Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Michael Grecco is one of the best-known celebrity photographers in the world. His beautiful, insightful work is all around us--on movie posters, in advertising, on magazine covers, everywhere, "I delight in inspiring people," he writes. "I want them to stop, think, and feel." Now Grecco shares the secrets of great portraits with photographers at every level, in Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait. Sections on cameras, illumination, film and digital, lighting set-ups with diagrams, creativity and conceptualization, connecting with the subject, and having a point of view, plus intriguing case studies that show "how I got that picture," make this book a resource photographers will use again and again through the years. Whether the subject is a star or a soccer mom, or a business executive or a politician, Grecco shows how to add artistry, drama, wit, humor, and personality to their portrait.

Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Edgy December 21, 2006
71 out of 76 found this review helpful

Make no mistake about it. Michael Grecco is a brilliant portrait photographer and the pictures presented in this book are top-notch and edgy. Yet, as I read this book, I at first felt that this was another example of how-to-itis. That's the case where a publisher feels that a book will sell better if it's an instructional manual than if it's a portfolio.

I felt this even more strongly as I read the first few pages, where I encountered pictures that documented the use of equipment and techniques that I knew nothing about. Then as I read further, I found that the discussions of general principles followed the pictures rather than preceding them. I found this a strange editorial technique that left me mystified as I looked at pictures and then had me flipping back to them after the discussion. I was also glad I knew a little bit about portrait photography so that I could understand the skeletal descriptions of the technical aspects of what Grecco was doing

Grecco has sections on cameras, illumination, the medium, creativity and conceptualization, the subject/ photographer connection and case studies. In this last section he presents pictures grouped by subject matter and then explains how he came to pose the pictures and light them. Throughout, he used this show and then tell approach. Once I got used to it, I didn't find it so off-putting.

You may wonder who the audience for this book is. For example, when he describes the army of assistants involved in a shoot, including make-up artists, prop builders, location scouts and so forth, the average photographer will feel out of his league. One of the lights that Grecco uses may cost more than all of the equipment some serious photographers may own. The author does not teach fundamental lighting techniques, and in fact says that one of his guiding principles is to always break the rules of lighting. At first it might appear that Grecco is speaking just to the other members of the clique of celebrity photographers.

Most of us will never be able to get actor Jet Li to leap four or five feet into the air in an alley filled with smoke from a fog machine in front of a setup of five strong strobe lights. On the other hand, I thought that rather then photographing that young ballerina in a graceful plie, I could have gotten a more exciting picture if I had asked her to do jetes. And I was inspired to research the rental of a fog machine which turned out to be quite inexpensive. And even though I might never be able to get Martin Landau to pose in back of an iron weave railing in Cafe La Boheme, I could pose Uncle George behind the wrought-iron railing in Aunt Jane's place.

So, for the portrait photographer who feels that he or she has to push out of the box of conventional lighting and posing techniques, this book may be a source of ideas. For other photographers, it may be fascinating to find out how one big-time portrait photographer does it, and admire his work, even if we never apply any of his techniques.

3 out of 5 stars

I was hoping for a bit more of 'how' March 16, 2007
33 out of 34 found this review helpful

This book is another artsy treatment of lighting that talks more about the art of lighting. He assumes you know how to do most of the technical lighting stuff.
While he does show a 'wire drawing' of some setups it does not go very deep into the technical at all. I was hoping for a bit more 'hands on' or 'how to set up' information. If you want to be inspired, maybe this is your book. If you are looking for instruction, look elsewhere. My copy will be up in the used book section.

3 out of 5 stars

For experts only... December 24, 2006
19 out of 31 found this review helpful

Upfront, I'll admit I don't like his "over the top" concepts, and "over the top" lighting. It's sort of Annie Liebowitz on speed, only Grecco is infinitely more skillful with lighting, sets, and styling. Most of the shots were far more about Grecco's skill and eye, than about the subjects.

The book is mainly useful for experts, rather than beginners, because of the extreme sophistication and sometimes extreme complexity of Grecco's lighting, and to some degree, set-design/construction. My colleagues consider me skilled at lighting, but I wouldn't even attempt some of the set-ups Grecco uses, and succeeds with, without faltering.

BTW, by far the nicest shot in the book is the nude shot in - I kid you not - the New Mexico gas chamber.

The book is also marred by bad book design. [...]

I'm sorry to give such a mixed review, because I like Grecco. I'm impressed by him in person, and really impressed by his ability to [...] get striking photos.

5 out of 5 stars

Highly informative, candid, entertaining, and visually arresting! October 22, 2006
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Don't read it cover-to-cover. Just flip though this book and stop at the first picture that grabs you. Grecco is that rare photographer who can actually put into words the creative process behind his images. He is smart, honest, funny, and frank about what it takes to make the beautiful, unique, and skillfully executed portraits that lavishly illustrate this book. There is a wealth of detailed, specific information about how the photographs were created (lighting diagrams, actual cameras, lenses, and lights used, etc.), however, most valuable is his emphasis on WHY he made his various creative and technical decisions. This volume would be worthwhile for the pictures alone, or for the diagrams, the behind-the-scenes anecdotes, or just for the insights into the technical, practical, strategic, interpersonal, and financial components that contribute to the successful outcome of what is typically thought of as a simply artistic endeavor. Rather than regarding it as a book of recipes to be rigorously replicated, he suggests using it as a jumping-off point; as an opportunity to facilitate and fine-tune your own creative process.

4 out of 5 stars

Highly informative and a good read, too! January 11, 2007
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

After reading about this book on the Strobist blog, I decided to order it and see for myself. I was not disappointed! It is full of tips and examples and how-to's, some using very elaborate equipment, some very simple one-light setups. He also shares some very clever ideas and tricks which can be adapted to many situations. Grecco is, moreover, a very pleasant teacher and the book is a very good read that gives the reader some views behind the scenes of Grecco Inc., or any major studio for that matter.
My only slight problem with this book is the introduction, which is not extensive enough for beginners and irrelevant to advanced and pro shooters. Probably not Grecco's choice, either.

You'll still have to come up with your own ideas and interpretations of the sitters and the images you want to bring home. But to get you technically up to speed, give you a number of widely usable ideas and give you a very stimulating read into the bargain, this is the book to look at.

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