{"id":4533,"date":"2016-11-23T16:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-11-23T16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seanmcfoto.com\/?p=4533"},"modified":"2018-03-31T01:56:20","modified_gmt":"2018-03-31T01:56:20","slug":"book-review-studio-anywhere-2-hard-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/book-review-studio-anywhere-2-hard-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review. Studio Anywhere 2: Hard Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fancher<\/a><\/p>\n

Firstly, let me begin with saying I follow Nick Fancher\u2019s Instagram. It started with Nick\u2019s post on Scott Kelby\u2019s blog. I loved the work, and put in into practice immediately. It became part of my arsenal and I\u2019ve used variations on it as time has passed. Working up towards publication, Nick’s Instagram feed has been the trailer for the book. Does it mean I’m a fan? Kinda. At the same time, disappointed fans can be harsher than those who may be more neutral in persuasion. So have I been disappointed? Only one way to find out!<\/p>\n

The Book<\/h3>\n

Studio Anywhere 2: Hard Light<\/a> is the movie version of Nick\u2019s Instagram trailer. While there are BTS shots on Instagram as well, there isn\u2019t the level of detail that Nick goes into with the book. This book is all about recipes for success with hard light. It also has a few scene quizzes along with way to make sure you\u2019re keeping up.<\/p>\n

\"Studio<\/p>\n

Split into 9 chapters, with an educational Introduction, and a forward thinking Epilog, this book (which I\u2019ve read as the ebook version) provides a great basis for working with hard light on location. Nick delves into his kit to reveal a tightly curated gear bag, perfect for travelling light, without feeling like you\u2019re leaving something important behind. As I\u2019ve given talks on shooting as Ryanair photo traveller, I\u2019m totally down with that.<\/p>\n

Lighting wise, I\u2019m quite experienced, but that doesn\u2019t mean I didn\u2019t learn anything from the book. Quite the opposite in fact. Even in the intro, Nick discusses the difference between speedlight and monolight shadows. It\u2019s something I\u2019d know unconsciously, but having it spelled out on paper brings it into sharp focus. It boils down to having different experiences and Nick is imparting his experience, quite successfully, in the book.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to do a blow by blow account of what\u2019s in the book. It\u2019s full of practical setups to get interesting light in a variety of situations. Often these include little hacks to make better use of your gear, with things like homemade snoots and barndoors, or hacks to make your reflector do even more work for you.<\/p>\n

\"Studio<\/p>\n

Soup to Nuts<\/h3>\n

As well as the background detail on the shoot, each setup generally contains a scene shot, a shot of the gear, the unedited Raw file, the Lightroom settings and the final edited image. You get to see everything that went into making the image. Where Photoshop played a part in the image, this information is included as well. Changes made to perfect the lighting also get a mention, so it\u2019s a full soup to nuts approach to imparting knowledge.<\/p>\n

The big thing that drew me to the book was the gel work from that Scott Kelby guest blog. This book includes both the original black and white inspiration work, and the resulting colour work, but takes it a step further. Because Nick has had time to work and refine the technique, a more mature version of it appears in the book. Coupled with colour theory, and the other gel related tips, this made for my favourite part of the book.<\/p>\n

\"Studio<\/p>\n

Getting Personal<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a lot in the book about Nick\u2019s photography background, from his education right through to where he is now. He\u2019s candid about his approach to clients, and gives out advice in relation to it. There\u2019s also some pro tips, again based on his experience, to fill the book out even more. This means you\u2019re getting business advice on top of the lighting techniques. Seeing Nick\u2019s progress will definitely be a help to those working their way into a crowded market, or even those looking to add some extra cash from part time photo work.<\/p>\n

\"Studio<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The book is a great read. Like anything, you need to put the information into practice before it makes proper sense. Without that practice, you\u2019ll never absorb the information. Is this book worth getting? Well, it\u2019s a step up from introduction to lighting books, and there\u2019s a certain amount of prior knowledge expected. It\u2019s like you\u2019ve joined in after a conversation has started-you have to pick up what\u2019s already been said. As I haven\u2019t read the original Studio Anywhere book, I can\u2019t say if this information is in that book-it may well be. It\u2019s not a problem, merely an observation. Despite the information being more intermediate than beginner, it’s still quite accessible. On the other hand, if you\u2019ve been in the game a while, Nick provides plenty of new tricks in the book to satisfy your lust for light.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m struggling to pick holes in the book. The only thing I\u2019d love to have seen is more final photos. As in a greater range of finished images showing slight variations in each technique-like a mini portfolio. What\u2019s there is great, and really does serve as wonderful inspiration, but I\u2019d love to have seen more. Weighing in at 226 pages including covers and index etc, more images would\u2019ve made the book longer and even better-especially in a print version. But it’s truly just a nitpick.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/h3>\n

As I’m not stuck with Amazon terms, I\u2019d give it a 4.5 out of 5. If you enjoy using lighting at all, this book deserves to be in your library and will expand your options on all future shoots. The ebook version is available right now for $27.99, with the print version coming in January. Right now, the coupon code NEWNOVEMBER will take 35% off the eBook price!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,390,92,392],"tags":[379,378,377,380],"class_list":["post-4533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book","category-featured","category-review","category-reviews","tag-book-review","tag-hard-light","tag-nick-fancher","tag-rocky-nook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4533"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4920,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4533\/revisions\/4920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seanmcfoto.com\/smcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}