Monte Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook
by Monte Zucker
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Book Summary Information
Author: Monte ZuckerBrand: Amherst Media
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN: 1584282134
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc.
Book Reviews of Monte Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook
Book Review: Must Have "Bible" for the Beginning Portrait Photographer
Summary: 5 Stars
Among photographers, the late Monte Zucker was ackowledged as one of the world's greatest portrait artists in the world. Written not long before he died, Monte Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook is a fitting legacy to his career as a photographer and as an instructor.
In the introduction, the author comments that so many photographers don't want to take the time to study or learn any predetermined technique. They want to discover their own style through their own sense of creativity.
He writes (pg 6) "Does that make any sense at all? Do you really believe that anyone can figure it all out by himself? To my thinking, it makes much more sense to get youself a "coach"....If you think about it, what doesn't make sense is someone wanitng to figure it all out by himself."
And with those words one of the great portrait photographers presents a step-by-step tutorial on what he does to create great portrait photos. We're not talking about esoterics like advanced color theory, controlling chromatic aberration in lenses, or philosophical debates on how one should relate to his subject. Monte's philosophical section in the book, called "setting goals", is about half a page long. He says, in part, "If you are emotionallly connected with my subjects when you see their portraits, I feel that I have done my job."
That sets the tone for this book. Monte isn't interested in intimidating you with the brilliance of his photographic knowledge. He wants to show you that if you apply the lessons he's learned from a lifetime of experience, you'll start taking some fantastic photos. You'll learn what works and why, what doesn't work and why. The goal for his readers is for them to practice with good technique until those technical aspects of a shoot become instinctive, second nature, to them.
This is an introductory level meat-and-potatoes instruction guide on understanding what makes a good portrait photo. It deals with the basics from start to finish.
And by "start" Monte isn't talking about setting up the camera. The first chapter is devoted to "Consultation". It is necessary to discuss with your photo subject ahead of time such topics as what clothing is appropriate for a shoot, including necklines, sleeves, colors and patterns in the cloth. How to coordinate clothing for group shots. And what part hairstyle and makeup play.
If your idea of the start of a portrait shoot is waiting for your subject to show up, you're already behind the curve.
Then comes the chapter on background selection for outdoor or studio settings, and some interesting choices one can make, for example, in painted or projected backgrounds.
Next chapter is "The Subject". Monte explains the importance of doing a preliminary facial analysis of your subject if you're going to make your subject look his/her best. He discusses different facial angles, including the classic full face, two-thirds view, and profile. He talks about looking for strengths and defects in hair, eyes and nose and how to utilize, or minimize, their effects.
The chapter on "Posing Fundamentals" shows there is more to posing a subject than telling the model to sit down and look at the camera. There are full instructions on seating the model, positioning the body and the shoulders, and attaining the proper posture. Monte then discusses the two classic poses: the basic (sometimes call masculine) pose and the feminine pose and how to achieve them. (He notes in passing that, given the number of photographers who've told him they understand this concept, it's amazing to him how many never actually utilize this concept in their work.) The chapter concludes with a discussion of back poses, eye position and facial expression, as well as Monte's recommendation for the use of posing stools and tables.
Following a chapter on how to extend these ideas to group portaits, Monte then discusses lighting equipment (including a discription of his studio set up) in chapter 6, followed by "Lighting Techniques" in chapter 7. This discusses in detail how to set up your lights with respect to your subject, how to light the basic pose, the feminine pose, the full face, two-thirds view and profile poses. It also contains Monte's most important "secret" to good portraiture. He goes so far to say that if you can get only one thing right from this book, this is it: working with the "nose loop". Set up this nose shadow correctly with your lights and you're just about guaranteed a good-looking portrait. It's that simple (he says!).
Following chapters deal with window lighting, outdoor portraits, camera and lens considerations (including proper camera position in relation to your subject), photo composition, and exposure control. There's a small section on what, for this book, I'd call "advanced" creative choices like soft focus, black and white conversion, and shooting with a digital infrared camera!
The book ends with Monte's summary checklist of how to set up a shoot along with things to avoid. Counting out "One! Two! Three!" before hitting the shutter? Useless - don't do it!
Oh? Oops? ME? I never do that. (Well, NOT ANYMORE!)
The book is 123 pages in an 8.5" x 11" softcover binding. Inside you'll find about 150 absolutely gorgeous photos Monte uses to exemplify the discussions at hand. Very often the large portrait will be accompanied by a "thumb nail" of an expanded version of the same shot, this one showing the location of lights, reflectors and photographer with camera, so you can see how it all came together.
Again, this book is mostly aimed at the photographer (professional or amateur) who wants to get into portrait photography, but there are gems here that can be gleaned by other long-time portrait photographers as well. When Monte Zucker has something to say, it pays to listen.
One recent review I saw said that this was basically a rehash of the articles Monte wrote for Shutterbug. I don't have those articles so I can't comment on that. If you happen to own that series, then you might need to think a bit about purchasing this book.
For the rest of us aspiring portrait photographers, this is a must have. It's become my studio bible.
Summary of Monte Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook
Master of portraiture Monte Zucker presents page after page of essential photographic lessons to enable photographers to achieve and exceed their financial and artistic goals. Providing instructions on how to conduct a well-crafted client consultation, readers will learn which angles of the face to photograph, how to pose the body, where to place the camera, and the proper positioning of lighting equipment in order to cultivate an emotional connection with clients to produce an ideal image. Chapters with expert advice on digital imaging cleanup and finishing techniques, clothing and makeup selection, and location and studio backdrop options to reinforce portrait concepts are also included.
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