Boon for Beginners
By Alyn Stafford
Amherst Media, Inc., $39.95, 160 pages
Alyn Stafford book Flash Techniques for Location Portraiture is a worthy addition to the bloated photography book market and should receive a round of applause for his work. Stafford takes the confusing world of flash photography and simplifies it in one neat volume perfect for beginners. His clear explanations, bolstered with instructional photos and diagrams of lighting setups, make this book like an intensive lighting class between two covers.
“Flash has evolved into a highly sophisticated electronic network of illuminated infrared communication between camera, lens and flashgun.”
The book argues the advantages of using Speedlights over the more traditional studio strobes and is definitely convincing. Other topics Stafford discusses are light modifiers and lighting equipment, quality of light and sync speeds, exposure and white balance, using flash indoors, creating portraits indoors and low-light scenarios. He walks the reader through various shoots, explaining everything from the initial lighting setup to the final shot, with diagrams and photos to help illustrate his points. The book is more compact in size than what Amherst Media usually publishes, which is a welcome change. For anyone interested in flash photography, Flash Techniques for Location Portraiture is a camera bag staple, no matter what the subject.
Reviewed By Andrea Klein
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