Peachpit's Photography Lighting Holiday Shopping Guide
Peachpit Grants Your Holiday Wish!
Add any Peachpit product to your Amazon Wish List and send the link to Peachpit via Twitter, Facebook or email. Each week through Dec. 31, we’ll randomly pick a winner and grant their Peachpit wish by sending them the Peachpit product off their list! Happy Holidays!
Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Using Flash and Natural Light for Portrait, Still Life, Action, and Product Photography)
Once you feel like you can make your way around your DSLR's buttons and dials, you might think that great shots are a given from now on. But there's one more crucial element you'll need to dive into: learning about the basics of light. Syl Arena's fantastic book in Peachpit's From Snapshots to Great Shots series is an ideal starting point for those who are ready to jump in with both feet. From a primer on lighting through various demonstrations and shoots with flash, umbrellas, and reflectors, this book should be in every beginner's camera bag.
Strobist Photo Trade Secrets Volume 1: Expert Lighting Techniques
Strobist Photo Trade Secrets, Volume 2: Portrait Lighting Techniques
This Is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography
For those who like to look at pictures but aren't all that interested in the words—and that's okay!—these three books might be just the ticket. Showing the finished image as well as how the shot was set up, all three of these books make great resources for the photographer who wants to just get out there and shoot. Designed to be thrown into a camera bag and used as a kind of recipe cookbook, these books will have you inspired and shooting in no time.
The Digital Photography Book, Part 2
The follow-up to the bestselling digital photography book of all time, Part 2 picks right up where Part 1 leaves off. Kicking off with two chapters on using flash and setting up a studio, this is a great start for someone who wants to dive into lighting—and learn a whole lot more.
The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes
The grandmaster of flash, Joe McNally, takes you on a raucous ride through the land of hot shoe flash. For those who like to learn the why behind the how—and be immensely entertained along the way—The Hot Shoe Diaries is a must-have for any photographer interested in small flash.
Food Photography & Lighting: A Commercial Photographer's Guide to Creating Irresistible Images
Creating amazing, mouth-watering food photography is one of the toughest jobs around. If you are interested in food photography—whether you have sights on shooting a cookbook or just running pics on your blog—Teri Campbell's book will help you get there. Sharing lighting set-up and shooting techniques, he also offers candid advice on how to set up a studio, use the right equipment, market your work, find clients, bid on assignments, hire food and prop stylists, and communicate effectively with everyone on the set.
Shooting in Sh*tty Light: The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them
Let's face it: Sometimes photographers have to shoot in, shall we say, less than ideal lighting situations. Maybe the wedding is mid-day in the middle of a field, or perhaps the event is in a florescent-lit room, or you've got to get that headshot in the school's locker room. These scenarios can be particularly intimidating for beginning photographers who don't know how to handle the many undesirable lighting situations they may encounter. Enter Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind, who cover the top ten worst lighting situations and provide a variety of solutions for each.
Photo Recipes Live: Behind the Scenes: Your Guide to Today's Most Popular Lighting Techniques
Photo Recipes Live: Behind the Scenes, Part 2: Your Guide to Today's Most Popular Lighting Techniques
For those who like to learn by video rather than by book, check out Scott Kelby's Photo Recipes Live, where Scott works through a number of shots from scratch (from studio shots to location shots to product photography), all while the cameras are rolling. Scott explains everything in simple, plain English, just like he’d tell a friend, using the same casual, conversational style that made his series of books a worldwide sensation. If you’ve ever wondered “how they do it,” you’re about to find out.
Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash
Joe's follow-up to The Hot Shoe Diaries, Sketching Light demonstrates Joe's full range of lights and light shapers. While the principles apply to whatever light you might be using, here Joe includes coverage of hot shoe flashes as well as more powerful sources of light. Included are behind-the-scenes stories, sketches of lighting setups, metadata, and—of course—Joe's signature voice and style are evident throughout: eloquent, rambunctious, serious, hilarious, insightful, and inspiring.
Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites
Considered by many to be the "bible" of Canon Speedlites, Syl Arena has created a go-to resource for anyone with a Canon flash. Learn the ins and outs of your flash's features, and then learn how to use it to create the light you need for whatever you're shooting. With over 500 images, you'll be poring over this book time and time again.
Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It: Learn Step by Step How to Go from Empty Studio to Finished Image
One of the only books on the market that includes all aspects of a shoot—lighting, shooting, and retouching—this unique book from #1 bestselling photography author Scott Kelby offers a complete workflow on his images, so that you can be sure that once you've got the shot, you can retouch it to perfection, and you'll have a final image that will blow away clients and/or friends.
Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light
At first this book might seem like an odd selection for a list of books on lighting—Chasing the Light is about harnessing the power of available light, not using flash—but light is light, and the ability to see and use natural light to your advantage is a skill all photographers need to learn. Ideal for all photographers—but especially those interested in shooting in natural, available light.