Fall in Love with Your Flash: A Guide to Creative Lighting with Scott Kelby's The Flash Book

Mtonylopez: Although I prefer a more technical approach to learning about photography, I feel Scott’s KISS method brings you back to the basics and is effective.

I recommend it if you want to get to shooting with your flash as soon as possible.

United States on Aug 15, 2023

jbwheatley: Kelby has a great ability to make the apparently difficult simple. This is a great reference to have on the phone. His recommendations on gear are greatly appreciated.

United States on Mar 14, 2023

#boymom: If you want to learn flash photography today, buy this book!! Scott Kelby is phenomenal at explaining the concepts without bogging you down with all of the confusing aspects of flash photography.

I’ve been shooting for years and I use his methods when I’m teaching new photographers the basics. I remember sitting in a college class learning flash, feeling like I might never understand. Scott’s method is KISS… Keep It Simple Stupid at its best.

Is it everything there is to know about flash photography… no. But it will get you up and running and really help you wrap your mind around how to properly expose your image and add in light.

Seriously… this is probably the best book on the market for beginners learning flash photography. Just buy it.

United States on Oct 30, 2022

Nickola H.: Simple and straightforward . Excellent

United Kingdom on Feb 25, 2022

Marmalade: This book contains lots of clear explanations ( including pictures) explaining how to set up flashguns, following up with advice and equipment recommendations for mounting the flash off-camera. He describes how to use flashguns on location and in the studio, briefly covering scenarios including room interiors as well as portraits and events.
It even has tips on how to make your portrait subject look their best and "how to get this shot" recipes. Even if you don't like Scott Kelby's chatty informal writing style, there is much useful practical information here. It's designed for readers with all levels of camera experience, but who are less confident with flash. If you're unsure about flash in any way or need to branch out a little, this is a tremendously useful book.

United Kingdom on Jul 09, 2020

Mr C Fawdon: The book demystifies the Speedlite flash gun, wireless, and radio control. The book is an excellent introduction to the setting up and use of Radio Controlled flash guns. It then continues with much advice on how to tackle various common uses of the flash. I found the book to be pitched at the right level for me a beginner in the world of flash photography.

United Kingdom on Jul 03, 2020

Carpenter: I agree with an other reviewer - I found the chatty, pally writing very irritating. The writer is not the friend of the reader - just explain what you want to say in a straightforward fashion. I found the explanation of the clock face thoroughly confusing (page 71)- a diagram might have been a better way of explaining the position of the light. Surely the photographer is at 6 o'clock or else the clock face is upside down. Just a very peculiar way of explaining something quite simple. On a positive point - covering the various aspects on a page by page basis is an excellent idea.

United Kingdom on Nov 27, 2019

Bill P: This book does a good job of covering the proper use of flash equipment both in the studio and in the field. If you choose to buy this book, be aware that a lot of the book is about studio lighting, so if you don't do or plan to do any studio work these parts of the book will be less valuable to you. There's enough about in-the-field lighting to be useful to you if you don't do studio work.

If you study (and not just read) this book and endeavor to apply the ideas the author presents (and you're willing to do a lot of trial-and-error effort) you'll get a good grounding in how to use a flash, or multiple flashes, to create beautifully lit photographs.

There are many recommendations on equipment to use and equipment not to use and these discussions are quite helpful. The good news here is that a good flash setup can be put together without breaking the bank. The reader will have to decide which equipment is a good fit for his or her photographic needs.

That said, there are a few oddities in the book...On page 48 there's an odd and confusing discussion about adjusting the brightness of the flash by changing the flash power (no doubt about this) and by changing...

United States on Jun 16, 2018

tartakd: Scott Kelby always writes very easy to understand books. That's why he is number one in photography training. This book is no exception. Basics of flash are hammered in very clearly and to the point. That being said, this is what I don't like about this book:
1. Title is misleading: this is not an all-inclusive flash book. Except for one page on group shot, several pages with terrible photos of wedding receptions, one page of photographing a bottle of wine, it's all about using flash to photograph one person, a model, a bride or an athlete. Nothing wrong with that, but it should be clearly stated in the title. The book has zero information about flash macro or telephoto photography and associated accessories.
2. The author does not like TTL, so the book basically trains you to shoot all manual with several presets and adjust some of them as part of the process by taking picture after picture till you get it just right. This is a valid approach in the studio or in an environment where these several shots can be made. Are there cases where TTL with flash compensation prove beneficial? There is no answer to this question here.
3. This book seems to have been written very...

United States on May 25, 2018

Andreas W.: Bestellt im August, aber die Verfügbarkeit hat sich immer wieder verschoben. Endlich ist es jetzt da, nach fast 5 Monaten Wartezeit.
Inhaltlich ist es top. Scott Kellby kann wirklich gut erklären.

Für Blitzanfänger wie mich ist es sehr nützlich. Es wir alles sehr einfach und verständlich erklärt. Man kommt mit kleinem Strobisten Equipment aus. Grundlegendes Beleuchten für Hobby Fotografen ohne Studiogeräte wird gut erklärt.
Wer sich schon intensiver mit der Materie befasst hat, für den ist es eher nichts.

Was mich wirklich stört ist der Druck. Viele Seiten sind nicht registerhaltig gedruckt, so dass der Text und die Bilder unscharf sind bzw. es entsteht ein doppeltes Schriftbild. Schade!!! Lesbar ist es allerdings noch und ich schicke es lieber nicht zurück um nicht noch einmal ein paar Monate warten zu müßen.

Die vier Sterne gebe ich gutgemeint für den Inhalt. Einen Stern ziehe ich ab für wirklich schlechten Druck und schlechte Verfügbarkeit.

Germany on Jan 25, 2018