Lighting Book Recommendation?

[john michael white]

I am looking for an advanced book on lighting and using all different sources of light to understand its characteristics and how to capture/shape it.  Is there one book that you guys who make a living from photography would recommend?  Something that would be a do it yourself version of a top notch lighting workshop?

[dusty montgomery]

JMW,
Take a look at Joe McNally. If I recall correctly, you shoot Canon, and he is a Nikon guy but has some books out that will help.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=mcnally+joe&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3403155857&ref=pd_sl_50urlt320l_b

http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/#p=-1&a=0&at=0

D.

[Chad Simcox]

Check out the lighting books put out by RotoVision. I have “Photographing People; portraits, fashion, glamour”. It’s a good book with lighting diagrams and the photographers talk about the process.

http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.

http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram

[david king]

You might like some of programs found here: http://www.chimeralighting.com/support/ref_library.asp
Dean Collins had a great series.

[john michael white]

Thanks guys.  

Dusty – Yeah, I love Joe McNally’s images.  I have read his book The Moment It Clicks, and definitely want to read his new one, The Hot Shoe Diaries.  I have also read a little on his blog from time to time.  

David, I am really interested in the Chimera 3 Dimensional Contrast video you suggested.

I checked out the Roto Vision book as well Chad. Thanks.

So far, aside from Joe McNally’s first book, I have also been making my way through Minimalist Lighting by Kirk Tuck.  And a back in the spring, I was reading Lighting 101 on the Strobist blog.

Keep the recommendations coming!

[Buzz Bryson]

Are you looking for studio lighting, location lighting, or a minimialist setup using some on/near camera strobes?  Most decent camera stores have tons of books about lighting.  Just depends on what your interest area is.

For instance, Bob Krist is a travel photographer and has done a book that is several years old, but still has some great information in it about portable lighting kits for location work (as does J. McNally).  Web site is wwwlbobkrist.com.  Also another Nikon shooter, but ideas are the same.

Buzz

[john michael white]

Buzz,

I think I am mostly interested in using available ambient light (with or without mixing artificial light), location lighting with a minimalist approach, and the characteristics of light (maybe from a more scientific/physics point of view?).  

Currently, I have one speed light.  In the future, I would like to have a second that can be used as a slave, with a pocket wizard type setup.  I’m interested in how to use studio lighting, but honestly, I don’t know if I will ever be doing that.  Using natural light, in combination with one or more speed lights is probably all I will be doing for the foreseeable future.

[Buzz Bryson]

Can’t speak to Canon, but a bunch of the Nikon bodies allow you to use the built-in flash as a slave, or use multiple speedlights wirelessly slaved.

[bruce norikane]

Light, Science and Magic is a great book on lighting principals.

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193

The Lighting 101 and the Bootcamp series on Strobist include many tutorials on lighting on a budget:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

[john michael white]

Buzz – just to clarify, the Bob Krist Book you were talking about is the one further down the page on his site called Secrets of Lighting on Location , right?

[Corey Kruitbosch]

Not directly photography related and the technical stuff is all very out-of-date, but this book had a big influence on me as far as lighting goes …

[Ben Cochran]

I will agree with every single recommendation above. The thing is, there truly is not any one book and no one should limit themselves to, even, just a couple. I have had so many that I can’t even begin to name them all, it is all about constantly continuing an education with the physics of light.

How-ever! If I was just starting out, I would loved to of had the opportunity for a great tutorial and accelerated learning curve. Zach Arias has a DVD out, for one light source and he is very accurate in teaching some of the physics principal’s of light. I would strongly recommend learning one light first, as it really helps simplify the learning of what can be a very complicated subject.

Zack also uses speedlight’s on a lot of his shots so, you won’t be left behind on that front. Joe McNally is always great but Zack goes more into the physics of light and helps convey the reasoning and logic behind it.

Google: “OneLight” and it should steer you to a link where you can purchase it from him.

[Neal Osborn]

Zach Arias was my inspiration for Fly Art Studio!

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