Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait by Michael Grecco

Here’s another good reference book, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait by Michael Grecco.  It is an inspirational book that blends the best of the Rotovision series of books (lighting diagrams / camera info) along with interesting behind the scene anecdotes of a celebrity photographer (“We were shooting at Shaq’s home…”) The first sections are based more on types of gear and how to use them: cameras, lighting etc. Later chapters are based on concepts and case studies. Well written, great images, a quality book.

On Michael Grecco’s website you can also get a good idea about his lighting setups by looking at his behind the scenes video clips. I particularly liked this clip showing a portrait of Scorsese, it shows a clever use of natural and strobe light along with a bit of smoke.