The Natural Light Portrait Book: The step-by-step techniques you need to capture amazing photographs like the pros (The Photography Book, 5)

[[VIDEOID:4ea9c0af0486f21139e61a8f2b77cd38]] 5/5 Rating

This is my second Scott Kelby Book along with me being an annual user of Kelby One training website. I've been a subscriber to the site for over 2 years now.

This book is a straight forward manual to learning how to shoot in natural light. Personally I enjoy using flash as it provides more contrast in your images. But as a photographer sometimes you have to work with that you got.

This book has a lot of the same information as it does in the Flash book from Scott but it does switch up at certain aspects. The strengths of this book are the images and the details behind the shots.

For those who are beginners this is an added resource to your collection. If you have been shooting for years what you may learn in this book will be minimal.

This book is a waste of money if you bought any of the older books by Scott Kelby. He even used some of the same images in the pictures and he recommends gear (as always!) so it comes across as a B&H commercial...Again, good stuff but don't buy if you own any of his old books. Completely the same. Check out creativelive.com instead...

Scott Kelby is a master of communicating skills that are not intuitive. I love to read his instructions and he makes it fun to learn. If you want to improve your skills... this is a great book.

There are many negatives when it comes to natural light portraiture- by utilizing only the light existing a scene, light quality, direction and color require the photographer to adapt and often make corrections in post. But at times when it’s the only option one requires creativity and imagination to make a great existing light portrait- and author Scott Kelby is the perfect instructor. Not only is Kelby a superb photographer, but he has literally “written the book” (see The Flash Book, also published by Rocky Nook) on the use of flash. So this isn’t a book by an inexperienced photographer, nor one who does not know how to use flash; rather, this book reflects the expertise of a professional who knows the pitfalls of existing light- and how to overcome them.

The book beings with an honest assessment of cameras, lenses and shooting techniques. The fact is that while you can shoot a portrait with virtually any lens, there a lens properties and qualities that can deliver the look all portrait photographers are seeking. Kelby provides advice on lenses as well excellent shooting techniques.

The center section of the book examines various location shooting challenges and how to best manipulate existing light. Window light, harsh sunlight, lighting that lacks contrast (such as overcast light, which seems ideal but can give a washed-out look)- each type of light can provide excellent portrait light if the model is correctly positioned and if light manipulation tools (such as reflectors) are correctly utilized.

Composition and posing are considered next- Kelby provides tips that are simple to implement and make all the difference in making the highest quality images. Most importantly for posing, facial structure is addressed with lighting and posing tips to attain the most flattering image of the model.

Finally, Kelby turns to software to finish off the images, describing simple techniques in both Lightroom and Photoshop to smooth skin, brighten eyes, reduce wrinkles and more. A Photoshop professional, Kelby’s careful not to overwhelm when it comes to image manipulation- he proves there’s much that can done without dozens of layers and advanced tools.

In the last chapter, Nine Portrait Recipes, Kelby presents case studies in portraiture, analyzing a scene and its lighting, manipulation of the light as required, choosing the best lens and camera settings, and finally applying post-processing to complete the image. This chapter integrates everything that’s been presented in the book with a glimpse at nine complete photo shoots, from arrival on scene to delivery of product.

This is a perfect book for portrait photographers- novices will learn the art of existing light portraiture from scratch and experienced photographers will pick up pro tips from a master of photography.

It’s a fast read but plenty of useful information, especially for amateur photographers or new professionals. Taught me most of what I wanted to know and even had some things I didn’t know I needed to know in there as well. A bit of dry wit also helps

I am a artist and am learning to take photos of my paintings and models. This book has given me all the basics I need to get started with my DSLR camera and has shown me how to best position my models for that perfect shot. This book is truly the foundation of what you need to know. Easy to understand, plenty of illustrations.

Book was in much better condition than expected

Scott Kelby is one of my favorite photo author. This is part of my book series. The book is broken into individual parts. Each page has a new subject. It is a great series.

Show clear and easy to understand

I purchased this for my husband. He really loves it. It is extremely helpful.