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Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Please dont buyBy Srinivasa PrasadOrdered this after reading a excerpt on the web as it looked promising. In hindsight I should have heeded the words of some of the other reviewers. The book reads more like the authors resume than a book that explains lighting setups to the uninitiated. And the photos used as examples are not very good. I have taken better pictures even with my limited knowledge. Fortunately I bought used and did not waste a lot of money. I would think many many times before buying any other book from this author.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Just photos and two plugs for his other books.By Scott W. LarsonI echo many of the complaints here that this book is not fifty case studies in any detail. While there are diagrams there is nothing that explains why Begleiter chose that lighting design or why it worked. In fact many of the "case studies" use exactly the same lighting set up with no explanation other than they resulted in good photos. Its up to the reader to examine the photos and speculate how the lighting contributed to their success. After a while I got the feeling that even Begleiter himself doesnt know why certain light designs had worked so well and would rather talk about his subjects and how he posed them. Fun info but certainly not the information the title would lead you to believe you would get.Begleiter admits that the introductory section is too brief; so he recommends you purchase his OTHER book "The Portrait Book: A Guide for Photographers" if you want to know more about fundamental lighting design. OK; maybe one plug for another book is not that bad; but in one "case study" he took an infrared photo that was so ugly that the publication chose the natural light photo instead. Why did he include this unpublished photo? Only to plug his OTHER book on color infrared photography.This self-promotion along with the lack of useful lighting information makes this book seem more like a professional photographers diary than an "Easy-to-Follow" lighting design guide.11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Good for insights but not for beginnersBy Enche TjinFirst of all; I agree with many reviewers that the title is misleading. It is not 50 lighting setups that discussed here; but rather fifty case studies. To be fair; the author does address several basic lighting setups and lighting equipments in the first chapter of the book. It is around 15-20 pages long with photo to illustrate his points.The rest of the book is laid out case per case basis. Every case (2 pages each) has a full page photo; equipments; camera setting; tips; lighting diagram and description of the assignment. The tips is not only about lighting; but also about interpersonal skills.For beginners; this book might not practical to learn about lighting. Most of the equipments used are pro-caliber such as Hasselblad medium format cameras and lighting kits such as studio strobes; octagonal soft box; beauty disc; etc. Steven H. Begleiter; the author; does not explain step by step on setting up the lighting and why he use the particular lighting system as well.For professional or aspiring photographer who is specializing in portrait and lighting; you might find this book helpful to get fresh new ideas and insights. Check out my blog radiantlite.com for more reviews