by: Kirk Tuck

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Rating: - Not for advanced shooters: Minimalist with Minimal info; title is misleading
The first line of the book description is a blatant lie:
"Packed with incredible images and step-by-step techniques... "
Images are well exposed, professional quality, but a bit dry and boring; can't recall having reacted to a single image thinking it was 'incredible.'
Case studies are about as close as this book comes to presenting 'techniques.'

I have been shooting with off camera flash for a couple of years and have amassed a decent kit of small hotshoe flashes as well as studio strobes, therefore the first four chapters (FOUR CHAPTERS!!), about gear, presented very little new or useful information for me.

I was certainly misled by the title: "Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography" and had expected to read about "Professional Techniques for Location Photography." Well, sadly there was very little of that; the book is (another one) mostly about gear *yawn*

The lone chapter that included case studies and lighting diagrams was interesting and contained the kind of information I was looking for, however ONE chapter of techniques compared with FOUR dedicated to 'gear and light 101' this book certainly lives up to 'Minimalist' in the title much more than "Professional Techniques for Location Photography." Too bad the price wasn't as minimalist as this book's usefulness.
Even so, I don't think ANY single image was 'incredible' as the book description stated.

I give it one star for the one chapter (out of five) of somewhat useful case studies.

For anyone intermediate to advanced with off-camera flash photography I would recommend skipping this one; even beginners can do much better.

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Rating: - Excellent starting point for learning off-camera lighting
I've been an amateur photographer for a long time and have always wanted to learn more about studio/location lighting, but was under the false assumption that it was cost prohibitive. Living in a rural area, I don't really have access to a strong local photography network so learning about new techniques that are straightforward and don't break the bank can be a challenge. While on vacation in Florida a few weeks ago, I visited a "real" camera shop just to browse. While there, I asked someone who seemed to be knowledgeable about where to start if I wanted to learn how to light on the cheap. They directed me to Tuck's book, which I purchased. Wow. Now I know what I have been missing about relatively inexpensive studio lighting for a good while now. This book will get an experienced amateur heading down the right path toward off camera lighting successes in short order.

As far as the content goes, I especially liked the down-to-earth discussion about "mundane" things like the types of clamps, stands, etc. that Tuck finds useful. It is these things that often give people like me pause before venturing into a new area of photography: we just don't know what to buy sometimes and we certainly don't want to waste money buying all the wrong things only to find that their usefulness does not live up to their price tag. Finally, the sections that contain setup discussions are very valuable. Not really because they tell us how to replicate his setup, but because it gives one ideas about how to solve one's own problems that arise in the real world.

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Rating: - Not a bad effort.
Okay. Look. Here's the deal, in years past we used big lights with lots of visual aids like modeling lights and consistent performance. At some point, with digital, all this changed and the emphasis became traveling light and working quick. It's a new technique and a lot of people need a guide that tells them the nuts and bolts of doing it with consistency and professional results. That is what this book does. It de-mystifies the relationship between off camera flash and your camera.

Tuck's writing style is clean and direct and he does a good job explaining the different ways in which small flashes can be used. He does a great overview about accessories and peripherals.

This book will save you a lot of time and money by stopping you from re-inventing the wheel. If you want to learn how to use these accessible tools this is the book for you.

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Rating: - Less is More
The case studies presented in Kirk Tuck's "Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography" get right to the meat of the matter quickly. With lighting diagrams presented right next to the explanations as to why those positions are important are invaluable to someone who's having trouble getting from visualization to imaging.

While some of the equipment references have become mildly dated since the initial print, they're not so bad that one cannot immediately find updated material (for example, the Nikon SB-800 is referred to as the "...current top-of-the-line flash in the Nikon system," having been replaced by the SB-900 only last year.

For beginner-to-intermediate photographers, I think the "Minimalist Lighting" series is a must-have. Even many long-time professional photographers have mentioned to me that they've learned something from it, too.

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Rating: - Keeping with the times in lighting
Kirk Tuck's writing style is warm and friendly, just like sitting down over a cup of coffee with a buddy. He explains, often through stories of previous shoots, how he came to look for an alternative and more modern way to light his photographs. Many photographers of experience are trapped by their own inability to change with the times, but Mr. Tuck is not one of those professionals. He describes in detail the why, how and where to use small strobes. More often that not, with today's technologically advanced cameras, these small strobes easily handle the tasks that used to require large, heavy and expensive studio lights. This book is a great place for any beginner to start but certainly doesn't leave out the more seasoned photographer. I've been shooting professionally for 23 years and really enjoyed this book, even learned a few things!

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