Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting Reviews

• Outstanding and Essential!

  
  By A3UPYGJKZ0XTU4 on 2003-02-16
  Fil Hunter and Paul Fuqua have written a truly essential reference for product photographers and an outstanding educational text for all photographers. Light, Science and Magic teaches its readers the principals of lighting. It describes in detail how to light surfaces, metal, glass, liquids, extremes (black-on-black and white-on-white), and people for different effects. These subjects were chosen because they are reputed to be the most difficult subjects to light. But because the book emphasizes the principals of lighting, those lessons can be applied to all lighting situations. The examples in Light,Science and Magic are in-studio, but the principals apply out-of-doors and anywhere that there is light. You don't need to have a background in studio photography or a knowledge of lighting equipment to understand and benefit from this book. You need to have only a good understanding of exposure and camera operation. Information on basic lighting equipment is found in the appendices for those who are unfamiliar with studio equipment. Because the principals of lighting apply equally to film photography and digital image capture, most of this book's content will not go out of date. No photographer should be without the knowledge in this book. If you can absorb all of the book's content, there is nothing that you will encounter in all your photographic adventures that you won't know how to light to get the effect you want. It is well worth its price!
  
  

• Photography is all about light

  
  By AT2O4ZW390JCV on 1999-12-01
  Whether you're a beginner with a point-and-shoot or a professional with a huge investment in equipment, you need to know how light works. This book can teach you everything you need to know. It has both theory and practical guidance. The authors don't tell you which lights to use in a given situation -- they teach you how to determine what lighting to use to achieve the effect _you_ want. And they help you select lighting equipment.

  To be fair, it's not always an easy read (there's a lot of theory and some math/physics to wade through), but it's worth the effort. I saw the difference in the next roll I shot. I only wish I had found this book a few years ago...
  
  

• Saved me money the first day

  
  By A3A42AANH85ZTF on 2001-07-11
  I love the approach in this easy to read book. The authors' philosophy is to be as creative in as many ways as possible, even down to improvising equipment and overcoming lack thereof. If, say, candles will suffice, then why use strobes? I feared a huge shopping list for my foray into the world of studio lighting. This very helpful alternative to months of expensive experimentation has shown me a more structured approach, the focus being on Return on Investment while maximising results.
  
  

• Very useful but a little dated

  
  By A1XSMN5HGF77EN on 2005-10-05
  I am a professional photographer, and I was looking for a book on lighting technique - which this book supplied excellently.
  
  Their step by step approach is easy to follow and understand, and all explainations have images attached so you can see what they are talking about.
  
  They slowly build your general knowledge on how light works rather than supplying specific lighting diagrams, allowing (and suggesting that you do) you to adapt the knowledge to your own use. They then go into more detail with difficult lighting subjects such as metal, glass, and more, and how to deal with them.
  
  My only complaint is that the book is starting to feel a little old, especially when they talk about colour. It is almost exclusively film based with virtually no reference to digital technology. If they were to do an updated version with more emphasis on lighting for digital, I would provide 5 stars.
  
  

• For Commercial Photographers

  
  By A15YFFQRRCI905 on 2007-09-14
  I found this book to be for commercial photographers. Over 3/4 of the book describes how to photograph glass, metal, ect. If you are working with people there are better lighting books than this. Nothing ground breaking in this one.
  
  
• Absolutely excellent guide to the understanding/use of light
  By AR7T5P4T4R7YS on 1999-05-31
  Anyone intimidated or confused by the subject of artificial/studio lighting must read this book. Very well prepared and very objective. The author describes how lighting WORKS, not how HE does it. Text is filled with numerous example photos and lighting diagrams. No experience with lighting is necessary to appreciate this book, but a solid photography background and a little understanding of physics helps. Top Notch.
  
