For ONE WEEK ONLY, get a 25% discount price of $14.99 (usually $19.99) AND a second photography book with your order. That’s over 50% less than the total price!
Hot on the heels of their last photography book, Photo Nuts and Shots, the folks over at Digital Photography School have released yet another high quality ‘how-to’ photography book. This latest book, Captivating Color, focuses on the creative and dramatic use of color in photography. This is a subject near and dear to my own heart. I have often referred to myself as a ‘color ho’. Yeah. I said it. I have been known to use unexpected wildly colored backgrounds in my portrait work, as shown in Using Bold Color in Portraiture – Tips and Techniques and How to Photograph Large Groups in the Studio.
I received my review copy yesterday morning and browsed my way through it most of the day. Like all of the books put out through Digital Photography School, this one is visually stunning.
Captivating Color is packed with helpful information about how to really elevate your photography through the use of color. While some of the information is a bit technical, it is written in an easy to follow format. Light and its effect on color are explained, as well as how to adjust color temperature in post-processing, along with visual examples.
A quick rundowns of the table of contents shows all the information covered in this great new book.
SOME IDEAS AND THEORIES ON COLOR:
- The concept of visual weight
- Speaking with color
- Color and emotional impact
- Less is more
- The power of color order
CONTROLLING COLOR DURING THE SHOOT:
- Light and color
- Color and different types of available light
- Direction of light
- Controllable artificial light – the flash and the reflector
- Manipulating the scene
- Isolating what matters
CONTROLLING COLOR IN POST-PROCESSING
- Color temperature and mood
- The multi-purpose color balance
- Shaping the story and mood through individual color adjustment
- Making things disappear in Photoshop
- Some tools of the trade
If you order within the first week, you also receive a SECOND photography book FREE.
That’s hard to beat. Lemme see if I can do the math….one plus nothing, carry the ten, move the decimal…..equals…..ZERO. That’s a really great price. Lest you think that ‘give away’ is nothing much to write home about, think again. BOTH books are authored by the same person – Mitchell Kanashkevich. Mitchell is a freelance travel and documentary photographer who circles the globe shooting stock and travel-related stories for Getty and Corbis Images.
Seeing the Light is all about making the most out of available light using minimal equipment. I have not, heretofore been a strobist. However I am becoming ever more tempted to step in that direction and this book is a great ‘road map’ to mark the path.
Mitchell lays it all out; equipment, flashes, gels, use of reflectors etc, as well as clear, easy to read diagrams.
He also shows large versions of his images so we can fully appreciate what all these diagrams can help all of us achieve.
Seeing the Light covers a lot of ground in three broad categories – The Flash, The Reflector and Natural Light:
THE FLASH
- Introduction
- The equipment that I use
- Using the flash
- Sculpting with natural light and a flash outdoors
- Sculpting with natural light and a flash indoors
- The flash and the light bulb
- Playing with fire
THE REFLECTOR
- Introduction
- Using the reflector, my equipment
- Sculpting and modeling with reflector light
- Adding drama with reflector light
- Quick fill light
NATURAL LIGHT
- Introduction
- Using natural light
- Sculpting with natural light indoors
- The “Magic Hour”
- Backlight
IN CONCLUSION:
Both of these books, Captivating Color and Seeing the Light are chock full of good, clear, concise information all designed to help you make your photographs more emotive and impactful.
If you order within the first week, you are cashing in on an INCREDIBLE value. TWO fantastic photography ‘how-to’ books for ONLY $14.99. That is what we in America call a NO BRAINER. Do it. You’ll be a better photographer for it.
If you’re interested in learning more about using reflectors as another light source or to bounce in just a little bit of fill, check out Low Key Lighting Tutorial and Studio Lighting for Headshots Tutorial.
Read about Digital Photography School’s other books – Transcending Travel, the PERFECT companion for Seeing the Light, Photo Nuts and Shots and my personal favorite, The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography.
