Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography
by Michael Grecco
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael GreccoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-29
ISBN: 0817442278
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Amphoto Books
Book Reviews of Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography
Book Review: Edgy
Summary: 4 Stars
Make no mistake about it. Michael Grecco is a brilliant portrait photographer and the pictures presented in this book are top-notch and edgy. Yet, as I read this book, I at first felt that this was another example of how-to-itis. That's the case where a publisher feels that a book will sell better if it's an instructional manual than if it's a portfolio.
I felt this even more strongly as I read the first few pages, where I encountered pictures that documented the use of equipment and techniques that I knew nothing about. Then as I read further, I found that the discussions of general principles followed the pictures rather than preceding them. I found this a strange editorial technique that left me mystified as I looked at pictures and then had me flipping back to them after the discussion. I was also glad I knew a little bit about portrait photography so that I could understand the skeletal descriptions of the technical aspects of what Grecco was doing
Grecco has sections on cameras, illumination, the medium, creativity and conceptualization, the subject/ photographer connection and case studies. In this last section he presents pictures grouped by subject matter and then explains how he came to pose the pictures and light them. Throughout, he used this show and then tell approach. Once I got used to it, I didn't find it so off-putting.
You may wonder who the audience for this book is. For example, when he describes the army of assistants involved in a shoot, including make-up artists, prop builders, location scouts and so forth, the average photographer will feel out of his league. One of the lights that Grecco uses may cost more than all of the equipment some serious photographers may own. The author does not teach fundamental lighting techniques, and in fact says that one of his guiding principles is to always break the rules of lighting. At first it might appear that Grecco is speaking just to the other members of the clique of celebrity photographers.
Most of us will never be able to get actor Jet Li to leap four or five feet into the air in an alley filled with smoke from a fog machine in front of a setup of five strong strobe lights. On the other hand, I thought that rather then photographing that young ballerina in a graceful plie, I could have gotten a more exciting picture if I had asked her to do jetes. And I was inspired to research the rental of a fog machine which turned out to be quite inexpensive. And even though I might never be able to get Martin Landau to pose in back of an iron weave railing in Café La Boheme, I could pose Uncle George behind the wrought-iron railing in Aunt Jane's place.
So, for the portrait photographer who feels that he or she has to push out of the box of conventional lighting and posing techniques, this book may be a source of ideas. For other photographers, it may be fascinating to find out how one big-time portrait photographer does it, and admire his work, even if we never apply any of his techniques.
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Summary of Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography
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.How-to Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
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- Reference
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