  
• What does this have to do with "strobists"?
  By A21X01R9G4KFMP on 2008-07-14
  I bought this book on Strobist (aka David Hobby) recommendation (featured in his thousand-users-per-day site).
  Ok, it's about lighting reflective, translucent and other difficult subjects. But everything is supposed to be done in a STUDIO setting. What does this have to do with the "strobist ideology" (using small remote flashes for photography)?
  You do need an expensive array of studio gear to make the best out of the examples and diagrams presented (even a view camera is proposed in photographing reflective objects!). And I'm serious. How can you judge the reflection of a black label over a reflective cd case without modeling lights? With "chimping"? How can you light appropriately a varnished wooden box to show texture as demostrated in the book without flags, gobos and large softboxes? With straw grids?
  But, let's be real here! Much of this book's publicity is owned to David Hobby and the "strobist" crowd. But if you consider yourself a "strobist" you can learn much more by reading the articles in the strobist site. Or buy a different book. Maybe the one DH is writing right now ;)
  
  
  
• simply the best book on artificial lighting
  By AVRRMH4OIEVK on 2006-07-17
  This is the best book ever written on the subject.It explains the physics of light and types of reflection, which is what the camera records.
  
  Lighting strategies and appropriate lighting technics are given for different subjects like flat surfaces, metal, glass, portrait, volumes (cube, cylinder, etc.) white on white subjects, black on black subjects.
  
  You better read this book before starting to invest into a studio or taking a studio shoot with artificial light for the first time. It clearly pays back.
  
  This is not a "how to" or "cookbook" however. If you are offended with physics and mathematics, this book is not for you.
  
  But if you are patient and eager enough to understand the book you will never need a how to or cook book anyway.
  
  I must agree to the reviews below that diffuse reflections requires a larger section for the next time. Also the book must be in color for the 3. edition.
  
  If you are serious about lighting this must be the main reference book in your library.
  
  After reading this book you will realize that you begin to master lighting!
  
  
• Demystifies studio lighting by explaining the science behind
  By on 1998-03-20
  Really good book for a beginner to understand the basics of photographic lighting. Takes up each type of material and goes logically through lighting the material up. By the end you get a grasp of the concepts which you can use to light up any subject. Must Read for aspiring photographers.
  
  
• Well above average lighting book.
  By A3JQUVUKHTVRML on 2004-09-23
  If you are tired of the average "artsy & wondering" lighting book then this one may be for you. The writers do a better job of covering the placement of lights and how that effects the creation of direct or diffuse lighting than any other book I've seen and I've easily read 6 lighting books from cover to cover over the years. Hunter and Fuqua (love that name) cover product photography and the problems of achieving good edge contrast and handling glare. They don't wimp out when you want to know how to handle black-on-black or white-on-white contrast problems. They tell how to light glass and metal also. Their explanations of light physics are given at a layman's understanding level though this does not hurt the book much. Just remember, light angle in = light angle out, and you can probably follow their examples.
  
  The portrait chapter falsely called "An Arsenal of Lights" is better than most portrait books that I've read. Other writings on portraits I've seen just put their head in the sand and maybe give a couple of their pet peeves of bad lighting then tell you that their are no rules. This book is much better as it covers the basic lights for portraits, short and broad lighting technique, and more. They give you the tools to work with, telling you which lights go where and why so you at least have a starting point when trying to make a person look beautiful in 2d. This is not really an aesthetics book but a tools and techniques of the trade kind of book that is greatly needed. Very Highly recommended.
  
  
• An essential part of your library
  By A10R3W26XIZH62 on 2001-07-29
  I have a number of books on lighting, but this added information I had not seen elsewhere.

  They concentrate on the size of light sources, the types of reflections produced by various subjects, and how to manage those reflections in a way that will add significant elements to your technique.

  The discussions about lighting glass alone are worth the price of the book.

  After you have read it, you will be seeing and using new knowledge both on the street and in the studio.

  Their sections on electronic flash need to be updated to include modern TTL systems and upper end flash meters, but there is a lot of good information about using flashes.

  It is important to [photograph] their examples for yourself to learn the techniques. The time will be well-invested.
  
