The Best Flash Photography eBooks of All Time

The author describes the techniques he uses with small flashes to achieve correct lighting for dynamic photographs.

Updated February 2023, this sixth book in Nathan Cool's real estate photography shows techniques, setups, and options for lighting various rooms, interior spaces, and various configurations. With numerous lighting diagrams and example images, you can learn ways to light simple, intermediate, and advanced interior spaces while understanding why certain techniques are preferred over others, and under varying circumstances, so that you can apply these principles to almost any interior space you may encounter.

Along with detailed information on popular lighting gear used for interior real estate photography, Nathan discusses various lighting methods in-depth, along with tables for flash power starting points for each example, and how they differ across flash units. This lighting guide builds on techniques in the interiors book in Nathan’s real estate photography series, and this is a great companion guide for his book “Shot Lists” as well. By using professional techniques for interior flash photography you can gain the know-how to tackle almost interior lighting challenge to help you show your clients that you’re not just a consumer with a camera; but instead, you’re a pro.

If your past attempts at learning flash have all ended in failure (not to mention tears and/or blind rage), then The Off-Camera Flash Handbook is about to change everything for you. For years, photographer Vanessa Joy has been using off-camera flash to create gorgeous portraits that look like they were shot in the most beautiful natural light at the perfect time of day. Well, guess what? That consistent look was not created thanks to the most amazing luck with the weather. No. It was created by a pro photographer who mastered her use of off-camera flash.

And with her down-to-earth and practical explanations, that’s exactly what Vanessa teaches you in this book. Vanessa breaks down off-camera flash into an easy-to-understand approach, and instead of focusing on the gear and the settings (which are also included, of course), she focuses on the kinds of shots you want to make. This book is about learning to use off-camera flash easily and quickly so that you can create beautiful, natural-looking light in any situation, at any time you need it…regardless of the weather or time of day. The book is divided into three parts. Part One covers the fundamentals of off-camera flash, and it does so without blasting you with a firehose of information. Instead, Vanessa gives you the basics you need so that you can start shooting right away without becoming overwhelmed with technical jargon. Once you’re set up and ready to go, Vanessa jumps right into Part Two with specific photo scenarios and real-world situations where you’ll learn key techniques for using your flash to create consistent, beautiful photographs. For each scenario, Vanessa provides the goal for the shoot, a gear list, the step-by-step shooting instructions, and images that show both the progress of the shoot and the behind-the-scenes shots or lighting diagrams of the setup. She also discusses problems you may encounter, variations on the shot, and additional practical scenarios for each situation. Just a few examples include:. • Recreating the golden hour at any time• Shooting groups• Making indoors look like outdoors• Enhancing natural light• Using flash at events• Working in harsh sunlight• Creating silhouettes• Shooting at sunset• Fixing an ugly-light room• And much moreFinally, Part Three tackles the questions you’ll likely have once you’ve got the basics under your belt and you’re already creating great photos with your off-camera flash—things like high-speed sync, sync speed, a practical understanding of the inverse square law, etc. There is also a helpful FAQ section at the end of the book.