Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers

• #23 in Best Photography Books

78 Reviews

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Christopher Grey is a master of photographic lighting, and this expertise shines through in his latest book, appropriately titled, Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers. Grey eases his readers into the topic with a discussion on the properties and quality of light and a review of modern lighting equipment, both store-bought and homemade. Then, after an informative chapter on lighting ratios (a frequently misused and misunderstood term) he embarks on an instructive and comprehensive journey that covers everything from classic lighting styles to the advanced lighting methods used by today's top studio photographers. Beautiful color photos and helpful diagrams complement each scenario.

Grey's writing is conversational and witty, which is a blessing when one is digesting material that, in duller texts, can quickly veer off into technical mumbo jumbo. In addition to his lighting information, he sprinkles every chapter with plenty of useful advice - things he's learned during his 30-year career - for saving money, choosing backdrops, building trust with subjects, capturing better expressions and much, much more. I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in portrait photography. The photographs alone are well worth the purchase price, but the lessons enabling readers to create similarly stunning photos make the book an extremely good value.

I'm a third year commercial advertisment photography student and I have to say that I wish I had found this book in my first year. Christopher Grey really knows his stuff. He has diagrams along with his photographs to explain each type of lighting situation. I actually learned quite a bit about different lighting accessories used for various lighting like hairlights, and different ways to show separation from the background. This is definitely a great book to have around to review a few pointers before a shoot. I'm half way through the book and I just got it yesterday night. It's very easy reading. The format just flows. The techniques and suggestions are great building bases. If you've already taken portraiture classes, some of this will be review (Part I-The Principles of Portrait Lighting), but I still think this is a great book to have. Part II is Portrait Lighting in Practice. It gives one or two examples in each category. Editorial, corporate, ...etc. If you have any hesitation on your technique and possible outcomes, this is a great book. It'll reaffirm your confidence in the way you do things; moreover, you may be reminded of something that you might have forgotten.

I think people have very different expectations for these kinds of books, and this one did not at all meet mine. While Master Lighting Guide is very thorough and really gets into the basics of the different kinds of portrait lighting it totally fails to inspire. The photography in this books is very dull and really reminds me of the faded portraits you see plastered to the windows of sad photo stores and barber shops.

I was very excited about getting this after reading the Amazon reviews, but I am not just looking for a good book on lighting - I am looking for a book that shows examples of contemporary portraits of exceptional quality that makes me want to know how it was done, makes me feel like getting out there and do some myself. I think a previous reviewer was right when he/she suggested that the cover really gave you an idea of what was to be expected of the book - to me the cover shows you the behind-the-scenes of a very predictable and rather boring, maybe even tacky, portrait.

The pictures that Amazon chose above are really the best ones in the book.

To sum up: if you are looking for a good, solid, no-nonsense guide with numerous example on how different lighting set-ups work, then this is a good place to start. However, if you are looking for exciting, top-class, professional photography then search elsewhere (I still haven't found the perfect combination of education and inspiration - "Lighting for Portrait Photography" by Steve Bavister has some higher quality images but it really is rather weak on information, they don't really compare..)

This is a powerful, concise, and well written book.

With his diagrams, accompanying photos, and explanations, Mr. Grey has opened my eyes to light and lighting options in ways I hadn't realized...and now makes me look far more carefully at portraits than ever before, to appreciate how the lighting and well placed shadows emphasize the client's best qualities.

I confess I hesitated before buying a "mere" 128 page book, and quickly realized he cuts out the usual fluff and shares "secrets" freely. One must savor each page's wisdom, rather than rushing through it, to greatly enhance your skills.

Learn about key light characteristics, softboxes, hair lights, different umbrella effects, lighting ratios and so on...you needn't use some or all on every session, it's there to just let you know how to use these when and if a situation arises...and you'll have the knowlege of how to use them without recreating or reshooting the wheel!

Whether you are a film or a digital photographer, this gives knowledge that benefits either medium, by encouraging you to creatively previsualize the lighting of finished product, long before you click the shutter.

While it's far easier for me to properly light a subject before shooting (I am comfortable with film and slowly learning digital/Photoshop) it gives hints that can be used creatively in "Photoshopping" an image later, in the computer, to enhance a mood, or de-emphasize a highight accordingly. (Katrin Eismann's Photoshop Restoration & Retouching, 3rd ed. is quite helpful, as is Scott Kelby's comfortably cookbook aproach in his Photoshop CS book for Digital Photographers).

