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Picture Perfect Lighting Photo Book REVIEW (See Inside!)⭐ Kaitlin & Jared

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Picture Perfect Lighting: An Innovative Lighting System for Photographing People Paperback – March 15, 2016

by Roberto Valenzuela (Author)

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Roberto Valenzuela is a photographer and educator who has a talent for identifying areas where photographers regularly hit roadblocks and a passion for developing clear and concise systems that allow photographers to break through those barriers and become better, more confident practitioners of their craft. His two previous books, Picture Perfect Practice and Picture Perfect Posing, shattered the mold of instructional photography books as they empowered readers to advance their composition and posing skills. Picture Perfect Lighting, the third book in the Picture Perfect series, brings that same spirit and approach to teaching lighting. With it, Roberto empowers photographers to embrace lighting as a source of creativity and expression in service of their vision for the image.

In Picture Perfect Lighting, Roberto has created a truly original system for understanding and controlling light in photography. After discussing the universal nature of light, Roberto introduces the five key behaviors of light, which are essential to understand in order to improve your knowledge of light. With those behaviors established, Roberto introduces his concept of “circumstantial light,” an ingenious way of examining and breaking down the light around you in any given situation. Providing a detailed analysis of circumstantial light, Roberto develops the top ten circumstantial light elements you need to know in order to fully harness the power of the light around you to create an image that is true to your vision.

But how will you know if the circumstantial light is enough? The final piece of the Picture Perfect Lighting system is Roberto’s “lighting benchmark test,” a brilliant method for determining the quality of the light in any given situation. It is with the lighting benchmark test that you will determine if and when you need to use “helper light,” the light that is needed or manipulated in order to “help” the circumstantial light so that your vision comes to life. Helper light is created with diffusers, reflectors, flashes, strobes, and light modifiers. Picture Perfect Lighting covers all of this in depth.

Don’t limit yourself to using only one kind of light, and don’t depend on Photoshop actions and plug-ins to create the “wow” factor in your images. That is the job of light. With Picture Perfect Lighting by your side, you will learn to master light. With that mastery, you will finally have the ability to create that true “wow” factor in camera—and in your photographs.

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About the Author

Roberto Valenzuela is a photographer based in Beverly Hills, CA, who believes that it is not talent but deliberate practice that is at the core of skill and achievement. He is the author of the best-selling books Picture Perfect Practice and Picture Perfect Posing. He has traveled around the globe to motivate photographers to practice and break down the various elements of photography in order to master them through goal setting, self-training, and constant dedication.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rocky Nook
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 15, 2016
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1937538753
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1937538750
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.5 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #270,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Photography Lighting (Books)
- #186 in Digital Photography (Books)
- #207 in Photography Reference (Books)

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Roberto Valenzuela

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Roberto Valenzuela is a photographer based in Beverly Hills, CA. He has been honored by Canon USA to be one of the few chosen photographers to be part of their prestigious Canon Explorers of Light program. Roberto believes that it is not talent but deliberate practice that is at the core of skill and achievement. He has traveled to every corner of the world motivating photographers to practice and break down the various elements of photography in order to master them through goal-setting, self-training, and constant dedication. He is the author of the bes-selling books Picture Perfect Practice and Picture Perfect Posing.

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Customers find the book's information quality positive, with one review noting it explains every detail thoroughly. Moreover, they consider it a must-read for photographers, particularly praising its coverage of both natural and flash lighting techniques. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its ease of understanding, with customers appreciating its subtle yet comprehensive technical explanations.

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Information quality Value for money Lighting Ease of understanding

45 customers mention "Information quality"45 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's information quality positive, describing it as a helpful teacher that provides useful examples and serves as a gateway to advanced learning, with one customer noting that it explains both the 'why' and 'how' of every detail.

"Excellent book with tons of practical information as well as practical application! Well worth the purchase and effort to learn its principles!" Read more

"...It’s a great foundation upon which beginning photographers can build their own unique style, or experienced amateurs can use to reinvent their..." Read more

"...There is a ton of information regarding circumstantial (ambient) light and how it can be used and manipulated to give your pictures the wow factor...." Read more

"...Filled with practical examples of the thinking and planning that the author employs when deciding where to place his portrait subject in a scene,..." Read more

43 customers mention "Value for money"43 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be worth every page and consider it a must-read for photographers.

