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Shooting in Sh*tty Light: The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them
Sometimes photographers have to shoot in less than ideal lighting situations. Maybe the wedding is mid-day in the middle of a field, or perhaps the event is in a florescent-lit room. These scenarios can be particularly intimidating for beginning photographers who don't know how to handle the many undesirable lighting situations they may encounter.In Shooting in Sh*tty Light, professional photographers Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind cover the top ten worst lighting situations and provide a variety of solutions for each. They explain which solutions are most practical and why one option might be preferable over another, examining such problems as extremely low lighting when no flash is allowed, strong backlight, and the light on an overcast day. Unlike other books that focus on natural light or lighting in general, this book addresses a very real need of beginning photographers, answering the question, "What do I do when the lighting is terrible?" Lindsay and Erik candidly show you the tools at your disposal, demonstrating the techniques essential to getting the job done with minimal fuss. Shows how to deal with ten of the worst lighting situations, such as harsh midday light, extremely low light, and mixed light. Offers real-life examples and practical solutions for handling poor light, such as identifying natural reflectors, bouncing light off a wall, or utilizing flash gels. Features a fun, conversational style to help you conquer the fear of poor lighting and approach any lighting situation with confidence!
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2012
25 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 13, 2015
From the perspective of a point-and-shoot laymen, this was a really excellent guide to photography troubleshooting (pardon the pun).
The style was more conversational than instructional, laced with plenty of simply-put beginner tips that got me looking at lighting in a whole new way. I can confidently say I was able to retain a number of tricks and theory principles that are going to improve the quality and ease of my future photo sessions, be they casual or staged. The cross-applications to a wide range of other art forms felt significant enough that I would recommend this to just about anyone.
My favorite takeaway would have to be metaphor they offered in comparing the even reflection of light to the spread pattern of throwing a bucket of water. It was a compelling visual, and a real lightbulb moment for this reader/wannabe pseudo-photographer.
The only downsides I could note would be that half of the solutions seemed to require the use of a competent photography assistant. I also wish the photo-comparrison formatting had been adjusted to ensure all same-shot situations were available without having to turn the page--as I found it lessened the degree of impact in the varying techniques.
November 23, 2015
A great reference book for any portrait photographer who shoots in natural light and has struggled with full on sun, color casts, etc. I enjoyed my library copy so much that I have ordered the book for my personal collection as reference material.
September 22, 2022
This is the perfect book. First, it presents the problem: bad light. Then it tells you to avoid the problem if you can. Then it basically says, “well, listen, if you can’t avoid it - and we sometimes can’t - here are some totally easy fixes.” Great, thorough explanations. Excellent photos (duh). Even though this book covered things I already may be doing, it never hurts to review, practice and keep on learning.
January 25, 2020
A practical guide showing how anyone, with a little knowledge about lighting, can make a dramatic improvement to their images in a number of challenging situations. In the process they help provide some general lighting information that is usable in any situation.
March 9, 2020
Basically the premise is- use a reflector or flash. I thought it might be a little more creative than this. Might be useful for absolutely beginners but totally unhelpful for anyone who has a basic understanding of how light works...
January 9, 2025
Some useful information and rules to follow that tends to repeat itself just a bit too much, could have definitely been better compressed but as it stands is a good resource for newer photographers trying to understand light.
August 8, 2018
get good, get help. 🤷🏻♀️ but I’ve been a wedding photographer for 6 years so I’m a little jaded! great tips for beginners!
October 16, 2015
I had low expectations for Shooting in Sh*tty Light: The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them, by Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind, following Fashion Flair for Portrait and Wedding Photography, the first book I have read by Lindsay Adler. I don't feel like I really learned anything from her prior work. When I ordered Shooting in Sh*tty Light I hoped that a co-author might help Lindsay organize her thoughts and deliver some useful content. I was pleased to discover that this book was quite informative. My biggest beefs are that it was somewhat repetitive and that it, as so many such books do these days, ended so abruptly.
