[.ca] Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for ... (ISBN 1584282304)

Same Results with Less Gear and Time: How To Save Chiropractor Bills:
The word "Photography" means "to paint with light". That's right - the secret to a good photo is your ability to play with light, not just relying on natural light source. Kirk Tuck shows you the current, up-to-date industrial lighting approaches for commercial shoots. Instead of lugging over 300 pound of lighting gear, many professionals like Kirk Tuck devised ways to produce the same results quicker with less gear. Not only his methods will save your chiropractor, assistants' and rental car bills, but they will also give you more efficiency to keep yourself in the market. Ability to quickly set up your equipment on-the-go is a huge bonus you shouldn't miss out on. The author is a Nikon shooter so he shows his example with Nikon gear, but whatever brand of gear you use, as long as your flashes have manual power control (you get consistent & reliable results than TTL), you're good to go. I'm a Canon shooter with Canon and Vivitar flashes, but if you really understand the principles of what he does, you'll also realize that the brand doesn't matter. His examples are brilliant. They work. Some may complain: (1)it's not "artsy" enough (2)there are too many lights. For those in (1): he is giving you the industrial standard ways as examples, but what he REALLY tells you is how to play with artificial light to sculpt your subject. If you understand the basic concept of different kinds of light, you certainly can do many other styles. For those in (2): there are also examples where he didn't need any more than one light. Once again, it's all about knowing your light and being creative. The number of lights doesn't matter...it's how you paint with light. In conclusion, I definitely recommend this book to any photographer. Instead of waiting for a picture to happen (which is perfectly valid), now you can actively "make" a photograph. The book is full of great knowledge from a top-of-the-line professional, but the author delivers it in a very down-to-earth manner. In the end, you will not regret buying and reading this book at all. This book will not be one of those books you put away after reading it once; this book will become a lighting reference for you. Sincerely from Toronto, Daniel H. p.s. There is a reason why the first publication of this book sold out as soon as it came out. Congrats, Kirk!