The Top 10 Lighting Books
Knowing how to create your own light is crucial in photography. Unfortunately, many photographers scare away very quickly because they believe lighting is something very difficult and expensive. Indeed, you can perfect your lighting techniques to a very high standard and you can use the best equipment on the market if the work you do requires it, but even that means starting somewhere and being a beginner at some point.
To help all beginners to lighting, we have made a list with the 10 best books on lighting. Their position on the list is not according to value, that means we like all of them. Happy reading ladies and gentleman!
10. Direction Quality of Light: Your Key to Better Portrait Photography Anywhere
Photographer Neil van Niekirk will take you on a journey that will teach you how to shoot portraits in less than ideal lighting conditions. The book covers available light, metering, flash, bounced and off camera flash, video lights and hard sunlight.
Get this book here.
9. The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography
As the author of over 20 books related to photography, Michael Freeman wants to show you how to see light and for that he uses different techniques and creative ideas.
Get this book here.
8. Step-by-Step Lighting for Studio Portrait Photography
This is basically a manual that tells you what goes on at a studio portrait session, from start to finish. The lessons are illustrated in a way that guides the user through the entire process.
Get this book here.
7. Tabletop Photography: Using Compact Flashes and Low-Cost Tricks to Create Professional-Looking Studio Shots
This is the book you want to buy if you want to achieve proper results without spending a fortune on studio gear or rentals. Compact affordable flashes are offered as a solution for achieving professional images and this book will teach how to make the most of them in your own home.
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6. Capturing Light: The Heart of Photography
Another book from Michael Freeman, one that puts light in its rightful place, at the core of all photography. This book is about capturing it, waiting for it or creating it.
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5. One Light Flash: Professional Quality Lighting on a Budget
John Denton’s book is about all the things you can do with just one flash. The results you can get by using a single light source are amazing and this book explains how to get those results with detailed diagrams.
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4. Portrait Photography: Secrets of Posing and Lighting
This is a bestselling guide written by acclaimed photographer Mark Cleghorn. The instructions are easy to understand and the content is designed to help aspiring photographers achieve powerful images. It is a book about lighting, but it also covers other aspects that every serious photographer should master.
Get this book here.
3. LED Lighting: Professional Techniques for Digital Photographers
This is a very interesting book because it covers a new, unconventional method of lighting. LED, or light-emitting diode. It is a technology that surrounds us. It might even be in the screen you are reading this article on. Inside this book you will find exactly what it means to shift from traditional flash photography to LED lighting.
Get this book here.
2. David Busch’s Flash Photography Compact Field Guide
Busch’s book is another good option for all photographers who don’t have a firm grip on flash photography yet. The illustrations will show you just what to expect from most camera and flash settings.
Get this book here.
1. The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes
Joe McNally is regarded as the father of all strobists. And what a well-deserved title that is. In this book he shares behind the scenes secrets that he used to create his iconic photographs using small speedlights.
Get this book here.