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Studio Anywhere: A Photographer's Guide to Shooting in Unconventional Locations
What&;s your definition of a photo studio? Is it a room with a white seamless backdrop or a cyc wall? Maybe it&;s simply anywhere you&;re in control of the lighting. In a perfect world, where every day is a breezy 72 degrees with partial cloud coverage, we would all have a 5,000-square-foot studio&;and the entire catalog of B&H&; in our equipment lockups. But the reality is that you may have an outdated DSLR with two decent lenses (which took you several years to save up for), and all you have at your disposal is an unfinished basement, your garage, or the empty conference room at your office. That&;s where Studio Anywhere comes in. With photographer Nick Fancher as your guide, you&;ll learn how to get portfolio-ready photos while working in some of the most problematic scenarios imaginable. Whether shooting a corporate portrait, a test shoot with a model, or a promo shoot with a band, you&;ll discover that most of the time, there&;s no need for an expensive studio&;you just have to get creative. Studio Anywhere is a resource for photographers to learn through behind-the-scenes photos and lighting diagrams from a range of photo shoots&;but it doesn&;t stop there. Because directing a photo shoot involves more than simply knowing how to wield a camera or process a raw file, Nick also lets you in on the aesthetic decisions he makes in his signature photos, inspiring you to develop your own vision. And, finally, he describes his Lightroom and Photoshop workflow so you can learn how to deftly navigate post-processing.
- GenresPhotographyNonfictionArt
241 pages, Paperback
First published March 19, 2015
80 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Nick Fancher
5 books10 followersNick Fancher is a photographer, author, and educator who specializes in dramatic lighting, often employing the use of bold colors and experimental camera techniques. He is particularly known for his efficient method of working, which is with the use of minimal gear, often in unconventional locations.
Nick graduated from Ohio State with a BFA in photography in 2005. He has authored several books on his techniques including Studio Anywhere 1 & 2 and Chroma. His lighting workshops have taken him across the U.S. and around the world.
Nick graduated from Ohio State with a BFA in photography in 2005. He has authored several books on his techniques including Studio Anywhere 1 & 2 and Chroma. His lighting workshops have taken him across the U.S. and around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 24, 2019
Extremely good book. Every page is a practical solution to a daily photographer's problems.
It's a manual to your photo success.
It's a manual to your photo success.
January 10, 2022
Overall it's an inspiring book that teaches you to see creative solutions in any situation using minimal gear. It's fun to see the ideas the writer came up with and to start looking around you to see the possibilities. The writer teaches you how to think, rather than how to copy his style.
It's mostly focused on portraits and there are a few product shoots in there as well. It's a simple breakdown of the thought process and preparation required to pull off the photo. The main gear he uses are flashes and white foam boards. Very simple, but amazing what kind of results he gets. Most free information is free because it's monetized by getting you to buy something. This book will pay for itself because it teaches you how to work with very little.
The only thing I didn't like was the explanations of the editing. I have some experience color grading video, but it was still hard to understand what adjustments he was actually making. If you work with Lightroom this is likely not a problem. It was interesting, however, to see what you can achieve in post-processing and how this can influence decisions when you shoot.
It's mostly focused on portraits and there are a few product shoots in there as well. It's a simple breakdown of the thought process and preparation required to pull off the photo. The main gear he uses are flashes and white foam boards. Very simple, but amazing what kind of results he gets. Most free information is free because it's monetized by getting you to buy something. This book will pay for itself because it teaches you how to work with very little.
The only thing I didn't like was the explanations of the editing. I have some experience color grading video, but it was still hard to understand what adjustments he was actually making. If you work with Lightroom this is likely not a problem. It was interesting, however, to see what you can achieve in post-processing and how this can influence decisions when you shoot.
April 13, 2021
I found this book very very useful. I am an amateur photographer and finding a location is difficult for me. This book helped me expand my understanding of what is possible. How much can be done in little or virtually no space. How to make an ordinary location, extraordinary. How to make the most of the space you have, how to augment, etc. In addition, Nick discusses what you can do in post to help the picture. Again, very helpful book.
December 21, 2020
One of my favorites!
I’ve read a lot of photography books and this is one of my favorites! Out of the box and creative techniques to take one’s flash photography to another level. I’ll be reading his other books as well.
I’ve read a lot of photography books and this is one of my favorites! Out of the box and creative techniques to take one’s flash photography to another level. I’ll be reading his other books as well.
April 24, 2018
A practical guide to bare bones portrait setups. Fancher's visual style might not match your own, but the fundamentals are well explained and certainly helped me grow.
February 11, 2019
I like the details about the shooting 👍 but I'm not keen on his post process work. Overall, it's a great book to read of you're serious about doing portrait with simple set up.
