Some months ago I was asked if I would write a foreword to a colleague’s new book, Portrait Lighting for Digital Photographers – the basics and beyond. My colleague, Steve Dantzig, had placed his fourth book into the more than capable hands of Amherst Media, the most prolific publisher of photography books in business today. This book was, to a very small degree, the result of a conversation we had at our first person-to-person meeting last year in Honolulu. Needless to say, I was honored to be asked.

Aside from my personal interest in the book, I was taken with Steve’s writing abilities, especially when describing the laws of physics that lurk in the background of any professionally created image. Some of us are aware of them, many of us use them creatively, most of us ignore them (a bad decision). Steve has a wonderful way of explaining the dry side of photography, putting it into perspective as a creative tool rather than a wall.

Now, I’m from Minnesota. We have bright sunlight without snow for about three weeks out of the year. OK, I’m exaggerating. We might have it five weeks a year, two without mosquitoes. Regardless, when it’s here, we photographers all pack our gadget bags and head out to our favorite location, gleefully determined to overcome Old Sol and create deathless art.

Steve works in the sunlit paradise of Hawaii. As wonderful as it is, it’s “plagued” by high sun everyday (the curse of the tropics). Steve’s written about a number of natural light situations, and how he’s managed to work with them to get stellar results, either with reflectors or portable strobes.

You may ask yourself how this could help you, but if you live in any part of the country with more than five weeks of summer you’ll most certainly be asked to shoot some outdoor portraiture. It’s a good idea to learn techniques from someone who does it more frequently than I shovel my driveway.

In other words, if you’re hired to shoot a graduation portrait, and your client wants to go outside, do you just rely on natural light or do you use the built-in flash on top of the camera? If you said yes to either, you really need to get Steve’s new book, practice the principles he espouses, then go for the money shot. He demonstrates rock-solid techniques to get great shots every time, like this one, taken in open shade under bright sun. The background’s been toned down from its usual dominance, any green tinge from the vegetation has been negated, and the subject is beautifully and fluidly lit, with shadows that match the background. Let’s see Uncle Roy pull this off with his point-and-shoot.

If you’re serious about photography, you need to create a style (along with the requisite depth of knowledge) that will set your work apart from that of your competition. This is a book that will help you immensely on both counts. I’m proud and happy to know this guy, and to recommend this book to you. He’s a kindred soul to all of us who love the camera.

Here’s the shameless promo part: You can certainly get the book through Amazon (and you’ll save some dough), but you can get a signed copy here.