Book: Quavondo’s Photography Lighting Techniques with Images and Light Set-Ups
From lifestyle to celebrities, Quavondo is a photographer that has a wide range of talent. He has a great ability to shoot many genres and do exceedingly well at it. Even prior to meeting him, everyone who knew of him would ask him how he would light his subjects, no matter what he shot. It seemed so effortless in execution but very appealing as an end result. Recently, he released a book with these answers.
From shoots with upcoming talent for ESPN to being featured on the Framed Network, I’ve realized one of the reasons that clients keep coming back to him is due to how efficiently he works with his lighting setups and how he is able to adjust them on the fly based on what a client is looking for. Granted, there are plenty of other reasons, this is one trait of his that immediately stands out.
Even during workshops I’ve been to with him, he has a great ability to see the way he wants to light a subject in his mind and execute it no matter how complex the scene. He can also effectively communicate that vision.
This is something I know many of us have a hard time accomplishing, getting exactly what we see in mind.
Due to the demand from the public on his lighting, he decided to write a book about his setups that illustrates, in detail, how to light certain scenarios based on how many lights you have. Even if you are working with all natural light, there’s a section dedicated to that as well.
He goes through some of his most requested shots and gives a break down of how many lights were used, where they were placed, what modifiers were used, and what role they each played. He further goes into the background of the shoot itself and the end goal. It instantly helps clarify different scenarios and allows for anyone to see how they were accomplished.
I really feel like this book is for everyone, it opens up a whole range of new ideas on how we could light our subjects based on how simple or complex we want to keep it. I honestly didn’t expect to be as engaged as I was. It really felt like a bedtime story for photographers by the way each scene was narrated. I could almost imagine myself being at each shoot and I would wonder what I would have done differently. This in itself gave me ideas on how I could take his already polished lighting setups and adjust it according to my taste. It encourages us to continually experiment and enhance our confidence through the knowledge given.
Immediately I thought of new setups I would be using on my next shoot with just a couple of lights and modifiers that I had not thought of before. The image next to each scenario serves as a visual bookmark to illustrate that it can be accomplished with these tools at hand.
The way it was written also appeals to people who are just beginning as it’s quite easy to follow.
The best part about it all is the price. It’s only $4.99 on the Kindle (Link) and $24.95 in Paperback (Link).
Within the link to the paperback, you can also get a preview of how the book is as a few of the first pages along with the table of contents are posted. Simply click on ‘Search inside this book’ under the image of the book within the link.
In short, this is a good all around book on lighting that has a lot to offer for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned professional, or just someone who casually shoots, there’s something in it for everyone.