This is a pearl that deserves to be read appreciatively, savoring each page at a time!

When I read reviews I usually start with the negative ones because it gives me a hint as to how reasonable the person rating the book is. If someone complains about shipping, that has nothing to do with the author or the book. If someone writes about the details of the book but says it's above their level doesn't mean the book deserves a bad rating either. Now if someone states the book was full of fluff (ie all those Dummie books), or the author/publisher did not show diagrams when the should I can understand. This is especially for photography books.

Well, there wasn't any negatives about this book and I understand why!

I really enjoyed reading this book! This book is very detailed with descriptions on setups and explaining equipment and how to use the setups. I have a few other "lighting" books I've purchased and/or picked up from the library over the past couple of years, but I have to say this one has everything and more the others do not have. It is straight to the point and specific without being elementary.

I highly recommened the newbie to advance studio photographer get this book. EXCELLENT easy flowing reading.

To set the stage for my comments, I'll offer that I am a mature man and a long-time engineer who has started taking classes in portrait photography.

First of all, for some photography books, a technical background like mine is a must. Not so for this book- it is full of information that is very clearly presented without techno-babble.

This book is an engaging read which is both instructive during the first read, and a great reference every time you pick it up.

I found it very valuable that there were pictures that showed the result of lighting a subject in many different ways with a particular light modifier. It was almost as if I had a studio with all that equipment and could experiment on my own. By the time I got to my studio-based class, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do and how to do it.

A great buy because you will need many books to replace the insight that this single book provides!

I would highly recommend this book. There is a lot of variety in lighting techniques and they are explained very well. The photos are very good and there is a lighting diagram below each one. I've read a number of books and been to various seminars but I learned many new things that I had not seen elsewhere. The only problem I had with this book was that there are several errors (where the text doesn't exactly match the lighting diagram) but the errors are not that significant. I'll look forward to reading other books written by this author in the future.

I promised to do a wedding portrait for my niece and, as a long time advanced "amateur", I new nothing more than my Canon 580Ex flashes on my 5D. This book helped me set up a nice studio with some strobes, a softbox and made it straight foward with a strong foundation in a short time.

I really appreciated the discussions on proper metering, light placement and the diagrams. One gem was the combination of sequential photos as the lights were moved and adjusted - you could see the changed effects as they happened and the final shot evolved.

I had bought about 5 books on the subject and this was, by far, the most useful and realistic for the way I learn.

The portraits came out great and I now look at studio photos in a completely new light (pun intended).

I am extremely happy with this book. It provides all sorts of lighting scenarios for portrait photographers and with great pictures and diagrams too. Definitely get this book to get ideas on how to light your subjects and what equipment to use.

The best part about this book are the diagrams. I liked seeing how he had the studio set up, where he positioned the lighting and where he positioned the reflectors. That was the most helpful thing for me!

I really, really like this book and have recommended it to a ton of my friends and online photo compatriots. Christopher Grey explains the reasoning behind certain types of lighting and gives fantastic visual examples of what little changes do to a shot.

My favorite parts are the diagrams and the apples-to-apples comparisons of the various light modifiers on the same setup. It's very educational!

This is perfect for the beginner as well as someone with a little more experience who wants to expand their knowledge and find their own lighting style.

This book is decent but a bit outdated. The photos are too 80s and do not reflect techniques or the look that are reflective of our time.

The author was very detailed in explaining most concepts and reasons why he did what he did. For each lighting technique, he even showed samples from all different key light sources such as large and small soft boxes, umbrellas, shoot-through umbrellas, etc. This book would be great for serious hobbyists or professionals since they might have the budget for equipments. If you're just an amateur trying to take portraits of your family, only a few techniques would be applicable. However, after reading this, I find myself analyzing others' portraits to see what techniques, lighting sources might have been used. I just feel more prepared now the next time I need to take portraits.

