Night & Low-Light Photography: A Complete Guide

For experienced photographers, this thorough guide can serve as an authoritative work on the fine art of night and low-light photography. Unfortunately, the book is difficult to use. A wealth of practical data is buried in dense, sometimes awkward prose. Information on techniques and equipment is scattered throughout the book, and the index is not detailed enough to make the volume a practical reference. Although basic techniques are covered, beginners will find the book too technical and detailed. The 100 color and black-and-white extraordinary photographs, however, compensate for many of the book's deficiencies. Each photograph has a caption explaining the special techniques that brought about the particular effect. Many are accompanied by line diagrams illustrating printing techniques. One spectacular low-light interior picture evinces the effect of light streaming through window slats patterned with an image of a cathedral. The chapter on special effects is especially helpful for those interested in the less conventional approaches to photography. Here, Gibbons and Wilson reveal the secrets of their well-known photographic styles in their use of filters, infra-red films and unfocused images, and in the striking effect caused by refocusing a zoom lens during the exposure. (November 4)