"Excellent book with tons of practical information as well as practical application! Well worth the purchase and effort to learn its principles!" Read more

"This book is a must read for any photographers who want to take their skill set to the next level...." Read more

"...It is amazing. Definitely worth every page." Read more

"A fantastic book to round out Roberto's Picture Perfect series. Great in-depth explanations and examples...." Read more

36 customers mention "Lighting"36 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's comprehensive approach to photography lighting, covering both natural and flash techniques, with one customer specifically noting its coverage of natural light.

"...About halfway through the book, he starts to introduce light modifiers and different techniques readers can use to boost the light in their photos...." Read more

"...His photos are remarkable. Valenzuela demonstrates his techniques under natural and flash lighting, and provides a number of practice exercises to..." Read more

"...He also gives a lot of good information about the use of flash, explaining the differences between TTL and manual flash, high speed sync and first..." Read more

"...treasure trove of information that if studied will allow you to really grasp the mastery of light you need to become a serious photographer...." Read more

26 customers mention "Ease of understanding"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand, with subtle yet comprehensive technical explanations and examples of how to apply the concepts.

"...the reader through the five behaviors of light with an intuitive explanation of each and easily understood examples...." Read more

"...His writing style is concise, friendly, and in each chapter he focuses precisely on the lesson being taught...." Read more

"...concepts of artificial lighting, all with sample pictures, clear explanations and an approach that shows you how you can turn real life situations..." Read more

"...This book makes it easy. You'll be like a well oiled machine after reading this and will walk into any shoot feeling like Micheal Jordan." Read more

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C
Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2025
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Excellent book with tons of practical information as well as practical application! Well worth the purchase and effort to learn its principles!

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Adam
Roberto Valenzuela: A True Magician of Light
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2016
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Roberto Valenzuela is to photography what the Masked Magician is to illusion. When in the presence of a stage magician performing tricks, it can be very mind boggling when attempting to comprehend exactly how what one has seen materialize could actually occur in spite of one’s understanding of the laws of physics. So too is the case when viewing photographs created by today’s top photographers of which Mr. Valenzuela is no exception. “How did he do that?” or “How big was the crew?” or even “How much did the lights for that shot cost?” are common thoughts when viewing such photographs. In “Picture Perfect Lighting: An Innovative Lighting System for Photographing People” any cloud of mystery that may have existed is lifted, and the “secrets” are revealed.

Over the course of 333+ pages, Mr. Valenzuela reveals several core truths. Not only does he prove that a large crew is NOT needed, nor the most expensive DSLR on the market, or even the most high end lighting equipment, he shows that anyone with a passion for practicing their photographic skills coupled with knowledge of the behavior of light can create professional quality photographs. Early on, he takes the reader through the five behaviors of light with an intuitive explanation of each and easily understood examples. He moves on to explain the process he uses to scout locations with nothing more than a camera and knowledge of light through a system called the “circumstantial light elements.” Through the many behind-the-scenes examples shown in the book and the insistence of the author, it becomes very clear that the quality of the light, not the aesthetics of the location are what make a photograph beautiful.

About halfway through the book, he starts to introduce light modifiers and different techniques readers can use to boost the light in their photos. Objects such as reflectors and speed lights are introduced in light of what he calls the “lighting benchmark test.” The basic idea of this philosophy is, in the paraphrased words of the author, “adjusting the light to your camera’s settings, not the other way around.” He first takes the reader through multiple examples of locations that either pass or fail this test with detailed explanations as to why. However, when the natural light is too weak, something more is needed to help boost the light as opposed to raising the camera’s ISO in order to maintain the cleanest possible files. Mr. Valenzuela offers many tips and tricks beyond the conventional for introducing each modifier into the scene. There is even an entire chapter devoted to becoming familiar with one’s flash unit(s) through hands on exercises that readers can practice over and over again.

The book concludes with several examples of photographs and why each one is successful. By the time the reader gets to this chapter, all of the previous principles taught in the book will have become so ingrained that he or she will be able to recognize why each location has elicited such beautiful light, hence a successful photograph. Such as in the case of the Masked Magician revealing the secrets of his illusions with relatively simple explanations, the reader of this book will no longer be left asking themselves “how?” but rather, “why didn’t I think of that?”

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David Garcia
This is not just another pretty picture book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2016
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On the premise that good light is the most important element for a photographer, Roberto’s Valenzuela’s photographic philosophy is based on three ideas: A photographer must understand good light’s behavior, recognize its appearance, and keep his/her camera’s ISO as low as possible when capturing it.

