Mastering Flash Photography: A Course in Basic to Advanced Lighting Techniques

by Susan McCartney

This guide opens with in-camera flash basics, then moves to topics such as exposure flash readings, detachable units, flash guide numbers, bounce flash, and fill flash, then covers advanced methods... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0817445455
• ISBN13: 9780817445454
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Amphoto Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

As good as it gets

This book "Mastering Flash Photography" by a professional photojournalist and travel photographer(but not a wedding photographer) will teach you just about anything you want to know about how to use flash in a sophisticated way indoors and out. It starts at the begining and ends by showing how to set up portable flashes to give results that look as though studio strobes were used. The professional tips can easily be transferred to simpler lighting techniques for your own camera. It doesn't get any better than this when you can learn in good, clear English what you need to know. It takes the mystery out of flash and makes it as accessible as day light. A real discovery for anyone needing help on flash lighting.

Straight to the Point

This book stands out from most photography how-to books because it doesn't talk down to the reader. It doesn't waste the first few chapters rehashing exposure, aperture, shutter speed basics. Instead it goes straight to the subject at hand - flash photography. The ratio of text to number of pictures is high, which is what I like. I find most photography books are written as if the reader has a short attention span and can't handle advanced details. I don't agree with readers who want more pictures or details on using flash in specific situations. It's better to understand the basic principles than to be spoonfed. The reader can figure out for himself what to do through experimentation, observation and experience. This book has so much in it that it will take me a long time to absorb it and implement what I've learned. My thanks to the author for getting me through my first wedding shoot successfully.

A Clear and Straight Forward Presentation

I bought this book, because it was refreshingly free of techno-babble. I found the pictures inspriring and, in some cases, amusing. Perhaps you shouldn't buy this book if you want to make photographs of weddings, babies and bar mitzvahs, but if you are striving to improve your flash photography on an artistic level, you should find this book a terrific help. I haven't reached the advanced level yet, but the book will take me there when I'm ready.Signed, Serious Amateur Photographer Long Island New York

Creative, focused on equipment and techniques.

Good book. Lots of equipment information - good for choosing the right flash. It's a shame that Susan, the author, uses in almost all photographs a Nikon N90 and a SB26 flash, which I think limits *a little* the book. If you have such equipment, you'll be delighted, and if you don't you can still learn a lot about other flashes, but you won't have so many examples and technical detail. Still worth to buy.

Good Intro

This well written book covers the basics of flash pretty well. Though lacking somewhat in technical detail, it did provide a good overview of many different uses for flash, especially outdoors. The book is large, with a broad range of examples and lots of text.