I bought this book thinking I would be able to easily set up a studio from it.
I found this book extremely informative BUT on a medium to high-end level.
It is not really a practical guide for the beginning photographer however, I am sure I will be refereing it to in the future.
Chris Grey explains how he set up his lighting in order to get the shots he shows in this book.
My problem was that most of his sets are based on the photographer buying many many different types of reflectors, lights and flags etc.
He does not really explain the simple, beginners studio.
He does not explain for low ceilings etc.
He shows his shots and explains how he got them so if you have the same set up, the same size room etc, you too can reproduce these shots.
While it is a well written book, I found it to be on a high level.
If someone is already at this level of lighting equipment, then he already knows all the info on ratios Chris writes about.
Great reference guide and enjoyable to read.
Not for the beginner who wishes to use it as a guide to setting up his first studio.

If you are looking for a book that has various types of lighting then this is okay. It has great information but 90% of the lighting illustrations are using softboxes and I have umbrellas. Nevertheless it is still a good book.

The book breaks down the lighting for different photo's for you and also show illustrations of each set up. I found it very very helpful.

Of the four books I've recently bought for potraits (Basic studio lighting, Beginner Guide to Photographic Lighting, Photographic lighting simplified, and this one) this is the best. Not only does the author go over numerous light setups, but she also provides very detailed pictures of how all the different light modifiers affect each light setup. This is also the first book that gave me a good understanding of light ratios, which is essential. Highly Recommended.

I was excited to get this book, because I want to get into lighting. I was hoping for a section describing fluorescent "always on" lights, and the tradeoffs between them and strobes. But he doesn't mention this at all. It's all about strobes. I'm sure strobes are the way to go, but I'm very sorry he doesn't say why.

Also, he got the f-stop chart wrong. He says f/4 is one stop below f/8, and that's just wrong. I wonder if he knows what a stop is, because he talks in the text as though stops are all powers of 2, rather than powers of square root of 2.

I'd look for something else.

This book gives a very concentrated and systematically presented overview on practically all basic lighting concepts. It will give you a good foundation to build upon when creating your own lighting setups - less guesswork, better images.
The image examples are very meaningful and informative, NO inappropriate show-off portfolio shots!
This book is really a great toolbox and a must-have for all who shoot people in a studio - wish I had read it years ago!!

I felt the book was well written and illustrated. It provided a lot of the basics behind good studio lighting and it also provided many different lighting set-up examples. The book had good diagrams showing the placement of all lights, props, and equipment, and made it easy to see the results obtained by each different set-up from the many example photos. It's a good book for someone just getting into studio lighting, as well as for advanced photographers looking to get new ideas or freshen their skills.

I am a photo prothusiast. I love photography and use it in my profession. Recently I have toyed with the idea of shooting portraits on the side for a little extra cash. I thought I'd bone up on my portrait lighting techniques. I bought a few books, including Christopher Grey's Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers.

I have to say, Christopher's book is my favorite. I have had a blast working through the techniques he teaches in this book. He starts out by giving a rundown of lighting gear on the market. He weighs the pros and cons of different lighting systems and shares his favorites.

The book gets really exciting when he starts teaching lighting techniques. He uses actual photographs so you can see the results, comparing light settings and placement. He demonstrates many configurations, each more beautiful than the last.

I have taken this book seriously. I love to grab a subject and get busy, trying out his different light scenarios and seeing if I can match his quality. In some cases I have, in others I need practice.

I would highly recommend this book for both pros and beginners. It is an excellent reference that I have found invaluable.

Thank you, Christopher.

I hope this helps.

-Craig Nybo, co-author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System

Speaking as an advanced photographer but relatively neophyte to studio portraiture, this book is exactly what I needed. It gives you quite a few "typical" lighting scenarios, with very specific instructions of how to achieve them. It's kind of a course in studio portrait lighting. To be honest, I found it more useful than the $300 course I took at a nationally reknowned art/design school.

I have found it very useful and well written. It's simple to understand also for a beginner in studio lighting.
It mainly treats studio strobe lights.
You can find a lot of example for studio lights arrangements: all of them perfectly explain with pictures and photos.

This book gives a good start into portrait lighting. It covers a variety of techniques and gear. The only thing I wish were different is to see more photos of the lighting set-ups instead of the flat line drawings. It would be a greater help to see the height and placement of the pieces of equipment used. In some cases though it is more obvious than in others. All in all the book is worth the price for the new guys and gals.