  

• Excellent for the beginer and the experienced DP
  By A1JBP9R0PA5DW3 on 2006-08-07
  This book goes back to first principals and clarifies things that many of us have picked up by experience without really thinking about them. It starts by talking about the difference between diffuse and direct reflection which makes books like "Lighting for Digital Video & Television, Second Edition" and "Matters of Light and Depth" more valuable for the beginner. It also talks about subjects like lighting extreme contrast, glass and specular metal objects which will benefit anyone doing table top shooting as well as outdoors. The section on portraits shows what works and why in a really useful way. They don't promulgate rules but give you the tools to think through what you want yourself. This book is like the sound books by Jay Rose an essential for every level.
  
  
• A Lighting Book that Teaches You How to Think
  By A1D7NEK7TDSZSJ on 2007-04-06
  Not just a bag of tricks, it teaches a way of thinking about light that promotes a better understanding and enhanced problem solving. At Strobist we are way into photographic lighting - too much so, our spouses might add - and this is the best book on the subject that I have seen yet.
  
  This new (3rd) edition has full color all the way through, with updated photos that are simpler, to distill the lessons right down to the concepts being taught. It is about time this book got the production budget that it merited.
  
  I cannot imagine there is a photographer out there that would not benefit from this book.
  
  
• The Best Book On Studio Lighting Fundamentals
  By ABTYPIOK4RXX4 on 2003-06-10
  This is NOT a book with a bunch of recipes for lighting specific subjects.
  

  Instead, this is a book on what photographers really need to know to effectively light just about anything in the studio.
  

  This book talks about types of reflections and the nature of reflected light. You will learn how to light people, very reflective metal, transparent glass, and and various combinations.
  

  I am a professional photographer and this book gave me a better foundation on WHY to light things a particular way. I feel much more confident in my lighting skills and I think my work has improved. (If only someone would write a similar book on how to get clients to pay faster!)
  

  The book flows from simple to complex in a very logical and easy to follow way. There are plenty of relevent diagrams and example photos too.
  

  If you do any studio work with artificial lighting this is the very next book you should by.
  
  

• Complete lighting reference
  By A17B1BHRGORDTP on 2007-04-25
  I initially started reading this book as a Strobist reference, because you know anything David Hobby recommends is usually worth checking out. Then I found it to be such a complete reference to lighting, which complimented my existing knowledge, not treating me like a dummy, but also not assuming that I knew anything at all.
  
  The authors painstakingly take us through the understanding of light from a technical perspective to how we can manipulate and control light. With simplistic diagrams teaching theory they seek to enforce the knowledge they are delivering. Their goal is not to get us to produce photographs that look like theirs, although readers will no doubt be able to duplicate every effect they teach, but to understand light by laying a foundation and building upon it in each subsequent chapter that we can create techniques of our own rooted in the fundamental understanding of light, science and magic.
  
  This is not one of those, books that you'll just sit down one afternoon and read once. It's like a reference textbook, which you'll spend a few weeks, months and years working out and mastering the techniques. Of course you can just read it without picking up your camera, but without application you miss what the authors are trying to do.
  
  
• The best photographic lighting book ever.
  By A1OGRB6KT4YDL4 on 2007-05-23
  This is THE BOOK for photographic lighting. There are loads on the market. I found out the hard way, buying 15 digital how-to photography books in the last 12 months. It seems many photography books have been re published with the word digital added.
  
  I've been trying to photograph watches for a few years now. The reflections drive me nuts.
  This book has taught me how to deal with and control those reflections.
  
  Putting a watch in a light tent just makes it look aluminium no hightlights just flat and boring. If you want to take things to the next level, this is the book.
  
  Not only watches. I photograph a lot of furniture. The reflections are a real pain. This book helped.
  
  Its been like the missing part of a puzzle. I have the best Nikon gear, 3 off camera SB 800's 3 Macro lens. The works. This book showed me how to use it.
  
  Its all to do with the "Family of Angles" as explained in this book.
  
  One reviewer said he only gave it 4 stars because there wasn't enough about digital. My question to him would be. Whats different about lighting for digital than light for film that isn't mentioned?
  