January 13, 2020
Awesome how well you can work with constraints
March 14, 2016
This book is written by an extremely talented photographer who is, in my opinion, a rising star in the field of portrait photography. As he describes it, he has honed his craft by developing techniques that he discovered while working hard to succeed in a competitive field.
The one most important revelation that changed his working life, and which forms the basis of the book, is that trying to earn a living in portrait and product photography doesn't require huge overhead costs associated with owning a studio and loading up on expensive pro equipment. This is not only a financial consideration but an aesthetic one, since great portraits can be created by taking advantage of an endless variety of shooting locations. The book's structure is based on various types of situations that can be encountered and used to advantage by the photographer, such as backyards, offices and parks. Some of his most memorable pictures were taken in the homes and apartments of his models.
Nick Fancher provides a great gallery of his best images to prove the point. Each image is accompanied by a detailed description of how the image came about, including shooting diagrams and descriptions of post processing, which mostly takes place in Lightroom. If you do not use Lightroom, you can still obtain great results by incorporating Fancher's techniques, but really, this book has a wealth of information on how versatile this processing program is in taking people and product images from good to great. If you are photographing commercially, you no doubt are using Lightroom, Photoshop or both.
There are very good tutorials available on the net and on dvd for learning the basics of Lightroom, and I can attest to their value in learning how to use it effectively. Fancher gives you the means to take your working knowledge of Lightroom to where you can create your distinctive vision in your images. He provides views of the Lightroom settings he made in the Basic Panel, Curves etc., showing not only how small tweaks here and there can elevate the quality of a photo, but also demonstrating that good results can result from going in various directions when the post-processing tools are used by knowledgable people.
Lots of other useful stuff is covered in the book for helping aspiring photographers in building a business, including sections on equipment and web site optimization, using Nick's hard knock experience as a guide. But this book is useful for anyone, like me, wishing to learn more from an expert about how to take better pictures. A glance at the various raters on Goodreads indicates that readers of this book have diverse interests. Note, however, that the content is not for the beginner, since it jumps right into not only post-processing techniques, but also the use of single and multiple speed lights, and the ability to understand how to use them in manual mode.
Nick has an easy-going writing style that makes the book enjoyable to read while, most importantly for a photo book, providing inspiration for the reader to want to pick up a camera and take their work to the next level. I know I'll be going back to it for reference often.
The one most important revelation that changed his working life, and which forms the basis of the book, is that trying to earn a living in portrait and product photography doesn't require huge overhead costs associated with owning a studio and loading up on expensive pro equipment. This is not only a financial consideration but an aesthetic one, since great portraits can be created by taking advantage of an endless variety of shooting locations. The book's structure is based on various types of situations that can be encountered and used to advantage by the photographer, such as backyards, offices and parks. Some of his most memorable pictures were taken in the homes and apartments of his models.
Nick Fancher provides a great gallery of his best images to prove the point. Each image is accompanied by a detailed description of how the image came about, including shooting diagrams and descriptions of post processing, which mostly takes place in Lightroom. If you do not use Lightroom, you can still obtain great results by incorporating Fancher's techniques, but really, this book has a wealth of information on how versatile this processing program is in taking people and product images from good to great. If you are photographing commercially, you no doubt are using Lightroom, Photoshop or both.
There are very good tutorials available on the net and on dvd for learning the basics of Lightroom, and I can attest to their value in learning how to use it effectively. Fancher gives you the means to take your working knowledge of Lightroom to where you can create your distinctive vision in your images. He provides views of the Lightroom settings he made in the Basic Panel, Curves etc., showing not only how small tweaks here and there can elevate the quality of a photo, but also demonstrating that good results can result from going in various directions when the post-processing tools are used by knowledgable people.
Lots of other useful stuff is covered in the book for helping aspiring photographers in building a business, including sections on equipment and web site optimization, using Nick's hard knock experience as a guide. But this book is useful for anyone, like me, wishing to learn more from an expert about how to take better pictures. A glance at the various raters on Goodreads indicates that readers of this book have diverse interests. Note, however, that the content is not for the beginner, since it jumps right into not only post-processing techniques, but also the use of single and multiple speed lights, and the ability to understand how to use them in manual mode.
Nick has an easy-going writing style that makes the book enjoyable to read while, most importantly for a photo book, providing inspiration for the reader to want to pick up a camera and take their work to the next level. I know I'll be going back to it for reference often.
December 29, 2015
Interesting with a few good tips but I'm not really a "strobe guy" (the author is). I had hoped the book would concentrate on natural light and reflectors / diffusers. Other readers will find the strobe approach right up their alley and to his credit the author is both through and engaging.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews