FACES: Photography and the Art of Portraiture

The thing I like the most about this book is that it shows you the set-ups photographers used to make the illustrated photographs. If you find a picture in the 48 examples shown, the author describes the exact set-up used to achieve the shot. I found the book to be extremely educational.

Good book to learn about lighting setups.

This book is great, but the images in the kindle version are too small and low res. I am going to buy the print version for this reason.

it's very informative, especially if you want to get into studio photography! the detail of this book is great, it goes into each way the portrait is lighted, in the back it even goes over basic studio lighting setup! Just what I needed! I'd recommend this book to anyone who needs more information on studio lighting!

I bought this for my nephew who is fascinated by pictures of people! It was well packaged and shipped quickly! I would recommend for anyone interested in photography!

I recently took a photography class and had to do a portrait assignment. My instructor only showed us how to do a split, butterfly, and rembrandt lighting; just flipped through some portraits, mostly nude, on a projector. He had really high expectations, but basically, I was pretty lost on what to do, nor too excited about doing the assignment. I REALLY could have used this book for inspiration!First of all, the cover is pretty brilliant with smooth and rough textures creating greater dimension (subject #20 Mark on pg. 56). This book is an easy read with the text explained in casual writing (not like reading a dull college thesis or something), and is accompanied by full color pictures and drawing lighting diagrams. 33 out of the 48 subjects, that the author shot, include a lighting setup diagram; the rest were just available light, so it was left out. Although, I'm not sure why there were some portraits that just used available light still included a diagram.I found the lighting diagrams to be really beneficial. I also really love the "Portraits from the Past" section showcasing 36 portraits from the past with its background description. What makes this book also interesting to read is the variety of people the author shares of his work and explains the personality he wanted to capture.To be honest, I felt some examples seemed more like a "fill-in" just to show the author's work or promote the type of camera. On some of the descriptions, the yellow font on a white background is REALLY difficult to read! I think that was a really bad choice.It would definitely help to know the basics of camera such as ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc. prior to taking in some of things written in this book because the author does mention what settings he used in SOME of his photographs. I understand the author does stress he does not want this book to be a "formula" type of learning, a direct-"just follow these settings and just reproduce", but giving you ideas to expand on. However, since he mentioned the settings for certain photos, it made me curious on what he used for the rest. He used various cameras from professional to simple point-and-shoot cameras; to studio set-ups to on-the-spot streets.I like that the book included pictures of the types of tools for lighting. There is an appendix covering some very basic example of overexposure/underexposure, soft/hard light, or color-to-black and white. Comparison is always good to learn from. I know this book isn't about photography editing, but I would have liked to have seen how the original photo looked like, for some of the 48 portraits -- with raw lighting -- before all the post production manipulations with color correction and everything (just like how the author included the original picture for the abstract portrait of Harry "37" (pg. 90) Personally, the post editing effect seems kind of gimmicky because the original photo wasn't anything special. Well, art is all subjective.)OTHER THOUGHTS:The Flemmings family. The author wrote he made the family dress in dark-toned clothing, but one girl is dressed in bright red that really stands out in the family; I wonder if that was intentional? (pg. 71)I thought it was a typo when it said "he" for Youngeshwar #16 (pg. 48). Youngeshwar really looks like a girl, especially with the circular "glamor" catch light ring on the eyes.It was hard for me to put it down, so I definitely recommend it. I give it a 4 stars being really harsh. It's definitely inspiring to read. If this book doesn't want to make you want to go out there and start shooting some portrait pictures, or at least give you some sort of excitement about photography, then you should definitely change hobbies/career!

This is one of the best "how to" photographic books I've seen. Fuqua and Biver provide 48 portraits of all types (formal/informal, street/home, controlled-/ambient-lighting, etc), with brief descriptions of how they were made, focusing on the type of lighting used and how it was set up. You are not being encouraged to follow a formula, but to understand the relationship between a particular lighting technique and the kind of portrait you want to produce.Of the sample photos, the only real dud (for me) is #45, a snapshot taken with a Fuji instant-picture camera. The image quality is poor, and the wide aspect ratio doesn't make for a good portrait of a single person. I love taking and giving away instant photos, especially portraits, but I use a glass-lensed, focusing camera (such as a Polaroid 195 or 360), with Fuji's peel-apart instant materials (now that Polaroid materials are no longer available). These produce a truly high-quality image, and I prefer peeling the positive from the negative, rather than watching it appear. These cameras also have optional portrait and close-up lenses, which let you get as close to the subject as you like.Every photographer has their own approach to portraiture, so showcasing the work of only two would be highly limiting, if not parochial. The book therefore includes many other portraits, both contemporary and historic, that show the range of possibilities in approaching photographic portraiture. Some -- such as a picture of a dead baby in its casket -- are surprising. (Contrary to another reviewer, I happen to like the Sophia Loren portrait.)There are three sections on "Street Shooting" (shooting informally at any time); "Preproduction" (what you need to do to be ready for portraiture, in or out of the studio); and "Modifying Light" (a detailed discussion of the lighting techniques shown in the 48 sample photos).My only complaint is the perhaps-odd one that the sample portraits are on the /left/ (verso) page, rather than the right (recto). As most people are right-eyed, you'd think the portraits would be on that side as well, as that's where most readers would first look.I'm so accustomed to photography books that are incomplete and/or inaccurate, badly written and/or edited -- the kind of garbage documentation that comes from big-name "experts" who often have no idea what they're talking about (and edited by people who know even less) -- that "Faces" one came as a pleasant surprise. Regardless of your photographic experience, you're likely to find something useful or inspirational in it.PS: Several reviewers have complained that too many of the sample photos require equipment -- such as multiple studio lights and large reflectors -- the average photographer doesn't own, one saying that the book seems aimed more at people who want to spend money on fancy equipment, than it is at people who want to take better portraits. Unfortunately, photography is "about" controlling light (or controlling the viewer's perception of light), and it's sometimes necessary to use non-amateur equipment to get the kind of portrait you want. If someone is serious about portrait photography, it's not unreasonable for them to own a high-powered flash with a diffuser, or a pair of tungsten studio lamps, any more than it is to expect them to own a high-quality camera with a good lens.

I really like the authors' approach to this book - part history, part philosophy and part how-to. It is structured so that, once you read the introduction (which isn't absolutely necessary), you can just flip to a portrait that appeals to you and you can learn about the photographer's approach and how he executed it. Most portraits have an accompanying sketch of the lighting setup and a description of the camera/lens settingsIt is not exhaustive, but it provides a lot of really useful information and the photos within are well done and should provide you with some ideas and inspiration.

This book don't give you magic recipes or rules of the thumb to wedding portraits but is a more general and free approach to portraits with the bonus of a wide variety of set ups both interiors and exteriors

Birthday gift for my photographer son.

Bought for university, helped finish my degree

Klasse! Tolle Fotos (nicht alle, da Geschmackssache!) und Lichtssets dazu. Bin sehr zufrieden. Auch gut verständliches Englisch! Der Sprung ins kalte Wasser hat sich gelohnt!