Customer Reviews

Portrait Lighting for Digital Photographers: The Basics and Beyond

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Steve Dantzig has put together a book detailing everything from the basics of lighting to post production (A.K.A. Photoshop) and even how to work with outdoor lighting. His knowledge and love of light shines through in this masterpiece. He has taken his time with this book to hit on some key subjects including placement of lights for desired shadowing on your subject, making due with one light setups, and multiple light setups. I find Chapter 4 called: One light setups, to be the most useful chapter for me, as i shoot on location alot and don't want to lug around anymore gear than i have to. If your looking for that one photography book which is easy to read and help you get on your way to taking more professional pictures,(no matter what your level of expertise) I highly reccomend this book!

First of all I think this book is a great step up for people who've entered the field using strobist techniques who are now ready to turn what had been hobbies into serious portrait businesses. Steve does a great job explaining the ins and outs of working with more traditional studio lights and modifiers. And that's a good thing because it leads to consistent results and fewer changing variables. One thing I really like in this new book is the use of little computer diagrams to show how the lights and modifiers are set up for nearly all of the important shots in the book. It's one thing to look at great portraits but it's twice as effective if you can also look at the "floorplan" at the same time.

Steve does a great job showing you how to great photos in the studio and outside. (I'm jealous of some of the beautiful locations he gets to shoot in as well as his diverse selection of models.)

If you want to know more about lighting and working with people this is a good place to start. Not too much. Not too little. This book is just right.

You might also look for his work in Michelle Perkins book 500 Poses. It's a nice resource.

Portrait Lighting for Digital Photographers, The Basics and Beyond is an invaluable read! The first few chapters teach the fundamentals of lighting in a concise and easy to understand format. I was able to grasp the concepts of exposure and metering. Now when I setup light I can predict how light will behave, accurately measure it, and manipulate it with the technical understanding I did not have before.

I was most delighted to find the section, Lighting Styles! I've been searching the Internet for a resource that listed classic lighting styles, like the Rembrandt, with examples. The book covers several styles like Rembrandt, Side, Loop, Butterfly, etc. There are an enormous amount of pictures that illustrate the differences in light, from power, placement, and diffusion. The images help to reinforce the concepts explained, and it's all in one place! I find myself using the examples as a reference when I am conceptualizing and planning my lighting setup before an important shoot.

My absolute favorite parts of the book are the chapters that cover digital correction and manipulation of light and color, especially the post production enhancements! The author gives valuable tips on preparing to adjust color, shooting with adjustment in mind, and performing the adjustment on one or a collection of images!

And finally I was delighted to see a chapter on location shooting. Understanding the behavior of artificial light in a controlled environment is great, but being able to take that knowledge and mix it with ambient light is a real treat!

I've already recommended this book to friends who like myself have started as Strobists. We are starting to use studio strobes more and more, and are in search for a deeper understanding of light. This book made a difference for me.

I actually got this book because of all the positive reviews on it. And while there is some very valuable information, and a few demonstrations of all of the lighting techniques offered, I found the actual quality of writing a bit off and most of the example photos were more like things you'd see in a Victoria's Secret add. I get that women (which all the individual shots are of by the way) like to feel like a fashion model, but this was a bit irritating as far as examples go. And when he explains the difference a light can make from a direction, the model shouldn't be moving into a different spot for each shot, of course your light is going to look different if your face isn't at an angle anymore! I wouldn't say that it is all bad, because like I said, there is some very good information on meters, and different lighting techniques, but next time I decide to buy I book based off reviews, I will check the store first to make sure that it really is one that I want.

Stephen Dantzig is a great teacher to those just learning photography and to those with experience. He covers the basics and advanced techniques with a tone that is easy to understand. He definitely knows what he is talking about as the book is graced with many fine photographs. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in photography and to someone who wants to become a better photographer.

Portrait Lighting for Digital Photographers: The Basics and Beyond is a 'must' for any serious portrait photographer's growth. It provides a review of techniques for setting and controlling a range of lights and lighting modifiers, creating classic lighting patterns and working with strobes and outdoor shoots. The progressive learning approach builds on basics to move photographers to more advanced techniques in this solid survey.

If anyone can bring a photographer up-to-speed with the principles of light, in the shortest amount of time, it's Stephen Dantzig, through these books. This is years of experience mastering light, with an easy-to-learn format. Superbly illustrated, enough information for pros and simple science for the budding amateur, this book is a goldmine of tips and knowledge.

Stephen shows us the dos and don'ts, the steps to making the best image and the logic behind the process. A plethora of lighting options are provided, with the benefits of each. Quality of light is covered, with what it can do for your image. Ever wanted to know about the elusive, "Inverse Square Law" or F-Stop Values? It's all here, in plain English.

Stephen goes through the logic and physics of why light behaves the way it does under a variety of locations and lighting setups, from single light sources to multiple in a natural progression. This book has a permanent and prominent location in my photography library.

I own each book Steve Dantzig has written, and have gained so much knowledge from each one. I especially love this one, as it doesn't matter your skill level when jumping in to read it -- a beginner in learning the basics of photographic lighting can follow Dantzig's teaching methods and be able to apply them immediately. The photographer most advanced in complex lighting techniques has lots to benefit from the book, as well, as Dantzig breathes new life into classic lighting schemes that have been around since the beginning of photography.

Dantzig also walks you through some of his personal favortie tips, such as color correction, white balance, and photoshop adjustment techniques, that are priceless coming from such an accomplished photographer and lighting guru. Being able to take a peek into Dantzig's own "bag of tricks" is amazing for me!

Whatever a photographer's skill level, this book includes methods to make he/she a better photographer and a better lighting expert. I will keep it close by in my studio from now on.

This is an excellent book for the digital photographer who is just starting out, as well as experienced photographers who want to enhance their pictures with off-camera lighting to take their photography to the next level. The book was very easy to read and the style of writing is very engaging.
When I first started out, the two most intimidating things for me were photographing people and working with my flash. This book explained exactly how to do both, step by step with easy to read diagrams and real world examples. I especially liked the "Terms to know" section that is on each page and the simple, yet detailed explanations for each of the lighting setups. Highly recommended.

This is my first book I have bought of Stephen Dantzig's. While reading this book I found it easy to follow along with what he was talking about. I have read many books on photography and so far this was the easiest one of all. He explains it in plain English that anyone can understand. I found it hard to put the book down once I started reading it. Beautiful scenery behind the beautiful girls. If anyone wants to learn lighting techniques, this is the book for you. Thanks Steve for writing it.