Steven H. Begleiter - Photographic Lighting for Everybody

Copyright 2020 by Steven H. Begleiter.

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc., P.O. Box 538, Buffalo, N.Y. 14213

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Associate Publisher: Katie Kiss

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt

Senior Contributing Editor: Michelle Perkins

Editor: Beth AlesseAcquisitions Editor: Harvey Goldstein

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Rebecca Rudell, Jen Sexton-Riley

Business Manager: Sarah Loder

Marketing Associate: Tonya Flickinger

ISBN-13: 978-1-68203-434-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020931334

Printed in The United States of America.

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

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Contents

About the Author

Steven H. Begleiter began his professional career in New York City as first photo assistant to Annie Leibovitz and the late Mary Ellen Mark. He maintained a commercial photography studio in New York until 1997 when he moved to Philadelphia to become a professor of photography at the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2007, he was recruited by the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, MT, to teach lighting and studio photography techniques. He recently relocated again to the great city of Denver, where he is continuing his commercial photography business and teaches photography at the prestigious Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD).

Photo by Makhesh John Begleiter.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my mom, Ruth L. Begleiter, who passed away in 2019. She taught me to trust my instincts, encouraged me to follow my passion, and always listened to my ramblings without judgement.

It has been a while since I published my last book and, sadly, there are others I would like to memorialize. James D. Fisher, my old friend; Cindy Kay, my first muse; Susan DePasquale, my first editor; and Mary Ellen Mark, my mentor and friend. You are all in my heart.

A big thank you to my wife Kate, my son Makhesh, and my daughter Metika, who gave me the space and time to write this book. My amazing editor Michelle Perkins who somehow finds a way to make me sound coherent. My publisher Craig Alesse, who convinced me to write another book despite my reluctance. To Trevor Farrow and the Lume Cube team, who let me try out their cool products for this book. Finally, I would like to thank Jure Ann of the Canon Professional Service who allowed me to hold onto the Canon EOS R longer than expected to complete my work.

Thank you.

Introduction

I always tell my students the best camera you can possess is the one that is with you. I have been taking photographs for over 35 years, starting with my 35mm film camera. When I became a professional, I shot with a medium format and large format. Then digital became the commercial tool of choice so I shot with a DSLR and always have my iPhone ready for those spontaneous images.

The Common Denominator

Regardless of the capture format, the light remains critical. In fact, the word photography literally means light (photo) writing (graph). As my career progressed from relying on natural light, I started using flash lights, hot lights, speed flashes, strobe flashes, and (more recently) LED lights to create what I like to call lighting on demand. The ability to create a desired lighting effect is what separates amateurs from professionals. As I mastered my craft, through paid assignments and thousands of frames, I came to understand that a predominant concerneven before I snapped the first framehad to be the quality of light, the color of light, and how to create the light I envisioned.

Knowing which piece of equipment will serve your purposes is invaluable, but its far more important to train your mind and eyes to translate your vision onto a two-dimensional plane.

It Takes Practice

I often hear students lament, It looked great when I saw it in the viewfinderbut when I saw the photograph, it wasnt what I envisioned! Learning how to evaluate the light and find or create the right light for your images takes experience, observation, and a knowledge of the fundamentals of photographic lighting. Knowing which piece of equipment will serve your purposes is invaluable, but its far more important to train your mind and eyes to translate your vision onto a two-dimensional plane. Thats how you can begin to capture images that live up to your expectations.

About This Book

The goal of this book is to share what I have learned over the last 35 years of professional photography with regards to lighting. It is not a paint-by-number instructional book but rather a book that will challenge you creatively by starting with the very basics of lighting and building a knowledge base that you can apply to your growth as a photographer at any stage. The information is also general enough to apply to almost anything you choose to photographportraits, architecture, landscapes, wildlife, etc. I only write about what I use in the field and what works for me. For this book, my primary tools will be: iPhone, Lume Cube, Canon cameras and flashes, Adobe Lightroom, and Adobe Photoshop.

Along the way, I will ask you to apply what you learned in assignments designed to make your learning process more meaningful. To use the cooking analogy, it is best to not skip any of the ingredients in this book. Start at the beginning. As you finish each chapter, you will be prepared for the next concept. If you are already familiar with the content, you can move on to the next ingredient.