Suggestions for books on lighting?

I'm in the market to snag some books from Amazon this week about lighting... I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? I'm a total newb with lighting for the most part, so just about anything at this point helps haah

more on the technical side but a good and must read....

Light, Science and Magic

great thank you!! i will check that out.

Tyger wrote in post #7190866
more on the technical side but a good and must read....

Light, Science and Magic

I've read most of this one, good suggestion.

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I can tell you that I am finding this book: The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book) too technical and rather dull.

I just got the One Light DVDs and they are excellent - I know, not a book... just throwing it out there.

MonteMama wrote in post #7191233
I can tell you that I am finding this book: The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book) too technical and rather dull.

I just got the One Light DVDs and they are excellent - I know, not a book... just throwing it out there.

Did you find that the One Light dvds were worth the money? I would LOVE to get them, but am having trouble pulling the trigger on that purchase because of the cost.

the light science and magic is a good book (for reference, I find) - but it is a bit of a bore to read, as a couple posts up

I was about to post a similar thread..

zombie_w_an_XSi wrote in post #7191289
Did you find that the One Light dvds were worth the money? I would LOVE to get them, but am having trouble pulling the trigger on that purchase because of the cost.

I am in the middle of disc 2, so I can't give a full decision yet... but so far, I think so. The first disc goes over the basics of flash exposure and why you need to know everything about shutter speed, flash power, flash-to-subject distance, etc. and then you follow him along on a number of different shoots - alley, studio, night, etc and see how the process all works.

I also just got the Strobist DVDs but haven't watched those yet.

DH from strobist.com has his lighting 101 available in pdf. You'll have to print it and staple it to make a book though. Strobist dvd isn't bad either. IMO I think for hands on topics like this a dvd or any visual medium works a lot better then a dry, technical book.
But +1 on Light, Science and Magic. It'll teach you everything there is to know about the behavior of light.

MonteMama wrote in post #7191233
I can tell you that I am finding this book: The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book) too technical and rather dull.

I just got the One Light DVDs and they are excellent - I know, not a book... just throwing it out there.

+1 on the one light dvd. i learned more there than i did with Light, science and magic

The Onelight DVD's are a great starting point, me and my shooting partner have watched both disks several times (hence why we have it up for sale atm, check the sig) and the strobist DVD's that were working through at the moment are also very good and I think probably better value compared to the onelight DVD's

The production of the strobist DVD's isnt quite as polished as the Onelight DVD imo but it doesnt detract from the educational experience at all, you just get a ton of content for your money and I think its something we will go back and look at many times as we develop our lighting skills.

Lighting for Portrait Photography (Revised Edition) [Illustrated] (Paperback)by Steve Bavister (Author)

Is highly recommended. It showcases some excellent portraiture and tells you exactly how the lighting is set up (you get 3D representations of where the lights/backgrounds are set up).

Milamug wrote in post #7191340
=Milamu'g;7191340]DH from strobist.com has his lighting 101 available in pdf. You'll have to print it and staple it to make a book though. Strobist dvd isn't bad either. IMO I think for hands on topics like this a dvd or any visual medium works a lot better then a dry, technical book.
But +1 on Light, Science and Magic. It'll teach you everything there is to know about the behavior of light.

Totally agree on that one, ive got quite a few lighting books but ive definitely learned more from the DVD's that I have watched but that experience comes in second to the one workshop I have attended, it was a fairly basic one but still much better getting out there and shooting with people that know their stuff well.

Gold Medal = Workshop/Getting out and shooting with knowledgeable people.
Silver = DVD
Bronze = Book

imo anyway

I really enjoyed the strobist DVD, down to earth, examples, a few nice extra's and real world scenarios... Just don't dip your lens in the pool . Very cost effective compared to other DVD's I've seen ( but have not watched)

Every time this question is asked I see the recommendation for Light, Science and Magic.

I'll go against the grain (wouldn't be the first time, lol) and say that if you're completely new to lighting and want to dig in and get some basics to get you going then this is not the book. There are no recipes, it can be very tedious and boring and there is far too much math and science for a beginner to take in and really make use of the information.

That being said, the book is excellent but I don't see it as the primer for entry level 'strobists' or those just learning about portraiture and lighting. I think there are much better places to start.

Once book that is very helpful, breaks things down and doesn't get caught up in terminology, math and physics is Scott Smith's 'Studio Lighting Made Simple'. Scott is a devoted educator and has helped many people get past the technical obstacles of lighting, making it simple to create images with pleasing lighting right away.

Scott's web site is also very good to get some basic information and to get a feel for his writing style.