Best Photography Lighting Books
Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes
Off-Camera Flash: Creative Techniques for Digital Photographers
Christopher Grey's Studio Lighting Techniques for Photography: Tricks of the Trade for Professional Digital Photographers
Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers
Sculpting with Light: Techniques for Portrait Photographers
Available Light: Photographic Techniques for Using Existing Light Sources
50 Lighting Setups for Portrait Photographers: Easy-to-Follow Lighting Designs and Diagrams
Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
Lights, Camera, Capture: Creative Lighting Techniques for Digital Photographers
Top 10
1. Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
An amazing (and some would say magical) resource on photographic lighting that has been talked about in the community and recommended for years. This highly respected guide has been thoroughly updated and revised for content and design - it is now produced in full color! It introduces a logical theory of photographic lighting so if you are starting out in photography you will learn how to predict results before setting up lights. This is not primarily a…»
2. The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes
When it comes to photography, itâÄôs all about the light.After spending more than thirty years behind the lensâÄîworking for National Geographic, Time, Life, and Sports IllustratedâÄîJoe McNally knows about light. He knows how to talk about it, shape it, color it, control it, and direct it. Most importantly, he knows how to create it...using small hot shoe flashes.In The Hot Shoe Diaries, Joe brings you behind the scenes to candidly share his lighting solutions…»
3. Off-Camera Flash: Creative Techniques for Digital Photographers
Professionals and advanced-level amateurs seeking to push the envelope and enhance the creativity of their shots are shown how to add mood and manipulate color in their images with this guide. Using a technique known as off-camera flash, digital photographers discover how to alter a viewerâÄôs perception through the use of shadows to mask certain details or to draw attention to a specific feature with a simple beam of light. From a survey of the gear…»
4. Christopher Grey's Studio Lighting Techniques for Photography: Tricks of the Trade for Professional Digital Photographers
Taking the guesswork out of lighting, this invaluable examination provides tools and techniques from an accomplished expert. The most essential principles for photo shoots are presented through lengthy image sequences, considering different finishes for reflective surfaces, types of light sources, light modifiers, and even light placements. From creating fundamental looks to the effect of fine-tuning placement and setting, this detailed guidebook enables…»
5. Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers
Time-tested lighting strategies that will improve the quality of a portrait are detailed in this book for beginning photographers. Terminology used by industry pros is explained, the equipment needed to create professional results is outlined, and the unique role that each element of the lighting setup plays in the studio is explored. Photographers learn how color, direction, form, and contrast affect the final portrait. The concise text, photo examples,…»
6. Sculpting with Light: Techniques for Portrait Photographers
Techniques for creating flawless lighting show photographers of all levels how to take full control of their photographic atmosphere in this indispensable guide. Illustrating the physics that govern light; the visual difference between the eye and camera; the qualities of incident and reflected light; and the effects of the size, intensity, direction, contrast, and ratio of light, this manual offers tools for sculpting the face for remarkable portraits.…»
7. Available Light: Photographic Techniques for Using Existing Light Sources
Emphasizing how to work with natural light rather than using supplementary lighting to create an artificial environment, photographers can use these simple techniques to mold existing light into the desired quality and shape. All situations are discussed, including overcast and sunny days, backlighting and flare, window light, daylight studios, natural reflectors, and studio lighting at home, offering a plethora of ideas for finding, diffusing, and…»
8. 50 Lighting Setups for Portrait Photographers: Easy-to-Follow Lighting Designs and Diagrams
This cookbook-style guide to portrait lighting contains all the ingredients necessary for a successful photo shoot. With 60 two-page spreads highlighting the techniques used to create stunning portraits alongside the portraits themselves, aspiring photographers will have a clear sense of both the "how" and the "why" of good lighting. Difficult questions such as How can I downplay a double chin and dark shadows under the eyes? and How can I produce a soft,…»
9. Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
Packed with incredible images and step-by-step techniques, this book is a must have for commercial, wedding, and portrait photographers working on location who want to maximize their time behind the camera and minimize their time spent hauling cumbersome lighting equipment. The tips show how to select easily portable and versatile equipment for location shoots, cutting down on the packing and porting of expensive equipment. With techniques and information…»
10. Lights, Camera, Capture: Creative Lighting Techniques for Digital Photographers
Learn to achieve the best possible images with minimal lighting equipment Author Bob Davis is a photographer whose high-profile clients include Oprah Winfrey and Eva Longoria, and whose work has appeared in Time, O Magazine, and People. Along with his invaluable professional advice, this beautiful full-color book includes a DVD featuring portions of his workshop curriculum. He covers the elements of lighting and shares his two-strobe technique that will…»
Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography
Lighting Photo Workshop
David Busch's Quick Snap Guide To Lighting
The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography
Photographic Lighting Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide for Digital Photographers
Speedlights & Speedlites: Creative Flash Photography at the Speed of Light
Basics Photography: Lighting
Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites
Lighting for Photography: Techniques for Studio and Location Shoots
Basic Studio Lighting: The Photographer's Complete Guide to Professional Techniques
11 - 20
11. Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography
Photographers learn how to create amazing photography with this simple, basic, money-saving approach to working in the studio. While exploring available lighting and equipment, this reference tackles the concerns of studio photographers regarding too much gear, not enough space, and a strict budget and offers alternative techniques for photographing subjects. Tips for how to set up a studio in a limited amount of space, what kind of equipment works best…»
12. Lighting Photo Workshop
A rigorous practical guide to photographic lighting techniques, complete with hands-on assignments Offering digital photographers a complete course in photographic lighting, this book covers everything from using flash systems and studio lights to working outdoors in bright or low-light conditions. Full-color examples show how the right lighting can enhance color, improve contrast, and open the door to new creative possibilities.»
