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Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
Author: Kirk Tuck
Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc.
Category: Book

List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $23.07
You Save: $11.88 (34%)



Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 29 reviews
Sales Rank: 4076

Media: Paperback
Pages: 128
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.4

ISBN: 1584282304
Dewey Decimal Number: 778.72
EAN: 9781584282303
ASIN: 1584282304

Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description

Packed with incredible images and step-by-step techniques, this book is a must have for commercial, wedding, and portrait photographers working on location who want to maximize their time behind the camera and minimize their time spent hauling cumbersome lighting equipment. The tips show how to select easily portable and versatile equipment for location shoots, cutting down on the packing and porting of expensive equipment. With techniques and information on the latest technology—including battery-powered flashes and accessories—this reference shows photographers how to work with smaller and lighter-weight lighting equipment without sacrificing quality. Whether shooting portraits, landscapes, or interiors, whether indoors or out, photographers will embrace the portable approach offered in this valuable resource.




Customer Reviews:   Read 24 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars Great photos!   November 15, 2008
C. Glu (Texas!)
The photos in this book are fabulous. His work shows how experienced and skillful he is in photography. A must buy for those who want to learn the art and science of professional photography.


5 out of 5 stars Absolute gold, made me a better photographer   November 5, 2008
Big Fudge (Brooklyn, NY USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I am a hobbyist photographer who started out using a darkroom in high school shooting black and white film. I have never felt comfortable using strobes. Over the years I have convinced myself that I am a "natural light" shooter who didn't need a flash. I actually used to push 3200 film a couple stops to avoid using a flash at night!

Unfortunately my D200 just doesn't cut it in low light, so I bought an SB600 and reluctantly started using it for indoor shots. My pictures have been awful... I simply did not know what I was doing.
Recently, during a family wedding, I took another stab at using the flash and the results were complete crap. I decided to buy this book on a lark before throwing in the towel. I am glad I did!

This book is concise, full of information, and it all makes sense. The pace and progression of information is right on. Everything you need to know about using a modern flash is here. It is technical without being boring or patronizing. I want to thank the author for producing such an intelligent and usable guide to using my camera as it was meant to be used.
I now have the confidence to set up a small studio to help out with a local fashion business. Instead of fearing my flash, I am now empowered to really embrace artificial light.



5 out of 5 stars Great Starting Point for Minimalist (Strobist) Lighting   October 26, 2008
Timothy OBrien (Chapel Hill, NC)
If you are getting caught up in photography and wand to ride the minimalist (Strobist) wave, this is as good a place to start as any. Along with the [...] blog and lighting guide, this is a detailed, useful, practical, concrete, and helpful guide to getting to the next level of photography without investing in cumbersome and expensive equipment.

The book has two main sections. The first is a great guide to the equipment one needs to do minimalist lighting. From batteries to flashes, stands to reflectors, bags to clamps, you will find the items you need to get the job done.

The second major section of the book is a series of case studies, most with lighting diagrams. These are very useful in visualizing how minimalist photos are made. Each case study is also proof that great photos can be made without old-school equipment.

I would have liked to see more case studies, more-detailed lighting diagrams (with larger fonts), and photos of the lighting set ups. But, I highly recommend this book. Read it after you go through Lighting 101 at [...] and you will have a great sense of minimalist lighting equipment and techniques.




5 out of 5 stars Practical Off-camera flash photography explained   October 22, 2008
A. Amato (San Antonio, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

A well laid our explanation of minimalist (aka: off-camera, flash) photography. The author starts with explaining common equipment used, pros and cons of key pieces, places to find and buy these items. He then explains simple lighting techniques, starting with one flash. He includes references along the way to online sites, such as strobist.blogspot.com in order to continue learning about certain subjects. Additionally, the author will not only show the final image but lighting diagrams and an overall photograph of how his flashes, diffusers, reflectors, etc were setup. He includes examples for both indoor studio shots and outdoor lighting situations. This book is a good book for advanced beginners or intermediate photographers. I have found it extremely useful and would recommend this to anyone learning the off-camera, minimalist (strobist) methodology of lighting.



5 out of 5 stars Extremely practical reference book   October 20, 2008
Coyner Thomas Lee (Jungro-Gu, Seoul Korea, Republic of)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

In the now popular Strobist tradition, there are several really great and even inspirational guide books with incredible pictures. But what really sets this book apart is not so much of impressing the reader with eye-popping photos but rather on how to get the basics done right via very practical advice.

Yes, often the book's suggested solutions require multiple strobes; and yes, some say you should start out with just one strobe and gradually work up. But, sometimes there are opportunities you need 4 or more strobes and this book gives you the basics on using from 1~5 strobes as needed.

Also, there is a very thorough discussion of related gear that is very well illustrated and organized. I have not read this book cover to cover, but I keep reaching for it to check out some ideas, to confirm or correct some assumptions, as well as to look for practical examples to plan for photo shoots, some of which I have used with very successful results.

Is there one book that is ideal for this topic? No, but this is one book I think that is great to find all the basic information quickly and repeatedly. The other books are great for showing what minimalist lighting is capable, but this book gets any serious photographer started making his or her first serious off camera lighting photos.


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