If you are new to studio lighting techniques and want to know about where lights should be set up and what type of modifiers to use, then look no further than this amazing book. The word "Master" in the title is not commercial hyperbole, but an accurate description. For not only does author Christopher Grey (of shootsmarter.com) show and tell you the where and what, he demonstrates it for several different shooting styles: from both basic and classic portrait lighting to headshots, high- and low-key lighting, glamour, fashion, "Hollywood" and more, plus related techniques of photography. I'm just starting to learn about lighting myself, and find this book extremely helpful and informative. Highly recommended.

This book is well-written and imformative. However, the copy I received was defective. Everything was fine until I turned to what should have been page 66, but is was 82. Pages 1 through 65 are correct, then 82 is the next page. The pages then are 83, 68, 69, 86, 87, 72, 73, 90, 91, 76, 77, 94, 95, 80, 81, etc. I returned the first one to Amazon for exchange and gave them a detailed report, but the second one they sent had the same problem. I emailed the publisher and was told that they were aware of the defect with one of the print runs of the book--that it was being corrected. They said they would send me a corrected one. If not for this problem and Amazon's lack of a good solution, I would rate this book higher.

Mr. Grey has created a comprehensive lighting guide that is beneficial to both the amateur and professional photographer. His expertise and insights are invaluable.

This is a great reference for any photographer

Yes, this is the one,the author,obviously being a master photographer himself,goes through various techniques and explains what he did and why he did it,he also includes diagrams of the various lighting set-ups which are a great scource of inspiration for studio photographers like myself.I would n't hesitate to recommend this excellent book to anyone.It is the first thing I look at when deciding on a particular studio set-up.

I agree with another poster who noted that the images selected for the book are rather dull. If you don't like the photos, why would you want to copy the technique? Another complaint is that the images used to show progression of lighting set-ups are often so different from one another, especially in poses and attire it becomes difficult to discern the subtle changes in lighting -- when the subject of the photo changes from image to image, it is difficult to see exactly how the lighting has changed and to evaluate effect. And finally, watch out for errors in the diagrams -- I spotted a couple like where a shoot-thru is shown and it was really just an umbrella. It seems minor but when careless stuff like that comes up it makes me question the accuracy of the rest of the diagrams and content.


To be fair, this is one of the better lighting books out there still today. This is the way they should be written and diagrammed out, but it falls short of its very real potential.

This book jumps straight into the different techniques and does not explain simple lighting concepts much at all. I also thought that the styles blurred together and he didn't separate them out enough and explain the differences between each one.

This book, and Chris Grey's DVD's (Shoot Smarter) are FANTASTIC!

The easy to understand diagrams, the unique and creative techniques and the overview of styles is second to none...

After buying this book on Amazon I was so impressed that I actually flew from California to Chicago to take a 4 day class from the author at Shoot Smarter University (Will Crocket's studio in Arora, IL).

In all of my training, and with all my EXPENSIVE equipment purchases in camera equipment, NOTHING has improved my creative and technical output like Chris Grey's books, training, and videos...

As I say to my friends, "I have drank the Kool-Aid that is Chris Grey's teaching and I am an evangelical believer in his techniques". I now have the confidence to shoot JPEGs and not worry about my "recovery" in PhotoShop!

Other GREAT books by Chris Grey include Photoshop Effects for Portrait Photographers (Focal Press) and an up-coming book about Canon Cameras (Fall 07).

HIGHLY reccomended!

I bought this book as a gift but also had a chance to read it. After doing so I ordered one for myself. For a novice I found this book to be straight forward easy to follow and understand.

Easy to understand. Everything was explained in good detail. I liked the fact that it was for both film and digital photographers. The lighting diagrams were a tremendous help. I would highly recommend this book.

This book is a great teaching tool. It is not too technical; uses simple to understand language and good examples.

This book is superb on all levels and for all skill levels. Experts will
be challenged for sure, but amateurs can roll with it. I currently fall
in between, so I can see myself referring to this again and again in order
to perfect my skills.

The author definitely knows how to write. Simply the best photography
author I've read in years. He does not make a point without illustrating it.
Some critics of the book complain he uses expensive and advanced
studio lighting. This is true, but then again it's not a book for weekend warriors.

Master Lighting Guide is an excellent lighting reference for professionals and aspiring pro's wishing to improve their portrait lighting skills. I completely agree with the below reviewer, as I also went to Brooks, that this book would have a great resource as it showcases many of the same lighting techniques that I learned as a student. I have taken a few years away from portrait photography and used this book to "brush up" on my portrait lighting skills. It is very straight forward and showed me several variations on setups that I already know which are easier to setup and have great results.