13. David Busch's Quick Snap Guide To Lighting
Have you mastered the essentials of your digital SLR camera and now want to learn how to use light as a tool to enhance your photographs? "David BuschâÄôs Quick Snap Guide to Lighting" provides a concise introduction to working with light and exposure, improving your photos with filters and reflectors, and transforming good lighting into great lighting, all in a simple-to-browse book. This guide offers focused information that explains the purpose and…»
14. The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography
Michael Freeman, the author of more than 20 books on various aspects of photography, now helps digital photographers see (and understand) the light! Because good lighting is key to a pictureâÄôs success, itâÄôs a topic of interest to anyone who picks up a digital cameraâĦand FreemanâÄôs comprehensive manual gives readers an essential toolbox of techniques and creative ideas. Find out how to create and manipulate lighting scenarios for professional-looking photos…»
15. Photographic Lighting Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide for Digital Photographers
From flashlights and top-of-the-line studio electronic flashes to light stands and battery/inverter packs, this all-encompassing survey evaluates the vast array of lighting and equipment options available to professional photographers. Beginning with a basic history of the role of lighting equipment and the interplay between advances in capture and lighting technologies, the emphasis then shifts to advances made within the past five years that have enabled…»
16. Speedlights & Speedlites: Creative Flash Photography at the Speed of Light
Canon Speedlites and Nikon Speedlights are small, off-camera flashguns that can provide big results - if you know how to use them properly. Acclaimed Boston photographers Lou Jones, Bob Keenan and Steve Ostrowski guide you through the technical and creative aspects of how to get the most out of these powerful tools in this indispensable guide, packed full of inspirational images and comprehensive diagrams of the lighting set ups used to capture them.They…»
17. Basics Photography: Lighting
The first book in the series, Lighting, is essentially about how you see. Artists paint with oils or watercolors, photographers paint with light. It is the fundamental ingredient of every photo. How a shot is lit can greatly change the feeling it gives the viewer. Whether bright and happy or dark and moody, light is a very useful tool, but it is not always possible to control (unless you can afford a studio) and so this book aims to teach readers how to…»
18. Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites
For anyone new to flash photographyâÄîor who has had a frustrating start with itâÄîSpeedliter's Handbook is a fantastic in-depth resource. Packed with information presented in a clear and approachable how-to format, this book walks readers through everything from the basics of light to advanced setups using Canon speedlites.Syl Arena starts out familiarizing the reader with how light works and covers all the key concepts, terminology, and equipment that will…»
19. Lighting for Photography: Techniques for Studio and Location Shoots
Presenting the tools needed to create and control photographic lighting with either digital capture or film, this book shows how to perfect lighting in the studio as well as on location. The tips in this resource cover the principles and rules of lighting that are not confined to any single pursuit, thus giving photographers an understanding of the rudiments of light and lighting, rather than a series of limited solutions that work only in certain…»
20. Basic Studio Lighting: The Photographer's Complete Guide to Professional Techniques
As every photographer quickly learns, thereâÄôs more to studio lighting than simply learning the equipment. In Basic Studio Lighting, an expert photographer and renowned photography teacher provides nuts-and-bolts guidance for mastering the complexities of one of the most important aspects of making a photograph: proper lighting. Readers will discover surefire tactics for using equipment properly and innovative ways of utilizing color and light to create…»
Mastering Digital Flash Photography: The Complete Reference Guide
Jeff Smith's Lighting for Outdoor & Location Portrait Photography
The Lighting Cookbook: Foolproof Recipes for Perfect Glamour, Portrait, Still Life and Corporate Photographs
Studio and Location Lighting Secrets for Digital Photographers
Existing Light Techniques for Wedding and Portrait Photography
Beginner's Guide to Photographic Lighting: Techniques for Success in the Studio or on Location
Softbox Lighting Techniques for Professional Photographers
