direction & quality of light

I tried to distill the essence of what we, as photographers, work with – light! Before we can truly grasp on-camera flash and off-camera flash, and really, any kind of photography, we have to be aware of the direction and quality of light. We need to observe the light that we have, and then decide how best to use it, or enhance it.

With this book, I try my best to share those “aha!” moments with you, and I do believe this book can make a difference to your photography.

photography books by Neil vN

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order an autographed copy of this book

Shipping and packaging is included in the price.
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info about the other books on photography

1. On-camera flash photography, by Neil vN
2. Off-camera flash photography, by Neil vN
3. Direction and Quality of Light, by Neil vN
also check out my list of recommended books on photography technique,
and my choice of best photography books.

Errata & Corrections – Direction Of Light

I would like to correct an error in my book, Direction & Quality Of Light:
(No matter how many times work is cross-checked, entropy will have its way.)

The photo shown in Plate 1-12 on page 19, was shot with direct, off-camera flash. No diffusion. There is a contradictory statement there that a softbox was used. This is incorrect. Just the bare flash was used, off-camera on a monopod being held up by an assistant.

newsletter / forum / workshops & seminars

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Also join us on the Tangents forum for further discussions.

If you need more direct help or instruction on flash photography,
I do present workshops & seminars and also offer individual tutoring sessions.

28 Comments »

Hi Neil,

I purchased your on camera flash book last year which I found to be really useful. I was wondering if this new book would be available to download as an iBook on the ipad or whether it was only available in print?

Thanks for the great work you continue to share with us on your blog too,

Ben

Comment by Ben Ellis — January 29, 2013 @ 3:46 am
Ben, I assume so. It’s becoming more and more important for publishers to have electronic versions of their books. But this is out of my hands, and entirely up to what my publisher does with it.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — January 29, 2013 @ 3:54 am
Just bought it the autographed book from you! Can’t wait! Congratulations Neil!

Best regards,
Juan Kis
kispix.com

Comment by Jua — February 20, 2013 @ 4:59 pm
Congratulations, Neil!

Comment by Annelies te Selle — February 21, 2013 @ 6:10 am
I have both your other books aready, and now a autographed one I can’t wait….Your studio looks excellent, I love it……
Thanks for sharing,
LA Laurie Ann Kurlin

Comment by Laurie Kurlin — February 21, 2013 @ 7:52 am
Neil
I have your other two books and definitely want this one and was going to pay the extra to have an autographed copy sent here to the UK. Would you know if it could get caught for Import taxes or would this be tax free? I only ask because here the postal service will charge an extra £10 just to “collect” the custom duty from me! To be honest I’d probably buy it anyway since your last two were so good.
Regards
Richard

Comment by Richard Knight — February 21, 2013 @ 8:17 am
hey neil,
just ordered a copy of your book from the canadian amazon, I am looking forward to reading it as I know it will contain excellent information.

Comment by dave — February 21, 2013 @ 11:28 am
Neil,
I just ordered this book to add to my NVN collection. I hope it arrives in time for the Vegas workshop weekend.
Perhaps I can come away with all three autographed by you?
Looking forward to the workshop!
Best,
Ken

Comment by Ken Bunch — February 21, 2013 @ 11:51 am
Hi Neil,

Greetings from Ireland. Just placed an order for your third book. Looking forward to it. I will add it to the collection of your first two. Best of luck with the sales and wishing you every sucess.

Regards,

Chris

Comment by Chris — February 21, 2013 @ 12:51 pm
Hi Neil, I met you at a group shoot in Vegas during WPPI last year & have been following your blog every since! I’m definitely buying a hard copy of this book!

Comment by Aaron — February 21, 2013 @ 5:14 pm
Neil, I pre-ordered your book from Amazon about a month ago and they initially told me it would ship on April 3. I just got an email that said it will ship on Feb. 27!

Comment by Bill — February 21, 2013 @ 7:23 pm
Neil,

I just ordered your new book from Amazon. I’ve already absorbed your two previous books on Flash Photography … so I guess I have the trilogy now!!

Thanks for all you do.

David

Comment by David Hall — February 24, 2013 @ 9:43 am
Hi Neil!
The book is not available in the UK until May – according to Amazon.uk

Mike.

