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:
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Picking the Brains of 25 Wedding Photographers

Ok so I didn't pick their brains but Michelle Perkins does in How to Photograph Weddings. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. You get advice all over the spectrum and can then choose what works for you. Some of these photographs shoot natural light only. Some use flash. Some pose their clients. Some use a storytelling approach and just let the day unfold. Is anyone of these methods better than the others? No not really. It's all about what works for their business and what they can teach you to work for yours. It's their best advice all in one place. To see for yourself find it here:
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Book Review

Shaping Light by Glenn Rand and Tim Meyer is probably the most thorough book on light modifiers. They begin by explain the basic concepts governing light and the types of light available. Then each chapter focuses on a specific class of modifier. This would be a great book for a student or beginner photographer especially if it could be paired with a hands on class to see what the authors are talking about first hand.
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Step by Step Wedding Photography by Damon Tucci

This is my latest book review read. I've read several wedding photography books and I plan to read quite a few more. Each of them different from the last. At first I read this one without much excitement but but when paging back through I have found several things I haven't seen elsewhere. Here's just a couple of them. He tells you about a mistake he made when taking a photograph of over 300 people. He also tells you that he realized his mistake fairly quickly and asked for help which allowed him to remedy the situation quite quickly. This is truly great and important lesson for the beginning wedding photographer to hear. One of the other things that sets this book apart is talking about non Christian ceremonies. I have yet to see this in any of the other books I have read. He specifically mentions Hindu and Jewish ceremonies. The biggest lesson to be learned from what he has to say is research the unfamiliar well ahead of time at the very least by asking questions. I think this is well worth the read for the student or beginner wedding photographer. There are some great lessons to be learned.
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Today's Book Review 2 of 2

The other book for today is We're Engaged! by Bob & Dawn Davis. Their work shows off the personalities of the couples and is anything but ordinary. They offer a lot more than just the happy couple in the park. One I particularly liked was a paparazzi style image done during one of the workshops they host. This is a great book to get ideas from for your own engagement sessions.
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Today's Book Review 1 of 2

Portrait Mastery in Black & White by Tim Kelly is an incredible book. He creates timeless portraits that I would consider much more as art than anything else. What I liked best about his work was that he still works with film. Gasp! Film? Yes, film. I adore film but have yet to set up a real working darkroom in my basement so until then I have to live out my photography in the digital world. But I digress. Tim of course shoots digitally but he often still shoots with 4x5 and larger and it is amazing. The other thing I particularly enjoyed about his work was how something from a decade or more ago looked just as fresh as the other more recent work. He has his style and he sticks with it. He doesn't try out every new little fad and I completely respect him for that. So there it is I loved this book and I plan to read it again and utilize what I learned to improve my own portraits, just as I should.
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Antlers

I have been working on an art project inspired by a buck skull that I acquired/was left in my care. Here is the latest results of my efforts in time for Easter.You can see the others in my Etsy shop