Studio Lighting Solutions: Expert Professional Techniques for Artistic and Commercial Success
The Complete Guide to Light
Simple Lighting Techniques for Portrait Photographers
21 - 30
21. Mastering Digital Flash Photography: The Complete Reference Guide
Electronic flash not only brings light to a photograph, it can be an important artistic toolâÄîif youâÄôve acquired the knowledge to use it creatively. To master those skills, digital photographers need only turn to this complete reference. Packed with inspirational photos, it takes the mystery out of flash, covering every type of equipment and explaining such essentials as guide numbers, sync speeds, white balance, and more. Photographers will see how fill…»
22. Jeff Smith's Lighting for Outdoor & Location Portrait Photography
Shattering the notion that location lighting has to be difficult, inconvenient, or compromised in its quality, this resource provides guidance on how to create unique and personalized images shot in parks, on city streets, at sports arenas, in workplaces, or in a clientâÄôs home. With an overview of equipment and a discussion on the essential tools for a shoot, this guide walks photographers through the creation of dozens of location imagesâÄîfrom casual…»
23. The Lighting Cookbook: Foolproof Recipes for Perfect Glamour, Portrait, Still Life and Corporate Photographs
Learning how to set up, use, and control lighting is the biggest challenge facing photographers who want to do studio work. With the help of this manual, serious amaeturs, photography students, and pros switching from outdoor to studio work are sure to become lighting masters. Beginning with an inventory of ingredients found in a well-stocked commercial studio, The Lighting Cookbook, presents every essential piece of lighting and shooting equipement, with…»
24. Studio and Location Lighting Secrets for Digital Photographers
Improve your photography with more than 200 lighting tips from a top photographer Written by Canon Explorer of Light Rick Sammon and leading fashion and studio photographer Vered Koshlano, this guide is packed with professional advice on the essential element of photography: lighting. It provides detailed information and insider secrets that are bound to make you a better photographer. You'll learn the basics of studio lighting as well as how to achieve…»
25. Existing Light Techniques for Wedding and Portrait Photography
Packed with stunning images from more than 40 of the worldâÄôs most acclaimed wedding and portrait photographers, this book shows how to put together a lightweight, low-cost, and highly portable lighting kit that allows photographers to make quick work of creating perfect lighting in any location. Responding to a preference in the market for more natural, spontaneous-looking images, the guide explains how to achieve professional-quality lighting in parks,…»
26. Beginner's Guide to Photographic Lighting: Techniques for Success in the Studio or on Location
Teaching beginner photographers how to create good, flattering light, this book discusses topics such as proper equipment, developing an eye for form, and positioning equipment to maximize the appeal of a subject. As studio photographers face a host of lighting challenges not often encountered outdoors-from lighting reflective objects to photographing food-this guide provides unexpected tips and surprising solutions for adding a jolt of creativity to…»
27. Softbox Lighting Techniques for Professional Photographers
SoftboxesâÄîspecialized photographic lighting devices that produce a flattering and soft, low-contrast lookâÄîare the main focus of this resource for photographers. Professional and amateur photographers alike will be able to apply the thorough explanations on the simple, yet highly effective, light- and shadow-altering methodologies found in this guidebook to any subject matter in portrait, fashion, and editorial images. Additional chapters cover the use of…»
28. Studio Lighting Solutions: Expert Professional Techniques for Artistic and Commercial Success
Studio Lighting Solutions, the first volume of the PDN Pros series, is a comprehensive guide to the world of still-life photography in a controlled studio environment. This genre includes food, beverages, desserts, gems & jewellery, cosmetics, household products, small kitchens, small appliances, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, small sets, home entertainment, electronics, home furnishings, in-studio automotive photography. Highlighting the real-world…»
29. The Complete Guide to Light
Master the light and you master the photographâÄîthat's the key idea in this hands-on guide to understanding and using lighting. Internationally known photographer Mark Cleghorn uses jargon-free language to explain exactly how light worksâÄîand how it can be manipulatedâÄîin the photographer's medium. Cleghorn covers such subjects as using natural and ambient light, maximizing the benefits of an on-camera flash, and applying innovative Photoshop techniques. To…»
