Kirk Tuck looked to the latest in technology and developed methods for working with small, computerized, battery-powered flash units and lightweight accessories. In doing so, he found that he could do many of the assignments he'd done in the past without having to use heavy lighting equipment originally designed to be used in studios. He illustrates all of this in this beautifully written book published by Amherst Media.
All photographers eventually come to the conclusion that the quality of light is one of the single most important secrets of great photography. Great landscapes depend on the combination of unique points of view and interesting natural light. Compelling portraits depend on lighting that reveals the human face in a unique way. Product photography is made alluring when imaginative lighting is used skillfully. In many instances, photographers need to add light to a photograph to make it pleasing. The methods for doing so have evolved over the years and that evolution has accelerated in the past ten years.
As author Kirk Tuck shows, however, photographers who shoot on location with traditional studio lighting equipment may find that they spend more time more packing and porting their expensive equipment than designing beautiful light. I looked back over years of shooting and realized that half the battle of location lighting was the logistics of dragging hundreds of pounds of equipment from my studio to my car and from my car to various offices, manufacturing plants, and other venues, to make well lit photographs for my clients, he writes.
To combat this situation, Tuck looked to the latest in technology and developed methods for working with small, computerized, battery-powered flash units and lightweight accessories. In doing so, he found that he could do many of the assignments he'd done in the past without having to use heavy lighting equipment originally designed to be used in studios.
In Minimalist Lighting , Tuck shares the methods he has developed--and techniques for using them to creative effect. "I've found that with every pound of equipment I've jettisoned, I arrive on locations with more energy and a better ability to focus on creative problem solving," he writes. That helps overcome the attitude of 'good enough' that seeps into our creative work when we're physically tired.
Packed with incredible images and step-by-step techniques, this book is a must for commercial, wedding, and portrait photographers who want to maximize their time behind the came ra and minimize their time spent hauling cumbersome lighting equipment.
Kirk Tuck was a specialist lecturer in photography at the University of Texas before being lured into the world of advertising photography, where he served for seven years as the creative director for Avanti Advertising and Design. Today, he is a freelance photographer whose clients include IBM, Dell COmputer, Motorola, Elle magazine, and Time Warner.
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