I ordered this book because the questions I have are tenfold-I was quick to discover that the material is a little beyond me. I still plan on keeping the book in my library; it was inexpensive and it seems well written.

Good book with a real concern for being didactic. The information is very well organized and explanations are complete. The example photos are not very inspiring, at least the majority. My favorits are the final portraits.

This is the Best lighting book I have read. Christopher Grey is the Master.

The best book yet for portrait photography.
Book includes full proof staging layouts.

Overall I agree with the other reviewers about the high quality and usefulness of the information in "Master Lighting Guide", but electrical safety is one important matter that is totally missing from the book. Mr. Grey mentions grounded to ungrounded adapters, but doesn't mention the fact that these adapters must be of the type that can supply an unbroken ground circuit to the lighting unit. This is especially important in situations where lights are set up outdoors or on the bare ground in a stable, barn or similiar place. The kind of scenario that is usually found in on location work. It is also important that all extension cords be of the 3-wire grounded type. Even indoors the possibility of receiving a dangerous electric shock is possible when several different electrical units are plugged in around a room, or there is a grounded metal object such as a sink or radiator that can supply the connection to ground which results in an electric shock. These days, portable GFI units are available which furnish the ultimate in electrical safety indoors and out when used properly, and should be recommended in all texts on lighting.

George, a fellow Minnesotan

This book offers a great look at most of the tools of the trade for making, bending, transforming light and it shows what can be archieved with these lightsources with rows of pictures that show subtle variations with each source, supplemented by easy to understand diagrams. Read the supporting text, it's kept to the absolute necessary and very usefull. In short, this book gives you the solid fundamentals that you can make you own step by step. A bit sad that Christopher doesn't show more beautiful pictures with good light useage, but then again it delivers the goods of explaining the application of light, the rest is up to you !

This book is great; it provides TONS of lighting scenarios, gives guidance on adaptation, and explains lingo that a beginning lighting rigger or photographer may not yet know. The sheer magnitude of lighting examples is amazing.

Downside: Dry read, and only explains strobes (Not too bad, since "hotlights" position the same).

This is a must have book for any photographer who plans on using studio lighting!

I have advanced in my photography skills a great deal from this book. My lighting has become just as artistic as the shots themselves. Alot of the ideas in the book are just fun to play around with to help create your own kinda lighting. A must read for those not to new but would like to make the next leap...

There is a lot of good information in this book, but if you are a beginner I wouldn' suggest it.

I purchased this book based on the recommendation of another photographer. I have found the book to be well written with excellent illustrations and guides. The only shortcoming, if it can be called such, is the persistant reference to film based cameras and their settings and controls. The text seems to have been written more to help someone who uses, or used, film and has little experience with a digital camera. This does NOT make the information any less relevant, just a little harder to grasp on the initial reading. With study and persistant application of the lessons, I found, and continue to find, the book to be very helpful. I am quite glad I ordered it and would give it very good marks.

I've got the same problem as Randy. The book I recieved was also defective! The pages are out of order. The book is good but this problem has me to rate this book with the lower score.

I read the book and one thing that I did learn is that I need to take some Photo classes and learn more about taking photos. Some of the subject matter was over my head.

I have learned tons of information from this book on lighting. You must have it if you are a little or alot confused about studio lighting and how to do it right!

Pam Vasquez

Let me first say that if you want a thorough and exhaustive explanation on portrait lighting this is it. The only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that it would have been good to create a separate chapter on "Challenging Portraits" such as wrinkled faces, big noses, double chins, etc. They are mentioned in the book but really more of an afterthought and sprinkled around. Also, all of the people in this book are basically "models" but real world dictates you won't be shooting your ideally "proportional" subject. Maybe even a small section of full length as an added value would be good.

I found this book super-helpful. The light setups are clearly documented. Good pointers of what to watch for and what you should be careful not to do. A definite asset to a photographer's lighting library.

Very useful for describing foundation lighting setups. The point of this book is to inform your choices rather than to show off the author's 'talent', which is so abysmally common in books of this type. It's concise and straight to the point - exactly as I like it.

My experience is about 85% with natural light, & now I want to learn more about alternatives. My appreciation goes to Mr Grey.