I learned the difference between Open Shade and Covered Shade. Conventional wisdom directs that you seek open shade during mid-day sun. Open shade is shade an area of shade where you are uncovered, meaning there isn’t anything overhead, such as alongside a tall building. Adler and Valind demonstrated that even in open shade you can still get dark “raccoon eyes” because much of the light is still coming from overhead, even though most of the light generally is diffused. So they recommend seeking covered shade, such as under a tree, awning, deck, etc. Covered shade light all comes from the side or below, so eye sockets don’t go into shadow. Open shade is vastly better than direct sunlight, but covered shade is best.
Similarly, Adler and Valind demonstrated that shooting on an overcast day – days widely regarded as the best for shooting portraits because the sky acts like a giant soft box – are like shooting in open shade. In both instances, the authors recommend placing the model under cover or placing a flag, gobo or reflector over the model to block the overhead light, or using a reflector or fill flash.
The book also demonstrated the use of the Rogue FlashBender with and without the diffuser panel, light modifiers I recently acquired. Consequently, I am more pleased with this book than any photography book I’ve read in quite some time.
UPDATE 10/2015: I changed my rating of this book from 3-start to 4-star because I find myself periodically referencing it and recommending it to others.
I learned the difference between Open Shade and Covered Shade. Conventional wisdom directs that you seek open shade during mid-day sun. Open shade is shade an area of shade where you are uncovered, meaning there isn’t anything overhead, such as alongside a tall building. Adler and Valind demonstrated that even in open shade you can still get dark “raccoon eyes” because much of the light is still coming from overhead, even though most of the light generally is diffused. So they recommend seeking covered shade, such as under a tree, awning, deck, etc. Covered shade light all comes from the side or below, so eye sockets don’t go into shadow. Open shade is vastly better than direct sunlight, but covered shade is best.
Similarly, Adler and Valind demonstrated that shooting on an overcast day – days widely regarded as the best for shooting portraits because the sky acts like a giant soft box – are like shooting in open shade. In both instances, the authors recommend placing the model under cover or placing a flag, gobo or reflector over the model to block the overhead light, or using a reflector or fill flash.
The book also demonstrated the use of the Rogue FlashBender with and without the diffuser panel, light modifiers I recently acquired. Consequently, I am more pleased with this book than any photography book I’ve read in quite some time.
UPDATE 10/2015: I changed my rating of this book from 3-start to 4-star because I find myself periodically referencing it and recommending it to others.
February 12, 2016
This is a fantastic beginner lighting book, it gives all the normal and most common lighting problems and ways that you can help conquer them. Even for experienced photographers I feel as though it would be a wonderful reminder on the lighting rules that can help you fine tune your craft. Adler has a great way of putting the reader at ease to let them know that they are not alone in wondering where to even begin with crazy lighting situations.
April 6, 2013
I have read a few books about how to fix lighting problems and so this was largely review for me but I do think it would be super useful as an introductory book on this topic because it is very practical and clear in advice and focused on just the topic at hand.
February 8, 2015
Excellent resource for managing light for shoots where bad light is unavoidable. The imformation is concise with good details on settings. This is a great supplement for Lindsay and Erik's classes available on Kelby Training.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
April 30, 2015
Helpful but short.
Needed more on shots without equipment and lenses. I don't always carry around my reflectors but generally have my lens bag. Lenses a can be used to give effect as well depending on light.
Needed more on shots without equipment and lenses. I don't always carry around my reflectors but generally have my lens bag. Lenses a can be used to give effect as well depending on light.
December 20, 2016
Lindsey is a great teacher and more than that she encourages you to get out your equipment and experiment.
She shows you how to make the best of what you own and create art images and portraits under any lighting conditions.
For me, she is the Tim Gunn of photography "Make it work!"
She shows you how to make the best of what you own and create art images and portraits under any lighting conditions.
For me, she is the Tim Gunn of photography "Make it work!"
January 14, 2013
Lol quickly checked this book out at store. Lots of lil tips for bad lighting.
November 1, 2020
A must read if you're serious about learning photography. The authors do a good job of providing examples of various bad lighting situations and how to fix them.
May 29, 2014
Amazing, clear cut, easy to read, visual and enlightening for ALL photographer levels. Every photographer MUST read this.
February 6, 2016
Covers a lot of basic stuff really welk
July 27, 2014
Some good tips and photos help a lot with the explanations.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews