Posing and Lighting Techniques for Studio Portrait Photography (Paperback)

~ (Author) "This chapter is not intended as an endorsement of any particular film, camera, lights or exposure meter..." (more)
Key Phrases: flat disk receptor, enhanced color film, nose axis, Kodak's Portra, Hasselblad Softar, Photoflex Litepanel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The analysis of the portraits in this book gives insight into how they were created and explains to studio photographers of all skill levels how to get the same great results. Carefully matching the pose to the subject of a photograph is a central lesson presented in this guide and ensures that the best portrait possible will be created to delight both client and photographer. Lighting setups and appropriate poses for head shots, three-quarter, and full-length portraits, as well as for specific body parts, are discussed at length. Works from the author’s portfolio are shown and analyzed to reinforce each of the concepts presented.

About the Author

J. J. Allen is a professional photographer with more than 50 years of experience, as well as a writer for Rangefinder magazine. He lives in Hapeville, Georgia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc. (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158428031X
• ISBN-13: 978-1584280316
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #337,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good content, poor editing, January 8, 2001

By	Tim Witort "TRW" (Delhi, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Allen's book on studio lighting and posing is generally a good overall study of techniques and recommendations. The book is aimed toward the professional photographer or the experienced amateur. There are fine examples and detailed instructions on metering multi-light setups. The posing information is less useful, but is still well thought out.

A significant flaw in the book is the editing. There are several mistakes with sample photos - photos mislabeled and some photos mistakenly shown multiple times rather than the photos that the text refers to. This will leave some people who have not done much studio work scratching their heads when their tests look nothing like the examples in the book. Fortunately, most of the samples are correct and the errors are fairly obvious as long as the reader is paying close attention.

Another drawback are the lighting diagrams. They are so far from being "to scale" that their usefulness is greatly reduced.

And lastly, there are many many cases where the author goes into great detail describing equipment and techniques that would have been much, much better done with a simple accompanying photograph of the apparatus. Basically the only photos in the book are the portraits (most of them quite nice), but almost every chapter is just begging for some small photos of the equipment being talked about.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for me, January 24, 2003

By	CLT (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Perhaps it is my own fault that I didn't read the book title carefully. The book was indeed on "Studio" photography. I was hoping to get some more general expert insights on lighting and posing. Instead, I was overwhelmed with suggestion about what kind of equipments to buy. The author assume that you are a professional photographer, who owns a studio, a medium format camera, and $10k+ for some lighting equipments. If you are such photographer, you might like this book. For me, I was lucky enough to own a 35mm SLR and a decent flash. This is not a bad book and the presentation is very personal, but this book is not for me. If you are like me, who just want to improve your chances of getting good pictures of your families and friends, try ISBN 1584280344 instead.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, March 12, 2001

By	Paul Ferrara (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one great book! Stunning photos, excellent lighting diagrams, and clear text. Mr. Allen focuses (a pun, huh? [g]) on creating striking images of everyday subjects using equipment that's available and affordable. No trick lighting or elaborate backgrounds are required. He covers all the basics on posing styles and lighting types. My portraits have improved by orders of magnitude already and I continue to gain knowledge with each rereading.