This handy little book is great for new studio shooters who need to understand basic studio lighting and intermediate level photographers who want some more advanced techniques as well. As a semipro, I'd worked in the studio extensively, but I've been out of the studio for about a year, and needed to go back and be reminded of some of the really solid techniques that are in this book. I'm going back into the studio today and feeling confident after spending an hour getting brushed up. Great step-by-step with diagrams and clear explanations. Great buy.

Great pictures with diagrams. Would definitely recommend this to the beginning photographer. Good info from the author.

Best book on portrait lighting. Very good and detailed explamation of setups and lighting ratios.

If you wish to go into portrait photography a bit more seriously, this is a tremendously good book to start. It's starts from the very basic, and goes thouroghly through the first steps necessarry for understanding studio lighting. After the basic lightings, it gives a brief outlook to some more advanced techniques.

The step-by step instructions and the wide variety of example photos also make this book a must for a professional wannabe.

This book covers all of the most popular lighting styles for portraits. I've yet to practice all of them but the diagrams are nice to see and I believe this book will help me to improve my photography by being able to offer more variety in my photography. It's a pretty good guide.

This is a perfect addition to your photography library...it is written clearly and easy to understand. All my question were answered in this book. I highly recommend it.

this book is great - numerous test shots for each lighting style which highlighted subtle variations in the test shots based on changes in the lighting setup. Diagrams illustrating the equipment used and it's position - the only thing I would have added is more specific distance information for the diagrams, including height.

This is a book that you must have, If you are interested in Studio and Portraits. As far as I red other book reviews, very often people are asking for good setups and details. Here we are with someone who was aming open the secrets. You have a lot of really good and standards examples and fine technics.

There are only a few books that I find myself going back to reference over and over. This is one of them. Many light placement diagrams with the resultant photo make this an excellent quick reference guide. The author stimulates the reader to attempt new combinations.
My only objection is the use of many white bookends. Those are not staples in most studios. Also, reflectors do not accomplish the same result. I would have preferred more diagrams without the bookends. Maybe I will buy my own now. But, where to store them.

Having read this book , and put it into practice, my Flash images are improving all the time, and every time I re read the book My work gets better and better ! thanks so much Christopher.

To those with learning disabilities as myself, having suffered a stroke, that use visuals for their input, this book was excellent in all it's methodologies of teaching lighting techniques!

First were the photos themselves, each was shown along with the lighting ratios, and the effect of the various lighting implements used for that particular mood or style of photo being expressed.

Next was a series of photos taken with the same lighting ratio, but with different equipment, showing just how illuminating light can be, and how a Softbox, Umbrella, and what have you can change and influence just how mood and intensity are controlled.

I highly recommend this book for it's excellence in handling the subject at hand...namely Portrait Lighting!

Everything you'd like to know about lighting. This book really gets into the specifics. Explore the effects of lighting ratios, different light modifiers etc. - in great detail with clear examples. Thorough lighting diagrams throughout.

I have read a number of books of how to light and how to see the light but this book on lighting by Christopher Grey is one of the best books I have read. It is truly a "how to create" and "how to see light" book all rolled up into one package. He discusses every aspect of portraiture lighting but as one reads through the book you can see where some of the "seeing" of the light can be applied to other forms of photography. I am not saying buy this book if you want to learn to see light for landscapes or architecture but some of the points in this book if studied closely may apply to other things than portraiture. As far as portraiture goes it covers a wide range of lighting techniques in an in depth way with illustrations (pictures and diagrams) to match. The techniques can be used as is to create the lighting or modified with your own creativity to produce your own style of lighting. I think the most important thing this book attempts to do is to tell the reader that there is no way way to light. Examine your environment, decide what you need and what you don't need to do to light it in the best way. For some of you who have commented on the Michael Grecco lighting book ... this book is the opposite of that book it appears. It helps to have some knowledge of lighting and cognitive thinking to apply your own methods but it is not a book that is going to have you create a lighting setup that only Bill Gates could afford. There are no so called secrets revealed but just strong, basic and logical techniques for lighting. Not only is it informative but also inspiring because just a quick flip through the book will let you know that Grey attempts to give you various lighting setups for very different looks. Successful hard, soft, broad and short lighting are just the tips of the iceberg with this book. If you ask me and obviously many others who have reviewed this book ... it should be a must buy for any one who is interested in creating and shaping light for not just portraiture (although the subject is truly portraiture). If you buy the book and read it through you will understand why I say the lighting can be used for more than portraiture. In theory, the "seeing of light" expressed thoughout the book ca be used for more than just portraiture if you would light to create and find beautiful light on a subject. To buy Grey or Grecco ... save the money on the Grecco book and buy the Grey book, some foam core, maybe a modifier or two of your choice depending on your style and enjoy your creations.

