Joe McNally.
The DVD is professionally done. The flow is logical and well-paced . The environment (a neat, attractive studio, 3 different & interesting "location" shoots) and background music (at times) lend themselves to the overall goal of making the information more accessible.
The DVD begins with a detailed overview of basic lighting technique by Bob Krist. I think he does a magnificent job with the use of graphics & with the portraiture demo in the studio.
Bob then introduces Nikon flash gear (SB-900,SB- 800, SB-600 ,the infrared controller (?SU-80), and the macro lighting kit. Bob demos a "Closeup" of a watch that is also very informative.
For me, the fun & learning ramps up when Bob meets up w/ Joe in the second part of the DVD -the location shoots. Stop one is at the Boston school of Ballet. The second location is of a model as a new bride and the wonderful variety of possible photos.
wow. there are many practical ideas, suggestions & other things I can try w/ my own photography. Besides, it is truly entertaining to "tag along" with good photographers who are willing to share their craft.
I'm happy I somehow found this DVD on sale; it appears to be on backorder most outlets as of late Nov. 08. Hope you get to enjoy it soon, too!
Pablo

I have to say it is freaking awesome! It is 2 1/2 hours. The first part covers everything about the Nikon flashes-- the technical aspects of stuff like CLS, i-ttl, master, slaves, working with mixed lighting, etc.

The second part, about 1.5 hours, covers using the technology in the field with some complex lighting issues to deal with. There are 4 different shoots/locations. Joe McNally does the shooting and Bob Krist is there assisting him and asks Joe a lot of questions to help you understand Joe's thought process for each shot/set of shots. Some of the stuff they try doesn't end up looking good, they show that and then fix the issues by adjusting some part of the lighting till things look good. It was nice to see they had to do some tweaking and tuning, and explain it, to get the shots the way the wanted.

The training video Nikon put out a few years ago felt more like a very cool infomercial. It showed you what can be done with Nikon's CLS/TTL but not how. Their new training DVD is just that, a training DVD. They use the flashes in very creative ways.

If you watch the DVD, take some notes(do that!!), and practice what they are showing you, then you will end up with a solid understanding of Nikon flashes and will be able to use them in new ways you never thought of before.

The only thing I wish is that when they reviewed each image at the that the metadata would have been displayed.

Thx,
Scott Baldwin

A highly instructional DVD for someone like me who is just getting into strobe lighting: clear explanation of the various functions of Nikon's strobes with navigation possibilities so you can switch to the model that interests you, followed by concrete demos by Bob Krist; finally a visit with Joe McNally on site at a dance studio, at a wedding, and at the waterfront putting it all into action. All great stuff!
If only that accompanying elevator music could be turned off!!! At times it is hard to focus on Bob Krist over this inane noise pollution. What were the producers thinking???

Nikon gives a boost to their lighting products with this informative and clever tutorial. Bob Krist(veteran) and Joe McNally (newcomer) share their treasure trove of knowledge and insight to instruct the viewer just how to squeeze every last photon out of their flashes.
The last video was more of an infomercial. This one explains everything fully, with thought provoking images and ideas.
If you want to propel your photography into a professional atmosphere, buy this DVD. The secrets are all here. You will thank the folks at Nikon for this one.

Terrific DVD even if you are not a Nikon shooter. First part of the DVD has a great overview on basic lighting technique and then second part of DVD shows how to use small strobes to achieve different effects. Very detailed instructions and easy to understand light setups. The reason I did not give this dvd 4 stars is the musical soundtrack. There is piano music, LOUD piano music, playing over the instructors as they were talking -- I found the music very distracting and it makes it hard to concentrate on what the instructors are saying. It does not seem possible to turn the music off, either. A really poor choice on the part of the makers of this otherwise great instructional DVD.

I can't believe this DVD was so cheap, yet so unbelievably informative. They start out in a studio to show the basics of portrait lighting using the Creative Lighting System. That part was interesting as he sets up a basic one light portrait, discusses the problems, and makes changes to correct them. And you learn throughout the process.

But the really cool part is when he goes into the field with Joe McNally. For one thing, it was just really cool to get to see Joe in action. I'm always interested in seeing a guy like that work. But also, and more to the point of this DVD, he was doing things that I just didn't think CLS would be able to accomplish! I am completely blown away and this is going to change the way I do my lighting from here out. I seriously want to thank Nikon, Bob Krist, and Joe McNally for producing such an outstanding DVD at such an affordable price.

That shot on the cover - the ballet dancer - shot with the same camera and light that I have. My shots don't look that good! But after watching this DVD a couple more times and practicing, I think they will look a lot better.

Nikon Schools multimedia training is excellent. I like how both of the instructors teach you how to assess the situation before you take the shot. I have nothing bad to say about the training.

I would like to see comparisons or examples of the SB Speed light series and that of Pocket wizard. Being able to mix and match gear would be great as well, such as Profoto gear.

This is an excellent production. Whatever your current skill level after watching this you take better pictures. After watching this DVD I never take a flash photo anymore with the flash mounted to the top of my camera. To create a good photo you need good light and this DVD will explain in simple terms how to easily achieve that. Highly recommended!

Purchased this DVD after seeing it recommended on the [...] website. Overall an excellent video introduction to off camera lighting using shoe mounted strobes. The video is produced by Nikon and therefore has only exclusive instructions for their equipment, but even though I am a Canon shooter I thought there was still a huge amount of the video that was relevant for me. The on-location work by Joe McNally is really what is so valuable in this video. Just watching him work and listening to his thought process was extremely informative.