The Speedlight Studio by Michael Mowbray

Michael knows his stuff when it comes to using speed lights for his work. He has definitely mastered his technique. He goes over what products are available and what he prefers to use. He has plenty of examples of how to use speedlights to create professional portraits. He discusses common lighting patterns and how to accomplish them using speedlights and their modifiers.
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Amherst Media
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A quick little read for photographing couples.

Photograph Couples by Tiffany Wayne

The first half of this book focuses on the engagement portraits. The second half on wedding day portraits of the couple. Both are pretty similar except with the wedding day portraits there is a bit more emphasis on the clothes and creating a more romantic look. This book is full of great suggestions for posing and composition as well as a reminder to not forget to network with the other vendors. It was also fairly quick to read which is always nice.
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Amherst Media
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Book Review - The iPhone Photographer by Michael Fagans

I wasn't sure about this book when I saw the title because most photographers don't think of an iPhone as any where near professional gear BUT once I had read it I realized there are those situations where an iPhone is the only option that will work to get any photographs. The sensors are capable of giving a pretty decent image anyhow so why not take advantage of that? It really pushed me to rethink what 'professional' can mean and reminded me greatly of the saying about how it's the photographer who makes the photograph not the camera. It would be worth a read if you have an iPhone and want to learn a bit more about the camera, what apps are available and how to best utilize them.
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Amherst Media
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Interviews with Top Wedding Photographers Book Review

The World's Top Wedding Photographers by Bill Hurter was excellent. I enjoyed the format of this book greatly. It was written from questionnaires/interviews so answers were straight from the source. One Interview I particularly enjoyed was that of Jose Villa because he is still shooting film for his weddings! In today's world I see that as a bold move but one which has obviously set him apart. There were a few common themes in all of the interviews. One was they all operate out of their homes without maintaining a separate location. Another was all of them expressed a great drive for what they are doing.
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Amherst Media
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A Quick Review for a Quick Read

I recently finished up The art of Engagement Portraits by Neal Urban. Here are my thoughts.
This was a very quick read. There were good tips like doing sessions in the evening at popular locations so the images aren't like everyone else's. There were also good tips for interacting with the couple and getting the couple to interact with each other to keep things from looking too posed. Most sections of the had multiple images illustrating exactly what was bring discussed. If you're looking for some quick couples ideas to freshen up your portfolio give this one a read.
Find it here:
Amherst Media
Amazon
Barnes & Noble