Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography

by Michael Grecco

Michael Grecco is one of the best-known celebrity photographers in the world. His beautiful, insightful work is all around us--on movie posters, in advertising, on magazine covers, everywhere . “I delight in inspiring people,” he writes. “I want them to stop, think, and feel.” Now Grecco shares the secrets of great portraits with photographers at every level, in Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait . Sections on cameras, illumination, film and digital, creativity and conceptualization, connecting with the subject, and having a point of view, plus intriguing case studies that show “how I got that picture,” make this book a resource photographers will use again and again through the years. Whether the subject is a star or a soccer mom, Grecco shows how to add artistry, drama, wit, humor, and personality to their portrait.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art Design

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2006

Reviews

[Tracee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure whose ego is bigger, the subject or.....no, I'm pretty sure it is the photographer's.

It was interesting seeing the many famous people in poses I had never seen them in before. He explains the lighting and sometimes gets into the situational setup, which was the most interesting part of the book for me. He misspelled Colin Mochrie's name, though, so he lost another star for that.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Grecco's book provides a lot of case studies with lighting setups, etc. which are useful for getting new ideas. This book was of particular interest to me since I have the same general lighting equipment that's in most of the setups.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories of interacting with and getting access to celebrities is interesting, and the creative imagery is inspiring. The talk of gear and many of the popular personalities dates the book in a distracting way.

[sani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been searching for this book for quite a while. I was even more intrigued after watching "Guerilla Shooting, Los Angeles" on youtube. To tell the whole truth,I was expecting more from this book.

[Thompson Urhiofe · Rating 4 out of 5]

useful