  My only complain is that the title doesn't come up in enough searches. "The ultimate book on photographic lighting" would have come up a lot sooner. I found this book because it was recommended on strobist blog.
  
  
  
• Best Lighting Book I've Read
  By A3HRTSBFHCCOJK on 2007-09-30
  As a professional photographer and instructor, I've perused many books on photographic lighting, portrait lighting, etc. I say "perused" because most are complicated in the way they present their information, or, present examples that -while technically sound- are totally impractical for everyday use. So much so that I rarely buy them. This is understandable, as professional lighting is the single most difficult aspect of photography to grasp, let alone master. So explaining it isn't always easy, either.
  
  This book -while it does use a bit of technical language- approaches each example in a very straightforward way, explaining when and where each technique is useful, how to perform each technique and even the troubles you're likely to encounter when you first attempt them. In short it's like someone is sitting there with you leading you through the logic of how the lighting works, and helping you to look out for the pitfalls. And while it's not that thick of a book, it is *dense* with information. There is much to absorb and learn, and frankly I've seen no other book that comes close in terms of making it a pleasure to learn.
  
  This book will be a required text for any university classes I teach in the future.
  
  
• Excellent study
  By A1TEX8B0WPHVBS on 2007-10-09
  This book describes itself as a grammar of lighting. I would add that it is a descriptive rather than a prescriptive grammar, that is, it tells you how lighting works as a matter of fact, rather than trying to tell you what you should do as a photographer. I'm still rereading chapters and getting something from them, perhaps especially because I'm taking the authors' suggestion and trying to do the exercises myself.
  
  While it is not terribly technical -- it's well written and easy to read -- the book is a bit abstract, in the sense that it's trying to describe the general properties of lighting as used for photography. For some readers and photographers, the abstract or theoretical approach may not be congenial. The book has very little (almost nothing) to say about equipment, for example. In the section on portrait lighting, the emphasis is simply on what happens when lighting is placed in different positions -- not on which form of lighting is best.
  
  But I personally found the book's approach exhilarating. I've read so many photography books it's hard for me to single out one as THE most informative and THE most helpful to me as a photographer, but if I had to do so, this book might be my pick.
  
  
• A "Must Have" book!
  By A1O21WCTQGQQ90 on 2007-04-05
  I just got the book today. I Highly recommend this book, especially for those interested in photographing jewelry and reflective objects.
  
  Thanks Fil Hunter and Doug Shults
  
  
• An essential part of your library
  By on 2001-07-29
  I have a number of books on lighting, but this added information I had not seen elsewhere.

  They concentrate on the size of light sources, the types of reflections produced by various subjects, and how to manage those reflections in a way that will add significant elements to your technique.

  The discussions about lighting glass alone are worth the price of the book.

  After you have read it, you will be seeing and using new knowledge both on the street and in the studio.

  Their sections on electronic flash need to be updated to include modern TTL systems and upper end flash meters, but there is a lot of good information about using flashes.

  It is important to shoot their examples for yourself to learn the techniques. The time will be well-invested.
  
  

• Everything you need to know about light
  By AJXI8P4T23NYE on 2006-03-31
  Everything you need to know about how light will act or react. Bedrock knowledge for photography, video, film, or production.
  
  
• A Must Have to Understand What You're Doing, Recording Light
  By A2PRAB4P64SXLK on 2006-08-02
  If you plan to go beyond mere snapshots with a cheap camera, then you need to understand and know what's in this book. Even if all you have is a point-and-shoot camera, you will take better photographs knowing what's in this book.
  
  I recommend coming up with your own experimental examples to repeat each step along the way. It'll help you gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of what is being taught.
  
  It'll help you understand light and its properties so that you can use those properties to your advantage.
  
  I've had this book for at least 5 years and have recommended it as the starting point for anyone wanting to understand how to take better photographs, whether for art, science or business.
  
