Shaping Light is a practical, hands-on guide to lighting for video. Using a Dummies-style approach, the book explains lighting techniques through real-world examples, including recent updates on the groundbreaking use of LED lighting and wireless control options. This book focuses on firsthand application of technical knowledge, to appeal to cinematography students and video freelancers. Beginning with simple lighting setups and progressing to more complicated scenarios, the book holds the reader’s attention with illustrative anecdotes, and links theory to real-world applications.
The book covers:
- Basic three-point lighting
- Lighting moving actors
- Set lighting and exposure
- Instrument selection including the many LEDs
- Bringing style to your lighting
- Color temperature and the Kelvin scale
- Exterior lighting: day and night
- Lighting categories and genres – what to expect
- Green-screen techniques
- Money and budgeting
- Electricity and electrical distribution
- What does a grip do?
- Case studies, with photos and diagrams
- Career paths
- Extensive glossary
About the Author
Alan Steinheimer is a gaffer and Lighting Director working in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 25 years. He began his career in New York City, starting out in photography but found video and film more fun and collaborative.
His resume includes feature films such as The Darwin Awards, documentary and corporate work, commercials, and music videos such as Britney Spears’ Oops, I did it again. He has appeared as a guest expert in many installments of Luke Seerveld’s Meet the Gaffer series on YouTube and Vimeo.
Alan’s previous experience teaching weekend workshops in San Francisco have given him insight into effective ways to teach novice film and video makers. This is the book Alan wishes he had been able to read earlier in his career: an explanation of video lighting theory, emphasizing real-world scenarios, mixed with problem-solving on location and budgeting issues, and commentary on working as a free-lancer.
Alan lives in Berkeley, California, and spends too much time stuck in traffic going to and from work.
