Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Michael Freeman, the author of more than 20 books on various aspects of photography, now helps digital photographers see (and understand) the light! Because good lighting is key to a picture's success, it's a topic of interest to anyone who picks up a digital camera...and Freeman's comprehensive manual gives readers an essential toolbox of techniques and creative ideas. Find out how to create and manipulate lighting scenarios for professional-looking photos. Examine the many varieties of natural light, from blazing sunlight to gentle twilight, as well as incandescent and fluorescent lights. Make the most of your camera's flash and lighting equipment, including diffusers, shades, and reflectors.
From shooting techniques to imaging tricks, this provides photographers with a solid groundwork for producing top-quality pictures.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 6)
• Section 1 Light & the Camera (p. 8)
• Light as We See It (p. 10)
• Dynamic Range (p. 12)
• Light on the Sensor (p. 14)
• Bit-Depth and Light (p. 16)
• The Color of Light (p. 18)
• Color Temperature, Real and Correlated (p. 20)
• Measuring Light (p. 22)
• The Histogram (p. 32)
• Changing Sensitivity (p. 34)
• White Balance and Hue (p. 36)
• Exposure Strategies (p. 38)
• Section 2 Daylight (p. 40)
• Once Source, Many Variables (p. 42)
• Pure Sunlight (p. 44)
• Height of the Sun (p. 46)
• Tropical Sunlight (p. 48)
• Clouds as Diffusers (p. 50)
• Clouds as Reflectors (p. 54)
• Daybreak (p. 56)
• Golden Light (p. 58)
• Soft Light (p. 60)
• Storm Light (p. 64)
• A Foggy Day (p. 66)
• Twilight and Night (p. 68)
• Keeping Pace with the End of the Day (p. 72)
• Shooting Into Sunlight (p. 74)
• Section 3 Artificial Light (p. 76)
• Incandescent Light (p. 78)
• Fluorescent Light (p. 82)
• Vapor Discharge Light (p. 84)
• Mixed Light Sources (p. 86)
• Section 4 Photographic Lighting (p. 90)
• Camera-Mounted Flash (p. 92)
• AC Flash (p. 94)
• Incandescent Lighting (p. 96)
• Daylight (HMI) Lighting (p. 98)
• High-Performance Fluorescent (p. 100)
• Lighting Supports (p. 102)
• Reflectors and Diffusers (p. 106)
• Reflectors and Gobos (p. 110)
• Effects Lights (p. 112)
• Section 5 Digital Lighting (p. 116)
• Camera Calibration (p. 118)
• Fitting the Tonal Range to the Gamut (p. 120)
• Changing Brightness (p. 122)
• Changing Contrast (p. 124)
• Revealing Shadows (p. 126)
• Eyesight and High Dynamic Range (p. 128)
• High Dynamic Range and Realism (p. 130)
• Exposure Bracketing, Photoshop Blending (p. 132)
• Dedicated Blending Software (p. 134)
• HDR Imaging (p. 136)
• Generating HDRIS (p. 138)
• Tone-Mapping Methods (p. 140)
• Tone-Mapping with a Curve (p. 142)
• Advanced HDR Curve Adjustment (p. 146)
• Previewing HDR Images (p. 148)
• Choosing the Merging Method (p. 150)
• Time-Lapse Daylight (p. 152)
• Multiple Layered Lighting (p. 156)
• Digital Flare Control (p. 158)
• Digital Fog (p. 160)
• Synthetic Sunlight (p. 162)
• Lighting for QTVR (p. 164)
• Section 6 The Craft of Lighting (p. 168)
• Chiaroscuro (p. 170)
• Revealing Texture (p. 172)
• Transparency & Translucency (p. 174)
• Positioning the Main Light (p. 176)
• Fill Lights and Reflectors (p. 184)
• Portraits with Fill (p. 194)
• Back-Lighting (p. 196)
• Side-and Rim-Lighting (p. 198)
• Full Frontal Lighting (p. 200)
• Overhead Lighting (p. 202)
• Multiple Light Sources (p. 204)
• Lighting Spaces (p. 206)
• Making Light Softer (p. 208)
• Enveloping Light (p. 210)
• Making Light Sharper (p. 214)
• Optical Precision Lighting (p. 216)
• Glossary (p. 218)
• Index (p. 223)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Most experts agree that the most important element in photography (and in painting, for that matter) is the use of light. Digital photography provides a level of control over the capture and manipulation of light that is far beyond the limits of film photography. Freeman (The Complete Guide to Digital Photography) here offers the most comprehensive manual on how to interpret and alter light through digital means. He begins with exposure strategies that are unique to the digital camera-the histogram (a graph of the distribution of tones in an image), the measurement of light, white balance, and hue. The next four chapters deal with daylight, artificial light, photographic lighting, and digital lighting. The final section takes a detailed look at studio lighting, fill lights, reflectors, etc. Highly recommended for all collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.