Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It (2nd Edition)

Book excerpt: Learn all three aspects of what it takes to create stunning portraits—lighting, shooting, and retouching! Scott Kelby, the #1 best-selling author of photography technique books and Editor-in-Chief of Photoshop User magazine, has reinvented how flash lighting books are written by finally revealing the entire process from start to finish. You see everything from the complete flash and softbox setup (including all the gear used), to the shoot (including all the camera and flash settings), to the all-important part that most books don’t dare include—the post-processing and retouching in Lightroom and Photoshop. This book also breaks new ground in the visual way it teaches you exactly how and where to set up your flash. There aren’t any sketches or drawings—you see the actual lighting setup, taken from above during the live shoot, so you can see exactly where everything’s positioned (the subject, the photographer, the lighting, the background, you name it—you see it all). Plus, you’ll see side, over-the-shoulder, and more behind-the-scenes views (with all the exact measurements), so you can absolutely nail the lighting every time. Scott has trained thousands of photographers during his Light It. Shoot It. Retouch It. LIVE! seminar tour and he’s taken that incredibly popular style of learning and put it into book form. Now you can have a real-world reference for getting the same looks today’s clients are clamoring for. You’ll learn: • The step-by-step setups for creating the most-requested and sought-after lighting looks using flash. • How to get more out of one flash than you ever thought you could (this is worth it alone!). • How to control and shape the light from your flash without breaking the bank. • The camera settings, the gear, and the flash power settings for every shot. • The retouching techniques the pros really use today to make their subjects look their very best. • How to retouch hair, eyes, lips, and skin, plus lots of other little retouching tricks that make a really big difference. • The measurements for everything, so you know exactly how far to position the flash from your subject, and your subject from the camera, and how high to position each and every light. It’s all there, so you can’t miss. • A host of insider tricks, invaluable shortcuts, and kick-butt special effects to give you a real advantage over the competition.And, the entire book is written in Scott’s trademark casual, step-by-step, plain-English style. There’s never been a book like it and you’re going to love the results you get from it. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Beauty Look Clamshell Lighting Chapter 2: Dramatic Portrait Chapter 3: Simple One-Flash Look Chapter 4: Location Flash with Backlight Chapter 5: Contrasty Side Lighting Chapter 6: Corporate Headshot (Male) Chapter 7: Corporate Headshot (Female) Chapter 8: Window Light + Flash Chapter 9: Sports Look Chapter 10: Fashion Lighting Chapter 11: Gel Color Effects Chapter 12: Rim Lighting Chapter 13: One-Flash Location Chapter 14: Compositing Portraits Chapter 15: Sunset Location