Photo Book Reviews

All artists must learn to harness the power of light in order to create successful images. Author, and noted photography educator, Rosanne Olson’s new book ABCs of Beautiful Light: A Complete Course in Lighting for Photographers offers readers an in-depth study on the use of proper lighting techniques for photography, videography—and art in general.

Designed for beginners, the lessons start with the very basics in the chapter titled “The Groundwork” which includes a brief review of the nature of photography (the art and the science) and a look at your digital camera (aperture, shutter speed). Olson expertly covers the basics of metering, reading the histograms, color balance, file formats (Raw vs. JPEG) and more in a way that is easy to understand and apply to your own work.

Other chapters touch on more advanced subjects including design (the rule of thirds, depth-of-field, framing), the language of light (mood and impact, quality, direction, fill light), strobe light (modeling light, use of strobes, flash duration), working in a studio (backdrop setup, lighting backdrops, lighting the subject) and mixing strobe with ambient light.

Careful to present each lesson in a manner that makes learning fast and stress free, each lesson offers a healthy selection of sample images, charts and informative diagrams. From beginner to advanced level this guide offers top quality advice that will allow you to harness the power of light in any situation.

ABCs of Beautiful Light: A Complete Course in Lighting for Photographers; by Rosanne Olson; Amherst Media; $27.95; (ISBN-13: 978-1608957170)

More info on the book here.