Canon Speedlites and Nikon Speedlights are small; off-camera flashguns that can provide big results - if you know how to use them properly. Acclaimed Boston photographers Lou Jones; Bob Keenan and Steve Ostrowski guide you through the technical and creative aspects of how to get the most out of these powerful tools in this indispensable guide; packed full of inspirational images and comprehensive diagrams of the lighting set ups used to capture them.They are significantly more advanced; lighter and considerably cheaper than a standard flashgun; and have many advantages. They are small (and cheap) enough that a number can be carried in your kit; and they can be used in combination; triggered wirelessly. They use through-the-lens (TTL) metering; which allows you to use the in-camera LCD and histograms to calculate the required power/direction; rather than havng to use a light meter or trial and error. They use proprietary; dedicated technology (from Canon and Nikon) that means there are no compatability issues.Getting the most out of them; however; remains a mystery - most photographers still just use their speedlights in the same way as a standard flash gun. This is where this book comes in.
#4156817 in eBooks 2013-06-17 2013-06-17File Name: B00DL1R4CC
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Waste of Time! Poor Writing! No Structure!By CustomerComplete waste of time! Jessica squandered a great opportunity- access to The Big B; his family; and other film stars- writing a book that offers nothing useful at all. How a big star and a good publishing house will endorse such a book is beyond me. This book has no redeeming feature at all. To be honest; this book would suggest that Jessica Hines has no writing skill. I wish Big B and Bloombury had given someone else the opportunity to write this book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Really difficult to find anything worthwhile in the bookBy Abhinav AgarwalIf you write a book about a big movie star; it seems reasonable on the part of the reader to expect to read something about the star himself; his life; and in his own words also. Despite the title of the book; Looking for the Big B... you dont really expect to plod through 200 pages or so of mediocre; plodding prose; before you get to anything worthwhile. Even then the information is unoriginal; unilluminating; and nothing that has not already been written; over and over again.It is really difficult to identify any positives from this book. There is the novelty of reading about the fascination that a young British girl has with Amitabh Bachchan; but that too fades after the first few pages. A lot of profanity seems a desperate attempt at appearing cool; and a description of the grime; pollution; poverty read too stale and cliched to elicit any interest.We do get to know that the author has been to Mumbai (Bombay) innumerable times; that she has ingested enough lead; thanks to the pollution; to double her body weight; that beggars and filth infest the city; that she has been to the Al Burj Dubai; to the IIFA awards in Malaysia; has had many dinners with Amitabh; seen him sleeping next to him (on a plane); and knows a smattering of Hindi.We also get to read about a lot of other stars; but their mention is only used as a prop to inform us that the author knows these stars - Manisha Koirala; Rani Mukherjee; Aamir Khan (whom it turns out she got to know more than closely); etc...She writes about her travails in getting an interview with Rekha; but nothing beyond that. Or her interview with Shobha De; ex-editor of a gossip magazine Stardust; which only informs us that Ms De has nothing useful or interesting to say.Perhaps the only insightful and touching nugget comes from her interview with Prakash Mehra; Bollywood director; who gave Amitabh his first big; commercially successful break with Zanjeer.As a belated background; for those uninformed of Amitabh Bachchan; also referred as Big B (and hence the title of the book) and the "Angry Young Man"; he is the biggest superstar the Hindi movie industry has seen (though the likes of Shahrukh Khan; Aamir Khan; Akshay Kumar too enjoy a huge fan following); and somewhat of a model for dozens of actors; stars; superstars; and star wannabes; that have followed him. The phenomenon of Amitabh Bachchan has also lasted very; very long; starting with his blockbusters in the 1970s (Zanjeer; Deewar; Sholay; Kabhi Kabhie); continuing in the 1980s (Namak Halaal; Shakti; Laawaris); faltering in the 1990s (with hits like Agneepath; Hum; Khuda Gawah; and such duds as Lal Baadshah); and resurging in the millennium (Mohabbatein; Aankhen; Khakee; Sarkar).Peruse these alternatives:To be or not to be: Amitabh BachchanSholay: The Making of a ClassicBachchanalia The Films Memorabilia of Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan: The Legend0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Trying too hard for the laughsBy UomoAs a some-time fan of Bollywood I was pleased to find this book and eager to get some insights into Bachchan and the Bollywood film industry. It didnt take long at all to be put off however by the gushing teenage adoration and purple prose of the author (Bachchan is variously described as a "demigod"; a "megastar"; "The Living Legend of the Hindi Film" ; a "perpetual star with the power to enthrall" etc etc and this is all in the first 10 or so pages). The attempts at humour just seem too forced and any real insight into Bollywood along with any interest from me had very soon dissipated. I have to confess that I gave up after less than 50 pages.