Land of 10,000 Lakes

So while here in MN we may have the most lakes of any state we really don't have much for stunning photogenic beaches. This leads me to being a little dreamy eyed when it comes to today's book review - Beautiful Beach Portraits by Mary Fisk-Taylor and Jamie Hayes. Their images are great. Well composed and properly lit while capturing genuine expressions from the subjects. The book is laid out in quick lessons. These two page spreads examine the details of each photograph. They have even included the date the image was taken which I like because the time of year can drastically affect the feel of the portrait. If you already have a working understanding of photography, live near incredible beaches, and are interested in trying your hand at beach portraits this book is a good place to start.
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Amherst Media
Amazon
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Old Hollywood

One of my favorite things to do is watch old B&W movies, especially with my mom who also loves them. As such I was excited when I got Cinematic Portraits by Pete Wright which is all about creating the looks of classic Hollywood portraits. His images are pretty spot on authentic looking to the era. He does a great job of discussing all the aspects of achieving these types of images. He gives a little background into the original hollywood photographers and how they went about creating their timeless photographs. He then covers everything you need to know to start creating these types of images. Lighting, equipment, models, MUAHs, locations, props and post work are all covered in an easy to understand manner with plenty of photos along the way to inspire you. I'd recommend this book to any photographer who has loved this style but just wasn't quite sure where to begin.
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Amherst Media
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Tiny Worlds by Charles Needle

This book was not exactly what I had been expecting. Not that that's a bad thing at all. He takes a more spiritual approach to his photography than I've heard of any other photographer doing. It shows in his work too, how he connects with his subjects. Aside from this he showcases some amazing work and discusses equipment options some of which I was unaware existed such as the Plamp which holds flowers in place for you. He also makes good use of props in his work as well which is something I hadn't really thought about before in regards to macro photography. If you'd like a new view of macro check out this book. Find it here:
Amherst Media
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

A Speedlight Studio?

I used to think of speedlights as just a piece of equipment for using at weddings or maybe to balance out the sunlight when shooting outdoors. However after reading Shoot to Thrill by Michael Mowbray I am thoroughly convinced that he is correct about using them as your main studio lights. Side by side you can't tell that all of his images were made with speedlights not studio strobes. He makes good use of light modifiers and very rarely uses a speedlight on camera for more than fill. He also makes a good point with their portability for shooting on location versus hauling heavy strobes and battery packs. Basically after finishing this book I will for sure being adding more speedlights to my equipment. To read all this awesomeness for yourself find it here:
Amherst Media
Amazon
Barnes & Noble