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 enlarge | Author: Jill Waterman
Publisher: Amphoto Books
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $15.76
You Save: $14.19 (47%)
New (26) Used (7) from $15.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 53979
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 196
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0817432418
Dewey Decimal Number: 771
EAN: 9780817432416
ASIN: 0817432418
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 For any aspiring photographer seeking to develop or enhance their own skill set when taking photographs after dark October 9, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
It takes a very special set of skills to be successful in taking photographs at night or when light sources are minimal. In "Night & Low-Light Photography: Professional Techniques Form Experts For Artistic And Commercial Success", New York City based photographer, editor, writer and educator Jill Waterman relies upon not only her own experience and expertise, but also draws upon the work and contributions of thirty top photography professionals using their real-life photography projects to illustrate and exemplify their advice, techniques, and diverse approaches to nighttime and low-light digital, film, color, and black & white commercial and fine art photography. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Night & Low-Light Photography" is a practical, informative, and above all, 'user friendly' introduction and guide for any aspiring photographer seeking to develop or enhance their own skill set when taking photographs after dark or in dim light, indoor or outdoor, as well as urban, suburban, and rural landscapes.
 M. Logsdon September 23, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
The book if a good source for night and low light photography. I thought there would be more for digital cameras and 35mm cameras in the book. A lot of references to film and medium format. However, it is a good starting point and I would recommend it.
Time Warp September 8, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Many photographers put away their cameras when the light grows dim or dark, thus forfeiting at least half the opportunity to take photographs. This book seems aimed at those photographers.
Jill Waterman has assembled a team of 30 top professionals to talk about low-light and night photography. The book begins with the usual mandatory discussion of equipment, although this chapter contains many tips on equipment use, such as stabilizing one's lens against glass if shooting through it. There are also some unusual pieces of equipment mentioned, like large portable spotlights for painting with light. Other chapters include discussions of color temperature; black and white photography, which emphasizes the role of the chemical darkroom in extending range; lighting techniques, which emphasizes light painting; weather, night time phenomena, like the aurora; and post production tools. There is a chapter that analyzes the styles of seven of the photographers and a final chapter that talks about the availability of workshops.
The difficult part of the project was probably wrangling the work and ideas of thirty different photographers into a coherent instructional body and it shows. The book lacks orderly development and approach to this kind of photography and often lapses into a kind of esoteric tip book. Occasionally there were interesting pieces of information that were never tied to anything else, like the distinctions between civil, nautical and astronomical twilight.
What I found strange was the feeling of having entered into a time warp with discussions of film, two-part developers and enlargers. A theme seems to be that film lends itself to a greater range of exposure values then digital, although that may require chemical processing to achieve. The advantages of digital photography's HDR processing to capture a wide range of light were mentioned but not in detail, or to show special considerations for the use of the technique in the dark.
The example photographs themselves were interesting, although many were too self-aware and arty to easily serve as teaching vehicles for most photographers, who probably would be interested in simpler, more direct night and low-light themes. Yet, for the experienced photographer, looking to expand his vision, these same pictures might provide some inspiration.
Although I didn't down-rate this book because of the layout and design, I hated it. Many pages are printed in black with white text, or include large blocks of black-backed white text and white-backed black text on the same page, or juxtapose black background pages with white background pages, all of which are quite jarring to the eye. As difficult are the tiny guest photographer portraits adjacent to tiny unreadable dark grey text on a black background.
Despite problems, there were useful hints here and there, such as changing the point of view when taking pictures to exclude illumination that would be too contrasty or using reflections to add drama to night shots.
Unfortunately, I have not found many recent books about low-light and night photography that are straight forward in teaching the less experienced how to become children of the night (oops-just a joke). For photographers determined to push on into the darkness, this is about as good as anything around.
A Truly Exceptional, Enjoyable Book for Hobbyists, Professionals and Art-Lovers Alike September 1, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
As a professional writer and photographer, I read and review dozens of books on photography each year--from technical how-tos to fine art books. I don't often run into books of this caliber. Night & Low-Light Photography is technically informative and artistically inspiring, touching on an unprecedented scope of topics related this theme while also presenting a powerhouse art portfolio experience.
What is truly impressive about Night & Low-Light is that it is equally valuable for pros, hobbyists and art-lovers alike.
Jill Waterman is passionate an accomplished night photographer, a fantastic writer and a well-respected editor on topics of photography. She also has more industry connections than you can shake a stick at. It is this combination of assets--along with her clear editorial vision--that allowed Waterman to hit a home run with Night & Low-Light Photography.
If you have any interest in night and low-light photography (including recording weather phenomena, painting with light and other low-light techniques often overlooked), you will definitely enjoy and learn from this book. The in-depth biographical data on the 30 contributors, the incredible list of resources and the detailed glossary alone are worth the purchase.
If you are on the fence, you can get a better sense of Night & Low-Light Photography by checking out Waterman's companion website: [...]. However, keep in mind that Waterman has created such an impressive and jam-packed experience that it is hard to fully appreciate the value and pleasure of this book until you actually have it in your hands.
The ultimate resource book for night shooting August 28, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Finally, someone did this book!
"Night and Low Light Photography" is destined to become THE textbook for any night photography and light painting class or workshop. It stands head and shoulders above all the other NP "how to" books on the market, covering all the pertinent bases in an easy to read and informative style.
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