Matters of Light & Depth

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




Good book!, December 27, 2008
By Alexander
I bought it something like a year ago and it was my first book on traditional lighting, so I postponed till I can compare it with the other ones.

Ok, I will tell what I find good and what not. First about the book itself. It is illustrated in a 18-th century engraving style, which is pecullar and looks antique, being humorous from time to time. I find this exciting and making the book stand out from a pretty usual design of other books about lighting. Then it fell apart in pieces after a week of use, which is because of bad glue used for it, so I left with a pile of pages. Nevertheless, it's not the author's guilt so I won't take a star away for this, though it's a bit pity, as I am always very careful with books.

The book is aimed mainly towards a movie lighting, so it has a very brief explanation of how surfaces are affected by lighting and how to light metal, glass etc. From another point, it has unique explanations on very important subjects from a clearly experienced professional which are valuable for a novice. Those are about the rules and when to break them.
It has a very well-organised explanation of "how much lights to use", starting from a 1-point lighting setup to many. Very good summarisations of general ways of good lighting (general concepts). Yet to notice, it often has humorous written moments which are really fun and not pseudo-jokes just to make the read less boring. It is a poetic book from time to time, and has practical lessons, which I found very important and helpful to me. The autor tried to make not simply a book, but to inspire a novice with good illustrations, and beautiful poetic language among puns (he is a writer too). Quite a brief insight of cinematography and composition. Yet some practical considerations about the effective use of light fixtures.
Was it worth for me? Yes, every penny. A good addition to any lighting library.



Very Helpful - Perfect Resource / Fun Read, September 17, 2008
By James Michael (Washington, D.C.)
Very, very, very, very useful in helping me understand lighting for video work, but it was written without a particular medium in mind. Wonderful resource for anyone focused on film, video, and/or photo stills. Did I mention this book was/is very helpful? That is probably why everyone seems to recommend this book.

There are a lot of great resources on this subject, but this is written with all the detail you will need/want while always remaining fun and interesting.




Why to light, not just how, June 15, 2008
By Robert Bill
Rather than lighting formulas which are a great way to see the tried and true setups, Lowell discusses the "whys" to light in particular way, opening up your creativity. It discusses selecting the planes of the subject that are desired to be emphasized/de-emphasized and lighting accordingly, eg good cheek bones vs. large ears. To consider having your lighting be consistent with visible light source in the scene. A great companion to Light: science and magic that considers how particular surface types should be lit. It will change the way you see light, consequently the way you photograph or watch movies.



Matters of Light & Depth, March 11, 2008
By NV_Blue_Herron (Las Vegas, NV)
No problems. Who could complain when the product was delivered quickly and in the condition as described (great).



Illuminating (okay, okay, that's pretty bad, but the book isn't), October 6, 2007
By film book reader (Alameda, CA)
For those of us who seem mystified by why their videos look so...well, bad, Matters of Light and Depth offers valuable insights into the subtle and not so subtle qualities of light. Some of the material presented looks at still photography, and some takes advantage of classic artists whose tools were oil paint and canvas. All in all, while Matters of Light and Depth does not offer a "by the numbers" approach to lighting scenes, it does provide strong aesthetic considerations, as well as pithy quotations from people who "do lighting." It's worth looking at. And the glossary is entertaining, as well. Basically, you just can't beat something from Ross Lowell.