Book Recommendations

[HickersonJasonC]

I'm looking for a good book or three to start me on the path of understanding location photography using portable strobes and accessories, mainly for shooting portraiture and headshots, etc. I have been shooting natural light portraits and "art" photography for years, but am now interested in diving into studio lighting. I'm less interested in books that treat lighting situations within a closed studio environment.

Any great books or online tutorials you can recommend? There are so many of these books available it's hard to determine which are good and which are just OK. Help appreciated.

Jason
www.eljason.com

[wolfnowl]

I think Joe McNally is the expert here: The Hot Shoe Diaries: Creative Applications of Small Flashes

Mike.

[KirbyKrieger]

I think Joe McNally is the expert here: The Hot Shoe Diaries: Creative Applications of Small Flashes

Mike.

Mike -- it seems chock full of genuine, superb advice, gently wrapped in the breathless, over-flowing prose of an eager high-school student -- or, perhaps, that of a high-school teacher who thinks s/he must entertain in order to keep his/her students engaged.  I'm sure this sells books; I question it's pedagogical wisdom.  (I read the first chapter and several interior pages using Amazon's "Look Inside" feature.)  Can you recommend any alternative?

[HickersonJasonC]

Mike -- it seems chock full of genuine, superb advice, gently wrapped in the breathless, over-flowing prose of an eager high-school student -- or, perhaps, that of a high-school teacher who thinks s/he must entertain in order to keep his/her students engaged.  I'm sure this sells books; I question it's pedagogical wisdom.  (I read the first chapter and several interior pages using Amazon's "Look Inside" feature.)  Can you recommend any alternative?

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I actually just subscribed to a month of Kelby Training online because McNally is one of the "instructors." Seems quite a bit of info for 25 bucks. Seriously enjoying his approach (maybe it isn't for you, Kirby, if you find his style distracting). He puts a lot of info into a short amount of time but it doesn't feel that way.

My only quibble so far with McNally is that his discussions stick firmly in small Nikon flash territory. I know his instruction is probably easily transferred to the world of larger flash units, but as a flash noob, I wish it was covered a bit more in detail. I find it strange for instance that he will use four or even five Nikon SB900 units to light some action instead of one larger unit.

Thanks again for assuring me I am on the right path... now if I could just steal some extra bandwidth for the weekend, I could finish his Photographing with One Light...

Jason

[kirktuck]

I've heard that Kirk Tuck's book,  Minimalist Lighting: professional techniques for location photography, is quite good and the writing is very nice.  But take this with a grain of salt as I am the author of the book......

http://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Lighting-...4632&sr=8-1

[Craig Murphy]

Take trip over to Strobist.com

[wolfnowl]

My only quibble so far with McNally is that his discussions stick firmly in small Nikon flash territory. I know his instruction is probably easily transferred to the world of larger flash units, but as a flash noob, I wish it was covered a bit more in detail. I find it strange for instance that he will use four or even five Nikon SB900 units to light some action instead of one larger unit.
Jason

Jason:  You original post included: "location photography using portable strobes and accessories".  I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that you were looking for small flash info.

And yes, strobist.com is a great resource!

Mike.

[HickersonJasonC]

Jason:  You original post included: "location photography using portable strobes and accessories".  I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that you were looking for small flash info.

And yes, strobist.com is a great resource!

Mike.

Definitely, thanks for the info. I am pretty much leaning towards the relatively inexpensive Alienbees strobes and a couple of light modifiers over the equally priced high-end Canon flash units. The portability is a necessity but I was thinking a battery pack on a cart. I don't see any real cost advantage to the smaller flash units (but no doubt a real advantage in portability.) Seems quite a trade off in power and available accessories, though.

I am learning quite a bit from Kelby Training. I don't have any reason to plug for them, by the way, except that I am finding the lessons there invaluable. Kirk, I am definitely looking to purchase your book, which was on my short list already. Thanks!

[Ken Bennett]

When  you look at the Strobist site, click the Lighting 101 link, and start at the beginning.

As for strobes, yes, the advantage to speedlights is portability. The disadvantage is low power. The cost can be mitigated -- you don't *need* the high-end Canon flash units if you are going to shoot in manual mode (which is how you would have to use the Alien Bees.) Any shoe-mount flash unit with a manual mode will work, even a 20-year old unit from eBay. Or look at the Lumopro units.

In the long run you may find that you need both kinds of flash kits. My most used kit is a 4-light speedlight kit that fits in a carry-on size rolling Pelican case. But when that's not enough I break out the Dynalites, or the Norman 400B units if I need something in between.

[mahleu]

Any shoe-mount flash unit with a manual mode will work, even a 20-year old unit from eBay. Or look at the Lumopro units.

Beware some old flashes high trigger voltage. Current SLR hotshoes are only rated to about 7V (depends on camera) while the PC socket is normally rated to 250V.

Some of those old flashes run as high as 350V, even some innocent little ones.

This is a very good site to check before you try http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html . Otherwise get a safe-sync.

[alban]

Light .science and magic   (Hunter,Biver,Fuqua)


  I know you said no controlled lighting conditions but I think there is info in this book that can help you in any situation.