30. Simple Lighting Techniques for Portrait Photographers
With tips for creating natural, hassle-free lighting, this reference shows photographers how to abandon complex lighting scenarios in favor of more straightforward, uncomplicated ones. Photographers will learn the advantages of simpler lightingâÄîsuch as saving money by avoiding excessive equipment purchases and maintenance and making location shoots less cumbersome and more convenient. Emphasizing that photographers should imitate the sunâÄôs natural lightâÄî…»
Studio Photography: Essential Skills, Fourth Edition
Photographic Lighting: Essential Skills, Fourth Edition
The Photographer?s Guide to Light
Location Lighting Solutions: Expert Professional Techniques for Artistic and Commercial Success
Photographic Lighting Simplified
Learning to Light: Easy and Affordable Techniques for the Photographer
Creative Lighting Techniques for Studio Photographers
Mastering Flash Photography: A Course in Basic to Advanced Lighting Techniques
Advanced Studio Lighting Techniques for Digital Portrait Photographers
Artificial Lighting for Photography
31 - 40
31. Studio Photography: Essential Skills, Fourth Edition
Studio photography is a common career path for aspiring photographers and students but the professional and commercial nature of the field makes it a challenging area to break into.Whilst other introductory books on the subject are often bogged down with too much technical detail or too many 'show-off' shots, Studio Photography: Essential Skills offers a practical and accessible guide to the fundamental techniques for successful studio photography. Whether…»
32. Photographic Lighting: Essential Skills, Fourth Edition
Photographic Lighting: Essential Skills offers practical coverage of everything you need to know to understand the characteristics of light and the foundations of photographic lighting, including film, filters, exposure, compensation, zone system and an array of creative techniques. Students and committed amateurs will find sound technical knowledge with inspiring projects. Developing professionals in need of a refresher or a reference need look no further…»
33. The Photographer?s Guide to Light
Understanding lighting, natural and artificial, indoors and out, is key to the photographer's art. This comprehensive guide is full of techniques, information and guidance on making use of the light in all situations. Lighting can often be the making or breaking of a photograph--many photographers struggle to capture color and tone as they would like. This essential guide provides practical techniques that will help the photographer understand how to make…»
34. Location Lighting Solutions: Expert Professional Techniques for Artistic and Commercial Success
Real-world solutions for real-world assignments * Creative problem-solving approach to commercial and editorial work * Step-by-step lighting information for pros--with ideas for amateurs, too * Tips on locations, styling, digital manipulation, equipment, and more From assignment to finished project--how did they get that shot? Location Lighting Solutions presents the real-world projects of more than 25 top photographers, then shows how they were created.…»
35. Photographic Lighting Simplified
For aspiring photographers ready to transform their work from average to expert, here is the "bible" to lighting any subject and space effectively. In specific but nontechnical terms, Photographic Lighting Simplified explains how to take light sourcesâÄìfrom outdoor bright sunlight to indoor household lightingâÄìand recreate their effects in the studio. A series of enjoyable, hands-on assignments show readers tips for selecting the right camera format, film,…»
37. Creative Lighting Techniques for Studio Photographers
This definitive guide to studio lighting explains and demonstrates universal lighting principles that help photographers think on their feet and master lighting theory and technique. Explained are essential concepts such as why light behaves the way it does and how to manipulate it to its best effect. Concrete, practical examples illustrate topics such as shooting light, dark, and reflective surfaces; mastering contrast control; modifying shadow formation…»
38. Mastering Flash Photography: A Course in Basic to Advanced Lighting Techniques
This guide opens with in-camera flash basics, then moves to topics such as exposure flash readings, detachable units, flash guide numbers, bounce flash, and fill flash, then covers advanced methods for using off-camera flash, flash brackets, power packs, remote triggering, and other techniques.»