Comment by Mike Greenslade — February 26, 2013 @ 6:01 pm
just got mine ordered, looks like it will be a good read. thanks.

Comment by Martin Handley — February 27, 2013 @ 9:52 am
just received your new book, excellent book as always. Great job!

Comment by dave — March 1, 2013 @ 3:15 pm
[...] as exciting is that I used a few images from their wedding in my third book on photography, Direction of Light. These two images of Jen in her stylish wedding dress, feature in the book, amongst other photos of [...]

Pingback by Jen & Chris' wedding at The Venetian - Contemporary Bride magazine - wedding photographer New Jersey NJ / NYC New York — March 1, 2013 @ 5:23 pm
Neil, i ordered your autographed book via paypal and i am looking forward to recieving it, any idea how long it takes to ship? I ordered the 1st day you offered it but havent recieved it yet.

Comment by Dan Banks — March 4, 2013 @ 9:13 pm
Hiya Neil,

I recently learned about your on you BH Youtube video. Loved your concepts. Never really thought about light in this way. I am devouring Direction & Quality of Light. Great stuff!

One thing I wish you could elaborate on is the size of rooms you can bounce in? Also on page 62 the night time shot where you bounced off of the awning. How far was that from your subjects?

Thanks in advance!

Comment by Josh — March 6, 2013 @ 1:58 pm
Josh .. it depends on how high you’re willing to take your ISO and how wide your aperture.

Here are three links where you can see the size of the place:
- bouncing on-camera flash in manual mode
- bounce flash photography at wedding receptions
- wedding photography: using high ISO and flash at the reception

In the photo on page 62 that you’re talking about, I was standing across the venue’s driveway from them. ie .. the width of two limos. The pullback shot was done from where I stood.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — March 6, 2013 @ 5:18 pm
Just received my signed copy today and look forward to reading. Thank you for the thoughtful packaging too! Mail can have a rough ride sometimes, but the book showed up in perfect condition.

Comment by Mark Morgan — March 6, 2013 @ 7:39 pm
Neil, i want to publically thank you. Neil to time out of his busy schedule in Las Vegas to email me about my order, it just came and i cant wait to read it!

Comment by Dan Banks — March 13, 2013 @ 8:28 am
Neil, I have made such progress as a photographer simply applying your mantra: raw and manual. You are always using convincing arguments. And if you feel that we readers did not get you, you are using again a different string of arguments.And you are such a good teacher. Your third book on the direction and quality of light is a striking proof. I have read the two preceding books but this time you found a way to instruct your readers which is again convincing: it is all about light. I consider you have found the holy grail. I award you a gold Medaille for this smart presentation. Thank you.

Comment by Felix Klaus — March 16, 2013 @ 9:38 am
Just ordered your latest book. Looking forward to exploring it.

Comment by Zenon — March 16, 2013 @ 4:47 pm
Thank you for the kind words! And a nice review on Amazon always helps.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — March 16, 2013 @ 5:37 pm
My copy arrived yesterday here in the UK. I’m about half way through and as expected, I’m loving it! Well done again Neil!

Comment by Barry — March 17, 2013 @ 1:59 pm
For those in the uk, I’ve just received my copy from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk. It took just over a week to be delivered with free postage. I know what I will be reading tonight!

Comment by Wendy — March 20, 2013 @ 4:54 pm
Just got my copy of the book here in the UK! Used Wendy’s advice and ordered through http://www.bookdepository.co.uk.

It’s a fantastic read, and full of great info and well explained examples. Definitely my new go-to book when I’m looking for advice on a lighting situation !

Super job Neil, and thanks for sharing so much of your knowledge with us!

Comment by Niall — April 3, 2013 @ 6:21 am
Hi Neil,

I picked up a kindle version of your latest book and I like the the content but the publisher dropped the ball on the images. At normal size they are just ok but at the larger zoomed in sizes they are of poor quality. The have seen a few of the same images on your blogs so I know they are great photos but something was lost in translation. If you have any say to the publisher it’s probably worth bringing up.

Comment by Miro — April 29, 2013 @ 8:37 pm