In his book, Valenzuela has distilled his philosophy into three concepts that define every shooting decision he makes. They are The Five Behaviors of Light, The Ten Circumstantial Light Elements, and Benchmark Settings. These three concepts create a system that any photographer can apply to any portrait scenario under any lighting conditions.

In the many color photo examples, detailed with explanation about how these concepts are applied, the results speak for themselves. His photos are remarkable. Valenzuela demonstrates his techniques under natural and flash lighting, and provides a number of practice exercises to help you build your shooting skills and your attention to good light.

His writing style is concise, friendly, and in each chapter he focuses precisely on the lesson being taught. Unlike some other authors, Valenzuela doesn’t waste your time with name-dropping or self-promotion. Every page is written for the reader’s benefit.

Picture Perfect Lighting is not just another book with a photographer’s pretty pictures and his/her camera settings written in the captions. This book provides a simple system that gives consistent results. It’s a great foundation upon which beginning photographers can build their own unique style, or experienced amateurs can use to reinvent their work.

Kindle owners, or those who have downloaded either the desktop or mobile Kindle App, will get the best deal on price.

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26 people found this helpful

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Imanikonguy
Spice it Up.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2016
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This book is a must read for any photographers who want to take their skill set to the next level. There is a ton of information regarding circumstantial (ambient) light and how it can be used and manipulated to give your pictures the wow factor. As Valenzuela says, this is how we can separate ourselves from the average, no better than anyone else kind of photographer, and become that photographer that everyone wants to hire; one that can command the price needed to be a successful, full time photographer. He also spends quite a bit of the book talking about "helper" light. He writes in depth about the proper use of reflectors, giving suggestions about types and brands of reflectors that will do a good job. He also gives a lot of good information about the use of flash, explaining the differences between TTL and manual flash, high speed sync and first and second curtain flash. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained by the careful and thorough study of this book. There are many books about lighting out there but this book along with the books written by Neil van Niekerk should be at the top of any serious photographer's reading list. If you're looking to add a little hot sauce to your photography, buy this book.

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PJ De Weerdt
Well worth reading from cover to cover
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2016
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No matter your level of expertise there will be something in it to motivate and educate. One of the few photography books that held my attention troughout.

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Ryan VDH
The most important book a photographer can own.
Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2016
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This is probably the most important book you can get as a photographer. I've been a pro photographer for 10 years and always thought of myself as pretty great at lighting. After reading this book I feel like I was using light like a paint roller instead of a fine brush. Roberto is an amazing photographer but he is simply the best educator in the industry, bar none. The book is easy to understand, builds logically and takes you through every step.

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Javier Garcia
Very, very very good
Reviewed in Spain on August 23, 2016
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Genial de principio a fin. Uno de los pocos libros de los que al final no me he arrepentido de haber comprado

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MW
Absolut empfehlenswert
Reviewed in Germany on May 9, 2016
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Super geschrieben. In Verbindung mit seinen anderen Perfect Pictures Büchern, ist es eine gute Grundlage für Fotografen, die ihre Bilder verbessern möchten.

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Art
Excelente libro
Reviewed in Mexico on August 9, 2023
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Es un libro con exactamente lo que necesita saber alguien que quiere iniciar en el mundo de la iluminacion en fotografia.

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Fishboy
Best photography book i own
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2021
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I hardly ever post reviews, but not to do so for this book would be a disservice to the author. It has completely revolutionised my photography: I am no longer confused by light or overawed by off camera flash. Whatever the situation, this book teaches you how to evaluate, supplement, shape and tame light to obey your creative will. Along with the first 2 books in Valenzuela's Picture Perfect series, it is worth every penny. Having devoured all 3 in as many weeks, I will undoubtedly re-read them all many times for fresh inspiration.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Roberto Valenzuela: A True Magician of Light

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not just another pretty picture book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Spice it Up.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading from cover to cover

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars The most important book a photographer can own.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very very good

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolut empfehlenswert

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro

5.0 out of 5 stars Best photography book i own

Great book!

Roberto Valenzuela: A True Magician of Light

This is not just another pretty picture book!

Spice it Up.

Well worth reading from cover to cover

The most important book a photographer can own.

Very, very very good

Absolut empfehlenswert

Excelente libro

Best photography book i own