  
  
• Great book about technical aspects of lighting
  By A1D18CIRFHBSA9 on 2007-05-24
  This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn about lighting for photography for basically any situation. While it doesn't exactly show you to "place a light here and at this angle to the subject", it does give you the information needed so that you can determine where the light will work based on what you are dealing with. Most of the information in the book is based on inanamate objects, but it does cover portrait lighting (in fair detail).
  
  
• A book that teaches why and how
  By A2YY4HK2BC0IAX on 2001-04-06
  This book is possibly one of the most important learning experiences a photographer can have. Where so many lighting books describe standardized setups without educating the reader, this book takes the opposite approach. It leads the reader through the why and how so that he/she can create lighting setups for the job at hand. Understanding the concepts in this book give the photographer the ability to adapt to any situation and to cope with the nasty supries that arise when deadlines approach. Even partial mastry of the concepts in this book will make the reader more skilled than 90% of the photographers out there.
  
  
• Third Edition is Out
  By A14ROT0C0BRN94 on 2007-04-12
  The third edition is out and costs LESS than the second edition.
  
  
• Excellent resource!!!
  By A2QPB56799AGUX on 2007-06-12
  This is a great book! It is very detailed in the examination of why light does the things the things it does. The book delves into the physics of light, but don't let that scare you. The authors are very down to earth and they give real life examples and setup diagrams to explain the techniques. I highly recommend this as a resource for serious photographers (especially if you are interested in studio work).
  
  
• Excellent title for learning lighting
  By A2W3U5MHPVUP7E on 2007-09-27
  This is a book that will teach you about light and how to apply it. It isn't meant for you to copy a setup to get similar results. It is an outstanding book that tells you why you put the lights in a particular position and why it works in one instance, but not another.
  
  IMHO this is a easy to follow fun to read college course on lighting. If you are looking to improve your craft this is a must read. This is also a book in the reference library of the Certified Professional Photographers association and helps in preparing for their exam.
  
  
• Liked the approach
  By A3QBHZ2NXWKAK5 on 2008-03-19
  My background is in engineering photography (high-speed events), but I want to learn more about studio photography for marketing and demonstration. I purchased this at the same time I purchased the Creative Lighting Techniques for Studio Photographers and Dantzig Softbox Lighting Techniques. Of the three, I got much more out of Light: Science and Magic than either of the other two. The authors' approach to gradually building the topic from light to reflection, surface, and then contours appealed to me. Since I am interested in photographing a wide variety of materials (paper, fabric, leather, industrial equipment), the fact that the book covers different kinds of materials is good. In particular, I appreciate the way it addresses the illumination of classes of materials (metal, glass, flat, textured) and the use of illumination and lens distortion to show contours in 3D objects.
  
  I wish there had been more technical information covering, for example, the use of different kinds of lights, diffusers, reflectors, and other modifiers. It would also have been nice to get better information on the use of meters and flash units.
  
  
• Most Informative Lighting Book I've Read
  By A356L3S0I5RYQU on 2000-03-08
  As a professional Product Photographer I am always looking for new insight into the craft of studio photography. I found that the authors of "Light Science & Magic" managed to compile a wealth of lighting knowledge and convey the info in such a way that is easy to digest and understand. My one complaint is that the inferior binding caused the book to fall apart as I read it.
  
  
• Totally theoretical and completely practical!
  By A13SROJCVX9L4K on 2007-09-23
  Everything in this book is so obviously true! But I can't believe I never saw it before!
  
  I think this book achieves true mysticism in what it does to your brain, and I guess that's what the "magic" part of the title is about. Still, everything here is presented as solid technology: here's how light works, here's how it reflects off of different objects, now, go out and do something with this knowledge!
  
  The fact that a metal object has the same brightness, regardless of the distance of the light, while everything else gets brighter or dimmer as the light gets closer or further away is hugely empowering. Think about that for a minute, folks: I can't move the sun, but I can change the lighting ratio by moving this camera I have in my hands.
  
  This is the one and only classic book on this subject.
  
  

• Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers
• The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)
• Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies
• Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
• Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography