Studio and Location Lighting Secrets for Digital Photographers

by Sammon, Rick; Koshlano, Vered

• ISBN13: 9780470521250
• ISBN10: 0470521252
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-22
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

This new full-color resource is aimed at skilled amateur photographers who are interested in learning the basics of studio lighting as well as learning how and when to apply certain lighting effects or intermediate photographers who are looking for some fresh new ideas or inspiration. It's packed with more than 200 top studio lighting tips and secrets for planning and taking the most impressive digital images in studio. It also compares available camera equipment, accessories, software, and printing options; suggests an efficient workflow process; and is packed with superb photos, including those that have been digitally manipulated to include impressive effects. Written by top Photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Rick Sammon. Rick Sammon is the guest host of the Canon Photo Safari on the Outdoor Life Network, and give s more than a dozen photography workshops and presentations around the world each year.

Author Biography

Rick Sammon is among a select group of professional photographers to earn the designation of Canon Explorer of Light. Famous for his exotic travel photography, Rick has written more than 30 books and gives photography workshops and seminars worldwide.

Vered Koshlano has experience on both sides of the camera. Combining her experience as an actress with her technical expertise, she specializes in fashion, beauty, and glamour studio shots. She has been a featured instructor at the Lepp Institute of Photography.

Table of Contents

About the Authors.

Introduction.

Part I: Studio Starter Kits.

Basic Home Studio.

Basic Hot-Light Kit.

Basic Strobe Kit.

Simply Beautiful.

Garage Glamour.

Part II: Our Lenses.

Love Those Longer Lenses.

Studio Lighting and Lens Lineup.

Modeling Light and Fun Photos.

Favorite Lens for On-Location Portraits.

Favorite Lens for Environmental Portraits.

Part III: Photo Composition and Model Positioning.

Shoot Horizontals and Verticals.

Get Close and Closer.

Bank on Professional Backgrounds.

The All-Important Background.

Contrasting Colors vs. Tone on Tone.

Props Pay Off.

Shooting a Composite.

Finding and Working with Models.

Part IV: Creative Lighting Tips.

Overcome Meter-Challenging Exposure Situations.

See Light in the Eyes.

A Word on Eyeglasses.

Photographing Shiny Objects.

Low Key versus High Key Lighting.

Play with Light Placement.

Dramatic Hair Light.

Work Hard at Creative Lighting.

Tips for Baby Shots.

Balancing Act.

Test, Testing, Testing.

Repositioning the Flash.

Add an Eff ect for a Creative Portrait.

Part V: Hooked on a Feeling.

Create a "Look".

Make Eye Contact … or Not.

Go For a Total Transformation.

Master Makeup.

Understand Body Language.

Part VI: Oh, the Details.

Watch the Hands.

Notice the Nails.

Pay Attention to the Nose.

Watch the Lips.

Gain the Model's Trust.

Part VII: The Beauty of Black and White.

Good Production Trumps Lighting.

Much Space Needs Much Light.

Using a Light in Your Frame.

Main Light Selection.

Have a Great Model.

Part VIII: Tools of the Trade.

Basic Diffuser Setup.

Basic Reflector Setup.

Basic Flash/Diffuser Portraits.

Flash/ Diffuser with Reflector Keeper.

Basic Flash/ Reflector Portraits.

Flash/ Reflector Keeper.

Creative Lighting Accessory.

Mo' Behind-the Scenes Photos.

Try a Triflector.

Variations on a Theme.

Jump into Creative Outdoor Lighting.

Just Takes One.

Combine Flash and Ambient Light.

Dealing with Contrast.

Digital Darkroom Explorations.

Karsh-like Images.

Part IX: Unleash Yourself.

Wireless Tools Expand Your Capabilities.

Trigger Your Camera Remotely, Too!

New Features Add to the Fun.

… and It Looks Good, Too!

One Flash/ Lighting Kit Combo.

Part X: With a Little Help from Friends.

Keep It Simple.

Work with Twilight.

Light … and Lack of Light.

Dramatic Side Light.

Soft en an Off -Camera Flash.

A Regal Look.

Focus Carefully When Shooting With Fast Lenses.

Know the Fundamentals.

Flag It.

Have a Story to Tell.

Add Some Imagination.

Carefully Light the Background.

Use Your Mind's Eye.

Consider Rim Light.

The Defining Moment.

Create an Intimate Moment.

Light Illuminates, Shadow Defines.

Shape the Light.

Shoot and Light 'em Separately.

Inspired by the '60s.

Do-it-Yourself Tilt/ Shift.

Blessed Soft Lighting.

It's All About Light.

Go to Extremes.

Plan the Shoot, Process the Shot—Carefully.

Use What You've Got.

Bounced Light is Nice.

Shoot Beautifully Inside the Studio… and Out.

Traveling at Lightspeed.

Use Sunlight as the Key Light.

Many Lights + Large Crew = Cool Image.

Who Needs Expensive Gear?

If You Don’t Have All Day … .

Teaming a Photographer and Stylist. 

Part XI: Student Studio Lighting Experiments.

Shannon Bradley.

Amy Dieker.

Chayanne Marfisi

Monica Phillips.

Chris Pino.

Jacquie Puoci.

Amy Roberts.

Lisa Wood.

Part XII: Photoshop Enhancements.

Count on Changes.

Add a Spotlight or Omni Light.

Change the Lens and F-Stop.

Create Beautiful Black-and-White Prints.

Beyond Black-and-White.

Create a High-Fashion Stylized Look.

Frame It.

Add a Nice Vignette.

Create Professional Color Effects.

Add Simple Artistic Effects.

Enhance Details.

Go for a Spin and Blur Reality.

Create Movie-Star-Style Lighting.

All Together Now.

Part XIII: World is my Studio.

Love, Respect and Seeing.

Envision the End Result.

Work with Backgrounds.

Create the Disequilibrium Effect.

See the Light.

Control the Light with a Reflector.

Control the Light with a Flash.

Look for and Create Diffused Light.

Models, Props and Makeup.

Make Pictures.

Meter Your Exposures.

Work with Colors.

The Eyes Have It.

Paying People.

Play with Plug-ins.

HDR Plug-in Effects.

Working with Mirrors.

Shooting Profi les and Silhouette.

Draw More Attention to the Subject.

Why Off -Center Composition Works.

Don't Underestimate the Importance of an Interesting Subject.

Bring Back the Magic of Portraiture.

Part XIV: Cool Websites for Flash Info.

Strobist.

PocketWizard.

Westcott.

LumiQuest.

Back to Back.

Canon Digital Learning Center.

Bogen Imaging.

Lexar.

Kelby Training.

Honl Photo.

Rick Sammon.

DVD Appendix .

EULA.

Index.