It’s Not About Equipment.
Thisbookisnotdesignedtoenticeyoutorunoutandpurchasethelatestand
greatest equipment. Rather, it is designed to teach you how to use what you
have to create the image you have envisioned. That final image is what really
matters. After all, if the model’s pose and facial expressions are poor, no one
will care what equipment was used. By the same token, if the image is well
composed, the model has a pleasant facial expression, and is appropriate
for the product, the client is not going to care if you used a white board, a
commercial-grade reflector, or an adjoining wall as a reflector.Theory and Passion.
This is also not a book on theory—in fact, I’m sure there are some theorists
who will disagree with my suggestions. This book contains practical infor-
mationthatIhavefoundbeneficialovertwenty-fiveyearsofexperiencework-
ingwithmodelsandclients.Itisgearedtohelpyou,professionalandhobbyist
photographers alike, to create better, more pleasing images. When it comes
down to it, clients don’t really care about lighting ratios and technical bab-
ble. Their concerns are simply these: Does the lighting work for my product?
Will the final image fulfill my needs?
Some photographers become so concerned with theory and technical
knowledge that they lose their passion. Unless you are doing a line catalog,
creating images designed to reflect only the physicalappearance of a product,I-3.Creating great images does not re-
quire owning the latest, greatest equip-
ment. It means learning to use what you
already own to produce the image you
envisioned.