Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

This book is a classic, a must-have for every photographer. It is both technical and practical, addressing situations we all face in lighting objects in the studio. There are many books on the "how," but few like this one which excels in the "why" and "when." It puts to rest the myth that crossed-polarizers are the universal answer to 3D lighting.

You need this book, unless you are a super-pro photographer. I have 10 or 12 photography books, from beginner to more advanced technique., most recommended by a professional photographer, (makes his living 100 % from photography). They will all have a chapter on lighting. Light, Science and Magic gathers all the lighting information in one book, 382 pages of it. There is lots of information on light placement, with diagrams and illustrative photos. The illustrations are of studio lighting, but work with multiple speedlights. There is a chapter on speed lights and how to set up your first studio. It explains reflections and how to overcome them, the family of angles, how to photograph metals, glass with light field and dark field. Ask 10 photographers what specular lighting is and you will get 12 different answers. Light, Science and Magic clarifies the meaning as well as how many photographers use it. It covers portraits, still life, museum exhibit photography, documents, artistic and documentary photography.

Good book on the science behind light...

Great read

A must have book for learning photographic lighting. Finally, I found a book that actually teaches lighting concepts instead of the common "cookbook" type guides, through a recommendation! After searching Amazon, Light Science & Magic didn't even show up! After practicing the techniques, you will be able to creatively light anything. While Light Science & Magic covers lighting concepts well, you should look elsewhere for equipment usage. There's some information about setting up a studio but it's too little to be very useful.

I bought this book as soon as I read someone saying "if you like Scott Kelby's books this one is NOT for you ...". I cannot stand Kelby's literature, the man cannot take a half-decent photo once. He is a living proof how worthless yet complete knowledge of inner workings of Photoshop will take yiou absolutely nowhere in visualaspectof photography. Why am I saying this here? This book, as expected form description and most reviewers, is about how light works. Like everything else, if you care to have command of light youdo need to get involve in its physics. This is thorough albeit expectedly hard read at times, but stick with it, perhaps push yourself through when read seems a bit overwhelming, but you will be glad yiou did ... eventually. Nothing ever works as Kelbys describe things as every case if different. If yoiu believe in self-claimed "masters" (like Kelby) then surely continue on his path to never reaching your own potential. But if you care to distance yourself from the common myths Kelby describes on nearly page of his books, get this, get inside the subject, split time between shooting to your heart's desire and getting to know the few main yet relevgant principles. The results will come on their own without you ever noticing the moment they did.

I am a self-taught photographer wanting to learn more about how to craft studio light. This book can be intense but then again so would a college course on Lighting Theory. The basic setups are diagrammed as a place to start but the authors do not want you to learn diagrams, they want you to understand how light behaves. This is not an easy subject for home study but I am finding with time and practice the concepts can be learned.

Very nice beginner reference or guide. Not super technical, inspirational, well written to enable creativity.

Apresenta de forma clara como podemos usar a luz e ângulos a nosso favor.

Lo uso para mis clases de fotografía, muy claro, sencillo de aplicar y con el conocimiento claramente sistematizado.

This book gives a detailed review of the whole concept revolving around time

One of the best books on lighting that an aspiring beginner or enthusiast can read. It is aimed at those who are competent at using their camera without flash and are happy in manual mode. It takes you through the basics of lighting and into some more advanced topics such as the reflective properties of different materials, light polarisation and the like. It does not get too bogged down in physics, angles etc., but an understanding of or least a passing acquaintance with the fundamentals is beneficial, and this book explains that as clearly as any. It is probably more suited to those who wish to understand how to light static objects in situations such as product photography, rather than landscape or portrait photographers. However, many of the lessons learned in this book would apply to these other disciplines. If you want to understand lighting, this is probably one of the best reference books on the subject.

I love this book!