39. Advanced Studio Lighting Techniques for Digital Portrait Photographers
Portraiture tends to rely on standardized, established lighting techniques, but most photographers know that subscribing to traditional methods does not always flatter every subject. The techniques collected in this guide will heighten the senses of mystery and drama in a digital photographer's work by enhancing shape and contrast, keeping images fashionable and appealing with less reliance on natural light, and illuminating a subject's eyes without…»
40. Artificial Lighting for Photography
ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING FOR PHOTOGRAPHY clearly explains the use of artificial lighting of all types through a rich combination of detailed diagrams, visual examples, and practical instruction. Written for beginning photographers, the book introduces and explains the basic concepts of lighting techniques and the relevant equipment and hardware before going on to cover the latest advances in lighting equipment and digital capture devices. This fundamental…»
The Best of Photographic Lighting: Techniques and Images for Digital Photographers
A Guide to Extreme Lighting Conditions in Digital Photography
Capture the Light: A Guide for Beginning Digital Photographers
The Photographer's Guide to Using Light
How to Photograph in Natural Light
Photography FAQs: Lighting
Studio Lighting: A Primer for Photographers
Lamps and Lighting, Fourth Edition
Photographer's Lighting Handbook
Lighting Techniques for Photographers
41 - 50
41. The Best of Photographic Lighting: Techniques and Images for Digital Photographers
Bill Hurter explains the characteristics of lightâÄîboth natural and artificialâÄîin this in-depth guide. Fully exploring color balance, exposure, and light ratios, the handbook expands on skills learned in the studio to explain how to harness the beauty of less predictable lighting situations, like those shot outdoors or on location. Packed with tips from more than 30 top professionals on wedding, portrait, and commercial photography, this resource is sure to…»
42. A Guide to Extreme Lighting Conditions in Digital Photography
The extremes of lightingâÄîtoo much and too littleâÄîoffer photographers some of their toughest challenges, but also provide opportunities to achieve extraordinarily beautiful effects. Whether the subject is shimmering with light or veiled in otherworldly shadows, this comprehensive guide shows how to use todayâÄôs versatile digital equipment to capture the image perfectly. Offering 250 inspiring examples, it covers a wide variety of extreme lighting conditions…»
43. Capture the Light: A Guide for Beginning Digital Photographers
Light is what photography is all about, but many photographers find that it poses their toughest technical and artistic challenge. Fortunately, this easy-to-grasp guide shows both new digital camera owners and those with more experience how to understand, modify, and control light to create more compelling images. Learn all about the color, direction, and quality of natural light and how to adjust lighting to flatter the subject. Find out about the best…»
44. The Photographer's Guide to Using Light
This book takes one of photography's most deceptively difficult subjects--effectively using light--and teaches it in terms that any photographer can understand. Filled with practical advice and creative ideas, this book is sure to help even amateur photographers take better photos.»
45. How to Photograph in Natural Light
135 color photos 7 x 9 Expert information on outdoor photography Advice and inspiration for any photographer Understanding the effects of light on a subject is one of the most important elements of taking top-quality outdoor photographs. This richly illustrated guide discusses in detail the varying qualities of natural light-how it affects metering, aperture selection, film speed, mood, and composition-to help both beginning and experienced photographers…»
46. Photography FAQs: Lighting
Prolific photography author Chris Weston presents the latest entry in the Photography FAQs series. Photography enthusiasts searching for an accessible and authoritative guide to lighting need look no further than this comprehensive, pocket-sized encyclopedia of 50 questions and answers. Each topic is supported by lively, accessible text, inspirational images and an easy-to-navigate design. What is meant by the term âÄúvisible light?âÄù How can I record…»
47. Studio Lighting: A Primer for Photographers
For photographers who have a basic understanding of how to operate their cameras, this book offers easy techniques, a myriad of photographs from acclaimed studio photographers, and numerous lessons to create great effects that portray subjects in a flattering light. Whether working in a spare bedroom, in the garage, or in a well-trafficked part of town, photographers learn how working in the studio allows them to control the effects of lighting on their…»
48. Lamps and Lighting, Fourth Edition
This book is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of lighting. Covering the physics of light production, light sources, circuits and a wide variety of lighting applications, it is both suitable as a detailed textbook and as thoroughly practical guide for practising lighting engineers. This fourth edition of Lamps and Lighting has been completely updated with new chapters on the latest lamp technology and applications. The editors ahve called…»
49. Photographer's Lighting Handbook
Professional photographers have access to specialized and often expensive lighting equipment, but amateurs can take great photographs with much simpler setups or even just available light. This guide explains how to get the best results from the most minimal investment with plenty of patience and practice. Photography is the art of capturing light on paper, and all that is needed to take wonderful pictures is a sophisticated understanding of how light…»
50. Lighting Techniques for Photographers
Read more...»
Christopher Grey's Advanced Lighting Techniques: Tricks of the Trade for Digital Photographers
The Photographer's Lighting Toolbox: A Complete Guide to Gear and Techniques for Professional Results
51 - 52
51. Christopher Grey's Advanced Lighting Techniques: Tricks of the Trade for Digital Photographers
Illustrating various lighting techniques employed by professional photographers, this unique guidebook demonstrates how to create more visually complex effects. Each chapter explains the concept of a different lighting method, sets up the shot stepâÄìbyâÄìstep, and reveals the easily obtained, yet sophisticated, results. Common problems and solutions are also provided and variations suggested. Appealing to professionals as well as intermediate and advanced…»