The Art of Portrait Photography

I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this wonderful book. I have been wanting to push myself as a portrait photographer, and feel that my use of available light is tremendously limiting as far as location and creativity are concerned. Michael's book describes in detail the equipment he uses, the lighting setups, and the concepts behind the shoots he has done for Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, etc. I can feel that this book is going to help me take my work to another level, and I recommend it to any artist ready to challenge themselves. Thanks much, Michael Grecco, for sharing your knowledge.

Grecco is a master of light. This book is educational, entertaining, and very well written. Grecco illustrates his lighting concepts with examples of his cutting edge portraiture, and excellent lighting diagrams. I would recommend this book for all photographers, from students, to enthusiasts, to seasoned pros....................Jeff Sedlik, Photographer, Lighting Instructor at the Art Center College of Design, Board of Directors of the Advertising Photographers of America

Michael Grecco's book has given me very useful insights into the nature of light. This is not just a cookbook for how to put together a lit portrait, but rather a way to look at how lighting affects the mood and atmosphere of a picture and the subject. There are several levels of understanding available in his descriptions of shooting, from a discussion of what equipment he brings with him, to how he interacts with subjects. I was looking for a few lessons in how to use strobes better in my work, without compromising the spontaneity of the moment. There is a great selection of tips for all those kinds of shots where I always wondered "How'd they DO that? Solarization, cross processing, spot lighting and such are covered. The writing is down-to-Earth, but is on a level that assumes established camera handling skills. Its more than telling you what light or lens to use, its why he used what whe did. I'm excited by what I'm finding in it.

I really liked the Hollywood behind the scenes stuff. Fun to find out how those cool pictures were done.