Portfolio [Paperback]

Art Ketchum (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Artistic Light Publishing, Inc (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971491607
• ISBN-13: 978-0971491601
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,048,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book, November 20, 2005

By 

Rebel POW (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portfolio (Paperback)

This is the first book that got me interested in studio lighting and I'd recommend it to anyone.

What I like about the book:

1) Art shows on every page the lighting setup that he used to create the image. Not just the light placement, but right down to the f stops of the lights, the brand of the lights, the camera used and so forth. If you're looking for a simple, straight forward explanation of how to use studio lighting, this is a great place to start.

2) This is a very readable book. There are a lot of photography books out there that may have something to teach you, but they're so poorly written that it's agony to bring yourself to finish the book. This one is different. This is a book that you could read for pleasure.

3) The book is filled with sidebars of Art's wisdom... covering such topics as 'Mentors', The Importance of Make-up', 'Creating Sensuality In Your Photography', 'Building An Extraordinary Portfolio'... and so on. The sidebars alone are worth the price of the book.

4) All in all, this is a great starter book on model photography and studio lights.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Outdated & Uninspiring, January 25, 2006

By 

Denise at Hello, Moxie! "DENISE." (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portfolio (Paperback)

"You've got to be kidding me" is what I exclaimed when I received this book in the mail. I was shocked that it had a solid 5 stars from all of the reviewers as I think this book is very outdated. If you are interested in current fashion and beauty trends, this book is not for you. Although the copyright is 2001, it might as well be 1986 -- that's what the photos look like. Yes, the diagrams are somewhat helpful but if you are a lover of current fashion photography, you won't be inspired by any of the photographs to actually use the techniques. I found the photographs and the art direction of the photographs to be a bit cheesy and tacky.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Portfolio by Ketchum, February 24, 2006

By 

Apexjuha (Finland, Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portfolio (Paperback)

Beforehand the book promised a lot. 100 photos analyzed. However, it turned out that many shots are done in a very similar manner with mostly 3:1 or 4:1 light ratio. I can not see the uniqueness that the cover promises in lightning or styling. Still, the book is informative and it has a good layout. Some worthy ideas.

Worth the money? Hmm... I would not say the Ketchum book is wasted money, but you can find some more versatile lighting instructions/manuals from the sites of lighting equipment manufacturers (e.g. Elinchrome/Joe Graig). It's definitely not a bad book, but not a jewelry in its class either. For an enthusiast - yes, sure.