A
A
s I say in all of my books, creating a book is sometimes fun, sometimes
hard, sometimes sad—and sometimes you just want to quit. I’ve never
considered myself a quitter, but the past two years have been very difficult—
not just for me but for many people and for many reasons, not just the tough
economic times.
Before I agreed to write this book, I consulted friends and family. Should
I do it again? I asked. Most said yes. Some people wondered, do you have
time? Still others asked, is it worth it? Obviously, with such a busy schedule, I
asked for a bit of help from a good friend, photographer and filmmaker, Tom
Suhler.
Authors of how-to photography books stand a better chance of getting hit
by lightning than making the New York TimesBest Seller list. For us, writing
books is obviously not about the money. I’m not sure where I find the time
to take on the task, but my passion for creating images drives me to spread the
gospel of photography and share information to help promote not just glam-
our photography, but all forms of photography.
This book limits me in space (thank goodness!), and it’s impos-
sible to put everything about photographic lighting in one book.
One of the world’s greatest photography schools is Brooks Institute
of Photography in Santa Barbara, California; even they spend years
teaching their photographers how to become photographers—I can’t do it in
ten books, much less four. Not to mention, there is no substitute for putting
what you read into practice. So get your friends, families, and loved ones in
front of your camera and practice. Find a military service member or veteran
and offer them free photos for their friends, family, and loved ones. The endPREFACE 7PREFACE.
There is no substitute for putting
what you read into practice.