The Creative Portrait: A Photographer's Guide to Innovative Lighting and Camera Techniques
- 240 pages
- 9 hours of reading
Nick Fancher is a photographer, author, and educator specializing in dramatic lighting, often employing bold colors and experimental camera techniques. He is particularly known for his efficient method of working, utilizing minimal gear in unconventional locations. Fancher's approach simplifies complex lighting concepts, making them accessible to a broad audience.





Innovative imagery enhances the experience of exploring the creative process in this book, which features behind-the-scenes photos, lighting diagrams, and Lightroom settings. Readers can follow the journey from initial concept to final edit, providing valuable insights into the techniques and decisions that shape the final product.
Fancher offers candid, practical, and valuable lessons on how to create successful and fresh photographs armed with only minimal gear, a resourceful mind, and a creative spirit. Nick focuses his approach on hard light, demonstrating how to use it in innovative and flattering ways, working with subjects ranging from products to people. You'll learn: How to work with both available light (e.g., the sun) and manufactured light (such as inexpensive small flash) How to shape, bounce, and manipulate your unmodified flash to get the results you want The importance of proper light placement and ambient balance How to create dramatic, intentional photographs with hard light DIY techniques for making your own gobos and photo hacks (such as with a reflector) How to incorporate colored gels into your work to create expressive and innovative imagery Post-processing tricks and techniques that Nick uses to achieve the final look of the image. Included in the book are behind-the-scenes photos, lighting diagrams, and lightroom settings for every scenario, so the reader can follow along from idea through the shoot and on to the final edit. There is also a feature throughout the book called Making a Scene where, upon being presented with an empty scene, you're challenged to figure out where you might place your subject and your light(s) in order to achieve a specific effect or result. At the back of the book, Nick shows you how he chose to tackle each scenario. The goal is to train yourself to look at the everyday, commonplace locations and scenarios you encounter and begin to see them full of photographic potential
What's your definition of a photo studio? Is it a room with a white seamless backdrop or a cyc wall? Maybe it's simply anywhere you're in control of the lighting. In a perfect world, where every day is a breezy 72 degrees with partial cloud coverage, we would all have a 5,000-square-foot studio--and the entire catalog of B & H"!in our equipment lockups. But the reality is that you may have an outdated DSLR with two decent lenses (which took you several years to save up for), and all you have at your disposal is an unfinished basement, your garage, or the empty conference room at your office. That's where Studio Anywhere comes in. With photographer Nick Fancher as your guide, you'll learn how to get portfolio-ready photos while working in some of the most problematic scenarios imaginable. Whether shooting a corporate portrait, a test shoot with a model, or a promo shoot with a band, you'll discover that most of the time, there's no need for an expensive studio--you just have to get creative. Studio Anywhere is a resource for photographers to learn through behind-the-scenes photos and lighting diagrams from a range of photo shoots--but it doesn't stop there. Because directing a photo shoot involves more than simply knowing how to wield a camera or process a raw file, Nick also lets you in on the aesthetic decisions he makes in his signature photos, inspiring you to develop your own vision. And, finally, he describes his Lightroom and Photoshop workflow so you can learn how to deftly navigate post-processing. -- Amazon.com