This book is well-written and easy to understand for an amateur like myself. Mr. Grey explains all of the photographic terms in plain language, which makes it easy to understand the topic being discussed. Chapters include lighting styles, equipment, and techniques.

HOWEVER, as I was reading through this book, I became confused when the pictures didn't match up with the text--upon closer inspection, around thirty or forty pages had been bound in the wrong section, which made for some interesting flipping around to find the illustrations. Also, I would have liked more information on how flashes can be slaved together, as with the Canon digital setup.

This book was probably the best book on lighting that I have read thus far. And I've read a number of them. This book was technical enough for the professional but simple enough for even the novice to grasp. I love the pictures that were included and the light setup included to give readers a guide on how to recreate the same mood. Christopher Grey is the man!

This is an excellent book for lighting. This book is the first to clearly explain the way light bounces and how you can use that to create effect or fill. It is an excellent guide to lighting and will have you excited to try to create the lighting effects discused.

Tim Skipper
Vision Photo Image
www.visionphotoimage.com

Enough people that are far smarter than I have written very descriptive essays almost on why this is a great book to buy. That being said, I will just say I concur, buy it! As a beginner, I found it very eye opening and invaluable.

This is a good book to start with for basic lighting set-ups for specific (and a little generic) looks with relevant explanations. I have mostly an artistic background and this is a good intro to more commercial standards to play around with. It does not necessarily explain some of the more current styles of lighting, but it does work with a solid foundation.

This is the material that is ausent here, in Uruguay. I believe the reviews before published, were right!! and I'm very pleasant to recommend this book!

This was actually a gift for a friend, but I always try to peruse before I hand over a book just to make sure it doesn't have any questionable content.

I am not very interested in photography, but I found the book very fascinating. If I had had time, I would have read it more in depth.

However, the reason I did not give it a fifth star is because it had some questionable pictures in it. Nothing too bad, but it was enough to catch my attention. Because of the pictures, this is a book I would only give to responible adults. Definitely not to kids or teens.

For beginners, amateurs, enthusiasts and the like, this book makes a good kick start on several lighting techniques.

You get the basics explained in detail, fx. butterly/paramount lighting, along with some funny anecdotes - and there's room for playing around with variations on the light setups.

The photos shown are very good, without being extremely exceptional - which I find is a good thing for this type of book. "First you gotta crawl..." :)

I'm pretty experienced in studio light setup, yet I found this book gave me inspiration as well as education.

This is a very good book on lighting and posing. It covers a lot of lighting setups complete with drawings. IT discusses different lighting effects and shows you examples. Overall, I am very pleased with this book. Highly recommend for the home studio folks.

I am halfway through this book and find the instructions, diagrams and pictures very helpful. I do not understand some of the criticisms because this is about staged lighting and studio portrait and will always be "posed". I am amazed at the length of detail that the author has gone through and appreciate the multiple portrait examples in various lightings.

This book met and even exceeded my expectations. Much like "The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing", this book is an excellent reference book that you will find yourself re-reading for inspiration and technique. The examples and photos are great and the book is very easy to follow. I am glad that I ordered this book.

This book will really begin your fundamentals! Not having this means you really will need 8 years of photography school! This is the beginning!

I was very impressed with this book. Mr. Grey has done a fantastic job writing this book. It's obvious that he's very accomplished at his craft and has logged countless hours refining his skills. He also explains each scenerio with enough detail to make his intentions perfectly clear. All of the images in the book are crisp, sharp and well composed. Each sample includes a two dimensional diagram of the lighting configuration. Since there is no third dimension to the diagrams it is sometimes hard to tell if a light was placed high or low in relationship to the model and the other light. Mr. Grey does explain the configuration in the narrative so it's not that hard to figure out the height of a light in the diagram. Great book. I highly recommend it for a portrait primer. Side note - The cover picture is fantastic. It's a great representation of the quality of the book.