Christopher Grey S Studio Lighting Techniques For Photography

"Tricks of the trade for professional digital photographers"--Cover.

In beauty and glamour photography, nothing creates a mood quite like light and with the many sub-categories of portraiture - Maxim Style, Boudoir, Goth and Fetish, it is important to understand which lighting techniques differentiate one sub-genre from another. In this comprehensive manual, Grey walks readers through the various components of these image types, describing the artistic and technical nuances of each category. Through detailed lighting diagrams, 170 evocative images and easy-to-follow instructions, Grey will inspire readers to broaden their repertoire.

Chris Grey takes readers beyond the basics of lighting and shows them the tricks professionals use to create more visually complex effects. Some of these tricks are complex strategies that rely on a sophisticated understanding of the physics of light, but more are simply inventive solutions that make it surprisingly easy to produce a very sophisticated result. Each chapter teaches one basic technique, explains the concept, demonstrates the set-up step-by-step and reveals the final results. Will appeal to both active professionals and students.

Light, vibrant and malleable, is the greatest tool at the disposal of portrait photographers. In this acclaimed book—with over 50,000 copies in print—Christopher Grey walks you through studio portrait lighting from start to finish. Dozens of image sequences and before/after pairings show you precisely how each change of light position and modifier affects the look of the lighting on the subject. From classic portrait lighting patterns to unexpected but powerful looks, Grey teaches you everything you need to know to control light effectively. Armed with these powerful skills, you’ll be able to create portraits that are more flattering, more marketable, and more creative.

As photography grew as an art form, so did the technology that backed it up. In particular, lighting styles changed to reflect both the advancing technology and the changing social mores of each decade. As fashion and society changed, so did photography. Moving from the 1910s to the 1960s, Christopher Grey walks readers step-by-step through several shoots designed to emulate the lighting styles of each period, providing practical guidance as well as a history of portrait photography.

Without light, there is no photograph. As almost every photographer knows, the word “photograph” has its roots in two Greek words that, together, mean “drawing with light.” But what is less commonly acknowledged and understood is the role that shadow plays in creating striking, expressive imagery, especially in portraiture. It is through deft, nuanced use of both light and shadow that you can move beyond shooting simply ordinary, competent headshots into the realm of creating dramatic portraiture that can so powerfully convey a subject’s inner essence, communicate a personal narrative, and express your photographic vision.

In The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow, Chris Knight addresses portraiture with a unique approach to both light and shadow that allows you to improve and elevate your own portraiture. He begins with the history of portraiture, from the early work of Egyptians and Greeks to the sublime treatment of light and subject by artists such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Chris then dives into a deep, hands-on exploration of light, shadow, and portraiture, offering numerous lessons and takeaways. He covers:

• The qualities of light: hard, soft, and the spectrum in between

• The relationships between light, subject, and background, and how to control them

• Lighting patterns such as Paramount, Rembrandt, loop, and split

• Lighting ratios and how they affect contrast in your image

• Equipment: from big and small modifiers to grids, snoots, barn doors, flags, and gels

• Multiple setups for portrait shoots, including those that utilize one, two, and three lights

• How color contributes to drama and mood, eliciting an emotional response from the viewer

• How to approach styling your portrait, from wardrobe to background

• The post-processing workflow, including developing the RAW file, maximizing contrast, color grading, retouching, and dodging and burning for heightened drama and effect

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• How all of these elements culminate to help you define your personal style and create your own narrative

Offers advice and instruction on creating sucessful photographs in any lighting situation, including tips on working with natural light, creating effects with shadows, and shooting photographs at night and in low-light.

The core goal of photography is representing subjects that have depth and texture in a medium that inherently lacks both those qualities, and this book shows the best way to rise to that challenge: through the careful application and capture of lighting. It demonstrates how to accentuate or minimize textures, add or subtract highlights, and create or combat shadows to showcase the subjects in the best way and create the illusion of a third dimension in the images. Exploring techniques for lighting portraits, still-life subjects, nature images, and architectural shots, both studio and location lighting are covered in detail. The book teaches photographers how to study their subjectsÑwith all of the textures, colors, shapes, and surfaces they haveÑthen visualize the image as a finished photograph before the photography actually begins. With chapters that thoroughly cover the science of lighting and visualization, photographers can apply that knowledge and successfully create artful images.