Lighting and Exposure Techniques for Outdoor and Location Portrait Photography

I found this to be a very good guide on the subject of lighting and exposure for location photography. The sections on lighting were certainly the highlight of this book. The author goes into great detail to explain the concepts of light modification and subtracting light which is rarely discussed in other books. The photos are well done and lit properly. My only negative was that some of the poses looked a little forced, which is why I rated the book 4 stars and not 5. Overall, it is a very good book.

The full name of this book is: 'Lighting and Exposure Techniques for Outdoor and Location Portrait Photography'. Whew, big title for a book. I like this book... mostly it stays on target and provides useful, replicable information. What I like about this book: 1) Only the smallest amount of filler; 2) Stunning images. I WANT to do portraits like JJ Allen. 3) Good diagrams 4) One of the better discussions on metering that you're likely to ever read. A good thing too, knowing proper metering techniques is vital for outdoor photography. 5) Delivers the kinds of pearls of wisdom that we buy these books for. Consider: "When using mismatched light sources, always use the light that casts shadows with the sharpest edge as your main light source." What I don't like about this book: Not a lot, really. Mr. Allen is somewhat of a medium format bigot, with a rather condescending chapter on what to do if you must use 35mm... You CAN still make acceptable images! Still, everyone's entitled to their opinion and the tips and techniques that you'll pick up in this book makes it easy to overlook its' very few warts. Good stuff, if you shoot much outside, you'll want this book.

Most portait photography books teach by making you a "clone" of the author. Mr. Allen's aproach to portraits (in both of his books) is not that way. He teaches you how to think about your own style of portraiture and then how to test your technical approach in a step by step method, so as they say, "you can get it on the film". If you follow his logic, there is no way you cannot end up a better photographer.