Posted by Nathan Buck on February 17, 2007 at 12:32 AM
Hi all.
Do you all have any suggestions on good books for photo lighting? I am doing more indoor shooting than I ever thought I would - so I am finding that I have A LOT to learn.
Any books that you can all suggest to help me out?
Thanks in advance.
Nathan
Posted by Danny Burk on February 17, 2007 at 8:52 AM
"Light - Science & Magic" by Hunter & Fuqua - best I've seen.
Our books are out of date Nathan, but one of the better sources is online: The Lighting101 article at the Strobist. They have other resources there that will prove very useful, too. While the Strobist is aimed mostly at small strobes like your SB-800, the principles and explanations are universal to studio lights.
On the subject of our out-of-date books, most came from used book stores and date from the 50's through the 80's. We picked them up here and there for their excellent illustrations. Whether you buy or not, slow browsing in used book stores will undoubtedly yield hidden treasures for pennies on the dollar. One of the better ones is: "50 Portrait Lighting Techniques for Pictures That Sell" by John Hart, 1983 from Amphoto.
I'd also keep your eyes open for any PPA courses and workshops in your area. They pop up frequently in major metro areas, though you probably wouldn't hear of them because most advertizing is through email newsletters to members and schedules at their site. I'm almost certain that non-members can take the classes for a small additional fee.
Another good resource is the annual convention of WPPI held each year in Las Vegas. This year it is March 24-29. There are courses offered each morning of the 5-day event which should be very useful and they have a number of more intensive 2-day classes. In addition, many of the larger vendors put on hourly demos throughout the course of the afternoon trade show.
In our experience each source will cover the basics fairly well, but then you have to delve into "styles" that really move you. Those vary dramatically from source to source, so lots and lots of browsing will be required to fulfill your own vision.
One more source just occurred to me. Santa Fe Workshops offers intensive 5-day classes at their live-in facility, and their studio spaces are exceptional. Class sizes are limited, plus they have half a dozen or so complete lighting sets within their large studio. You'll probably get more hands-on time and one-on-one with topnotch instructors than from any other source. The classes aren't cheap, but it's very much a case of "you get what you pay for." Watching my wife develop over the years, the SF workshop courses appear to have had more dramatic impact than any other source.
Discussion
2 repliesDo you all have any suggestions on good books for photo lighting? I am doing more indoor shooting than I ever thought I would - so I am finding that I have A LOT to learn.
Any books that you can all suggest to help me out?
Thanks in advance.
Nathan
On the subject of our out-of-date books, most came from used book stores and date from the 50's through the 80's. We picked them up here and there for their excellent illustrations. Whether you buy or not, slow browsing in used book stores will undoubtedly yield hidden treasures for pennies on the dollar. One of the better ones is: "50 Portrait Lighting Techniques for Pictures That Sell" by John Hart, 1983 from Amphoto.
I'd also keep your eyes open for any PPA courses and workshops in your area. They pop up frequently in major metro areas, though you probably wouldn't hear of them because most advertizing is through email newsletters to members and schedules at their site. I'm almost certain that non-members can take the classes for a small additional fee.
Another good resource is the annual convention of WPPI held each year in Las Vegas. This year it is March 24-29. There are courses offered each morning of the 5-day event which should be very useful and they have a number of more intensive 2-day classes. In addition, many of the larger vendors put on hourly demos throughout the course of the afternoon trade show.
In our experience each source will cover the basics fairly well, but then you have to delve into "styles" that really move you. Those vary dramatically from source to source, so lots and lots of browsing will be required to fulfill your own vision.
One more source just occurred to me. Santa Fe Workshops offers intensive 5-day classes at their live-in facility, and their studio spaces are exceptional. Class sizes are limited, plus they have half a dozen or so complete lighting sets within their large studio. You'll probably get more hands-on time and one-on-one with topnotch instructors than from any other source. The classes aren't cheap, but it's very much a case of "you get what you pay for." Watching my wife develop over the years, the SF workshop courses appear to have had more dramatic impact than any other source.