Photographic Lighting for Everybody

Book excerpt: The best camera is the one you have with you. Whether that’s a high-tech DSLR, a consumer point-and-shoot, or simply your SmartPhone, there’s a common denominator that will determine the visual impact of the images you create: the light. Identifying beautiful light (or creating/modifying the light) takes experience, observation, and a knowledge the fundamentals of lighting. Learning how to visualize the intended image in your mind’s eye and translate that vision onto a two-dimensional plane is, as this book will show, far more important that what device you actually use to record that image. If you have ever looked at an amazing scene or subject but been disappointed by your photos of it—this is the book for you! Through examples and exercises, the author challenges you creatively, starting with the very basics of lighting and building a knowledge base that you can apply to your growth as a photographer at any stage, and with any camera.