Lights, camera, capture creative lighting techniques for digital photographers

DAVIS
BECOME A SEEKER OF LIGHTPhotography is all about light: fi nding it, creating it, combining different
types of light, working with its various colors. Bob Davis has achieved a unique
relationship with light. In this beautifully illustrated volume and DVD,
he shares secrets and techniques that will advance your
photographic skills. Master the basics, then step outside
your comfort zone and harness the full creative power of light.
Understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and the effects of different lenses
Learn how to deal with direct sunlight and how to take advantage of the golden hour
Combine various types of light for different effects
Know what external lighting equipment you need and how to use it
Explore various fl ash modifi ers and the effects you can create with them
Achieve studio-quality lighting outside the studio
Discover what to take when you travel and how to take full advantage of available light sources
Bonus DVD includes 60 minutes of video from Bob Daviss exclusive three-day lighting and photography workshop
PHOTOGRAPHY/Techniques/Lighting$44.99 US/$53.99 CAN Includes Workshop DVD
BOB DAVISVisual Storyteller
LIGHTS, CAMERA,
CAPTURECreative Lighting Techniques for Digital Photographers
Visual storyteller and celebrity photojournalist, Bob Davis has over 25 years of experience as a professional photographer. As a Canon Explorer of Light, Bob has been chosen as one of an elite group of 60 photographers representing Canon and united by a passion for photographic excellence. Bobs work has been featured in publications such as O Magazine, Time, People, OK, Rangefi nder, and a variety of other digital photography resources. His clients include Oprah Winfrey, Selma Hayek, and Eva Longoria Parker. More information on Bobs distinguished career as well as extensive examples of Bobs photography can be found at www.bobanddawndavis.com.
LIGH
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ERA
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LIGHTS, CAMERA,
CAPTURECreative Lighting Techniques for Digital Photographers
BOB DAVIS
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Controlling the light
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Lights, Camera, Capture: Creative Lighting Techniques for Digital Photographers
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46256
www.wiley.com
Copyright 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470 54953 7
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifi cally disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fi tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
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Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley and Sons, Inc. and/or its affi liates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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About the Author
Bob Davis isnt a newcomer to the photography industry. In fact,
hes been a professional photographer for over 25 years. Bob has
always been intrigued by photography and felt from an early age
that being a photographer was what he wanted to do with his life.
Bobs passion for photography began back in high school when
he became the editor of the school newspaper. As he proceeded
on to Columbia College, he was honored with the title of College
Photographer of the Year. With this honor came a full time job at a
daily newspaper in Chicago. This experience launched Bob on to
a career at the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper for 14 years.
Bob states, My cameras have always been like a passport allowing
me a front seat to history. He feels continually honored when doors
open and people invite him in to document their life. While at the
paper, he covered countless amazing events, such as presidential
elections, Michael Jordans entire career with the Chicago Bulls,
many faiths celebrations and rituals. Hes traveled around the
world to places such as El Salvador, Taiwan, Lithuania, Romania,
Moldova, Kenya, Italy, Tanzania for human interest stories.
Bob has since moved on from the newspaper industry. Today, he has the privilege of
photographing the most important events in his clients lives and he couldnt be happier
to have this honor. Additionally, he has the pleasure of traveling the world photographing
weddings. Bob feels fortunate to have photographed the weddings of Eva Longoria and
Tony Parker, Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds, and many others. He also photographs
events for Oprah Winfrey.
Bob is a member of Canons Explorers of Light, a recognized Pro by Westcott and a part of
Apples Aperture Advisory Board.
Photography... Its what hes passionate about.
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Credits
Acquisitions EditorCourtney Allen
Project EditorHeather Harris
Technical EditorBrian McLernon
Copy EditorHeather Harris
Editorial DirectorRobyn Siesky
Business ManagerAmy Knies
Senior Marketing ManagerSandy Smith
Vice President and Executive Group PublisherRichard Swadley
Vice President and Executive PublisherBarry Pruett
Media Development Project ManagerLaura Moss
Media Development Assistant Project ManagerJenny Swisher
Media Development Associate ProducerShawn Patrick
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Acknowledgments
First, I want to thank my wife Dawn Davis for supporting me and encouraging me to follow
my dreams and to share in my passion for life. She has blessed my life with 18 wonderful
years of marriage and now I have the good fortune to be able to sleep with my business
partner. We now share a passion for wedding photography, design, teaching and sharing.
Dawn says, We are all blessed with certain gifts and once we know what those gifts are;
they are no longer ours to keep, but pay it forward and share those gifts others. Thank you
to our two beautiful children Bobby and Alli, you are the light in my heart. I love my family
always and forever, Amen.
I would like to dedicate this book to my father, Robert C. Davis, for fostering my love of
photography at an early age. He always had some type of camera, movie 8mm or Super8,
still cameras such as, Polaroids, Kodak Instamatics, Pocket 110 and Disc cameras. It
wasnt until later, in my sophomore year of high school when I got my rst 35mm SLR
lm camera and took my rst photography darkroom class, that I realized the love affair
I would have with photography. I quickly became hooked on the magic of watching an
image appear in the developer. Once I learned I could make a living in photography, I knew
photography would be my lifes work. I want to thank John H. White, Pulitzer Prize winning
photojournalist of the Chicago Sun-Times who I had the great pleasure to learn from at
Columbia College Chicago and later work alongside covering the daily news together as
colleagues at the Chicago Sun-Times. John H. White always encouraged me to soar on the
wings of eagles.
Thank you to all of my friends, family and photo heroes who have helped my reach my
goals and ful lling my dreams of becoming a professional photographer. Thank you to
God for blessing me indeed!
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To my father, Robert C. Davis, for fostering my love
of photography at an early age.
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Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................3
Become a seeker of light .........................................................................................................6
Reading lighting diagrams .....................................................................................................8
Quality over Quantity ............................................................................................................ 10
Chapter 2: Understanding Light ...................................................................... 15
Seeing and Knowing Light .................................................................................................... 16
Quality over Quantity ............................................................................................................ 19
Color temperature ..................................................................................................................22
White balance .........................................................................................................................24
Mixed light sources ...............................................................................................................28
Working with natural light ..................................................................................................29
Manipulating natural light ....................................................................................................29
The golden hour ......................................................................................................................34
Chapter 3: Getting the basics right ................................................................39
Exposure and how it works ..................................................................................................40
Shutter speed ...................................................................................................................42
Aperture ...........................................................................................................................43
ISO .....................................................................................................................................45
How to measure light ............................................................................................................ 47
Using histograms to perfect your white balance .............................................................50
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Aperture and depth of eld ................................................................................................... 51
Shutter Speed and motion capture ...................................................................................... 51
ISO and digital noise .............................................................................................................55
File formats ............................................................................................................................56
Chapter 4: Lighting Equipment ....................................................................... 61
On-camera ashes .................................................................................................................63
Controlling on-camera ashes off the camera ..................................................................63
Wireless radio ash triggers .................................................................................................66
RadioPopper ....................................................................................................................66
Quantum Free X-Wire .................................................................................................... 67
Pocket Wizards Mini & Flex .......................................................................................... 67
Batteries, batteries, batt...