Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting 4th Edition

This book is not for everybody. If you are more interested in a "recipes" approach to lighting problems than in understanding the "whys" behind the techniques, you will probably be disappointed in this book. But if you want to be able to deal with lighting issues intelligently and work out your own solutions to create the lighting effects that will support the vision you are trying to reduce to practice, then this is a wonderful book to have and study. It discusses the three aspects of lighting that affect how a subject is illuminated, and then goes on to discuss how light interacts with different kinds of materials and what lighting approaches highlight which aspects of a subject. It is all quite theoretical, but not at all dry or hard to understand.This is the fourth edition of this book, which was first published a quarter of a century ago, and the authors have gotten their discussion down to a very clear and conversational level by now. The material covered is not simple, but the explanations are uniformly clear and approachable. The first couple of chapters are a tad on the wordy side, but once the pure physics is behind them the authors hit their stride and communicate the understanding necessary to make you knowledgeable about lighting and what you are trying to do with it.One thing that I have noticed already (I haven't finished reading the book yet) is that I am able to evaluate other photographers' photographs with considerably more sophistication already -- appreciating where they have made proper use of lighting opportunities and better understanding why some photographs "just don't work." It is that self-conscious recognition of how lighting can be used to create visual experiences that is the great payoff of this wonderful book.If you are serious about photography, this is one of the few "must read" volumes to add to your library. You will likely want to add more prescriptive books, too, like Off-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Photographers. But you will read those practical books with much greater understanding, and will feel much more comfortable setting out on your own to solve new lighting problems once you are armed with the understanding this book imparts.

I have been reading a lot of photography books of late, on average two a month for over a year, and they usually address different concerns. This one deals exclusively with lighting and takes the problem at the root.This is the only one I read so far that starts with the fundamentals of what is light and how it behaves, and leads the reader down the thought process required for proper illumination of any subject starting from first principles.Many other books deal with the pure portrait lighting (Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers comes to mind), only flash photography (Joe MacNally's excellent Sketching Light) or lighting gear (Syl Arena's Speedliter's Handbook)."Light, Science and magic" is explicitly positioned as a textbook on lighting and only lighting. The reader is supposed to know his or her camera and how to get a proper exposure.There are a few useful hints geared towards digital photographers for instance on how underexposing makes sense for digital where overexposing did for film, the histogram and the effects of over manipulation, the curves etc. The only remark I would question in the whole book is on page 278, where the authors suggest that Ansel Adams' zones would be 0 on the left side and X on the right side of the histogram - that would be true if the sensor covered the whole dynamic range of the possible pictures, from pitch black to clean, sun-lit snow.The book starts with a recap of what is light. Full disclosure, I was trained a physicist and considering this book is subtitled "An introduction to photographic lighting" I was expecting heavy-handed approximations. Not so. The subject matter is exposed in a very simple yet not simplistic way. This is the first of all the photography books I read that properly explains polarizing versus non-polarizing reflections and the proper usage of polarizing filters with a very striking example (figures 4.11 and 4.13).It then addresses all the classic problems: diffuse versus direct reflection (how to shoot shiny surfaces, flat versus round objects, from small objects to buildings etc.) and proposes a number of solutions to the usual and more unusual issues such as with white on white or black on black pictures.(I am surprised that the words "dynamic range" do not seem appear in the book.)It ends with portrait and how to manage the real world lighting indoors or outdoors, strobes and speedlights but without dwelling on such techniques as bouncing flash as much as many other books I have seen.All in all an excellent reference book on lighting, one I found myself thumbing through over and over even before I was done reading it the first time.If you are looking for an overview of digital photography including composition, exposure, color management etc., this book is probably too specialized (try one of my favorites in that category, one I open regularly: Digital Photography Lighting For Dummies).If what you want is a collection of hints and tips on how to get a nice picture in such or such situation, check out Scott Kelby's The Digital Photography Book, Part 2 and Part 4 (not part 3). If you are interested in composition, pausing etc., have a look at Picture Perfect Practice.However if what you want is a solid foundation for how light behaves and what are the classic thought processes when addressing lighting issues, this is the book for you.

Books that are hard to put down once picked up are rare these days. Be you a budding photographer in need of education or a seasoned pro looking for a new trick or two, this book is a solid treatise on the topic of light generally and photographic lighting specifically. Topics range from light science to light placement to light polarization, etc. Lots of real examples help nail down concepts and invite the curious to try the techniques themselves.My library is mostly electronic these days. Shelf space for real books is reserved for only the most special, seasoned or useful writings. A new print book almost always never makes the grade. For photographers this book easily makes the cut.The book delves reasonably deep into topics, but is arranged so you can assimilate new methods and tips with sporadic readings. Yes... this means this is a good bathroom reader.This is certainly the best $21 I've spent in a great while.

While the modeling section of this book is not entirely complete to this reader, this book more than makes up for it with the common sense clarity with which the authors demonstrate fundamental concepts of photographic lighting without undue jargon. For seasoned photographers this might be a little too basic, but for an intermediate photographer wishing to nail some concepts down and become more proficient in studio set ups for product photography and general lighting, this is a great book. There is a considerable amount of time spent explaining the different qualities of light and how to position cameras to achieve certain results, and the authors are willing to back away from pat recommendations to detail the pros and cons of standard set ups.