Customer Reviews

Portfolio

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

"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 I was shocked that it had a solid 5 stars from all of the reviewers as I think this book is very outdated.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.

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.

I have this book. It's easy to read and understand. Also the photographs are very pleasing to the eye.I like the way that Art shows how he created each photograph. As a photographer myself it helps me to get my creative juices flowing.I would recomend this book not only to aspiring photographers but to all professionals who are stuck in a one type lighting setup. It will definitely improve their sales.

Fantastic book! Wow! This should be the model for all other photography books... simple, to-the-point, and the tech info is easily explained and/or drawn. Art Ketchum's knowledge and experience are invaluable. Very nice book, I can't put it down! ~Photography by John Olszewski

Art Ketchum is one of the best photographers currently working with models and light. The technical tips in this book are excellent and will benefit both pro and amateur shooters alike. I had the opportunity of attending one of Art's workshops and Art sums up his skills and techniques in this book. It's simply one of the best and I'm glad I was fortunate enough to learn some tips, first hand, from Art. I highly recommend this book.

This book captures model photography at its best. The text is easy to follow and the author provides the reader with a step by step easy to follow explanation of all the photographs presented. This book is a must for both the beginner and the seasoned professional.

A great bad example of writing, editing, and publishing. Bad grammar and absolutely atrocious punctuation make reading actually painful. There's even an error in the cover blurb!

This gets one star because the system requires at least one - but it doesn't deserve even one.

This is an excellent book to read through and study in order to expand your understanding of model photography. By including all of the details and studying the results it provides a great deal of good information from a talented photographer. It is great study in how to apply the techniques of lighting, camera settings and posing to get the results that you want. If you want some detail knowledge this book is for you.

A book filled with information that every amateur and advanced amateur photographer is looking for, it is filled with wonderful lighting set ups from the master of lighting. I have attended many of Art Ketchum's workshops over the years and it's my opinion there's not many photographers out there that has the knowledge that he does and now he is sharing that with everyone.
This book is a must for all photographers.