Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Technical parts are short, but good compositional ideas Review: From a technical standpoint, Frost is rather brief, but I think that his overall treatment of the subject is good. As other reviewers noted, there are other, more detailed books on the technical details of low light photography. What the book does a good job of doing, I think, is letting you into the mind of someone who has taken some wonderful lowlight shots. The thread of compositional advice that is interwoven with the technical advice made this book worth it for me.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: it's my second texbook! Review: granted, i'm no pro photographer -- yet, but i am persuing a photojournalism degree in quite a competative program thanks largely in part to frost's handy books. in fact, even now i find this and 'the a to z guide..' to be invaluable quick-reference resources. when i began seriously pursuing photography four years ago i picked up the a to z guide on a whim and was able to implement his easy-access (sometimes even commonsensical yet woefully underutilized in so many photographic works) instructions the next day. the same can be said for this book. for years i'd been intimidated by nightshooting and lowlight situations in general; vastly reducing the opportunity to grow and literally missing out on many wonderful should-have-been shots. now, as a student, i've recently stumbled uoon this book quite by accident in a museum giftshop and immediately snapped it up knowing that frost's concise instructions are the quickest path from no-knowledge to a good, working understanding of the fundamentals (and then some) out there right now. already i am finding it more useful than the 'a to z guide' based purely on the Absolute Necessity of the information and it's ability to teach me rather complex ideas quickly and thoroughly <b>and make it stick</b>. To sum up, frost's instruction is valuable to beginners for every reason you can think of. you won't find a better book out there. i guarentee this one won't sit on your shelf and collect dust, kids! and for the more advanced shooters this book serves as a wonderful quick reference guide to the specs of a particular film or even flip through to find the general shutter/ap combination of a certain shot to gauge what you should do in a particular situation (the high quality color and b&w's make this possible). the rule of thumb is that doing it yourself will teach you more than you'll remember from an overpriced photo handbook, but this one is a huge exception to the rule.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Good book for night shooting Review: I bought and read this book before going on a trip to Africa and Europe. This book contains very good information and suggestion of night shooting and I took a lot of night shot during the trip and they turned out great. A must for night shooter.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Fair Book, but Lacking in Some Areas Review: I did enjoy this book, but I can't say I share the enthusiasm of other reviewers. Don't get me wrong; it's a pretty good book and there are several low-light tips and techniques to be picked up here. There's also a fairly good balance between truly natural light (sun afterglow, moon) and artificial light (flood lights, street lamps, neon signs).That said, I found the photos to be only fair to good and the level of technical detail a bit lacking. I'm not a pro, but much of the book read like an introductory level primer. Overall, it left me wanting just a little more meat.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: way too basic Review: i found this book to be chock full of words and very little content. it reminds me very much of popular photography magazines in the style and skill in writing (i.e. very little of either). in order to write an entire book, the author keeps saying the same things over and over and getting into way too much detail with the simplest of issues while failing to get very deep on the issues that really interested me into buying this book. like reciprocity failure charts for various films, light painting techniques, rear curtain sync with studio strobes, etc. oh yeah, it touches on these subjects, but 90% of the book is just the reiteration of "put your camera on a sturdy tripod"... there's nothing here that you can't easily extrapolate on your own from a general photography book. and the photography is cheese. there's one or two interesting photos, the rest are just like the text. reiterations of images we've all seen before (bridge reflection in water, superimposed moon over a cityscape, boats on a calm lake (of course), fireworks, waterfalls, lame lame lame). mr. frost is just not a very creative guy. very disappointing.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: An EXCELLENT book - I think... Review: I get the distinct impression that writers with a great deal of photography knowledge/experience found this book too basic/elementary. However, from my perspective (a novice photographer whose preparing to make the step up from P&S cameras to 35mm SLRs), I have not found a more clear, informative, resource than this. What has proven so invaluable to me is not only the endless list of tips and suggestions for successfully shooting in night/low-light situations, but also the 66 pages dedicated to equipment selection. If you have not already purchased equipment and are first learning about it before purchasing like me, then this book will prove invaluable to you. Mr. Frost gives a wealth of information on equipment, from camera bodies to lenses to flashguns to tripods. It's wonderful (albeit basic) for helping decide on equipment, ESPECIALLY for learning about which specific accessories will most benefit you in night/low light situations (e.g. film and filters). For those who are already well-versed in equipment or already have their own equipment, I can see how you would find the first 1/3 of the book less useful. Even if you can't use the equipment section, though, I still can't see how anyone cannot love just to see his prints. I know little about photography, unlike some of the other critics, but I think the pictures are absolutely stunning. Admittedly, my primary interest in photography is in night/low-light situations, so perhaps I'm unduly biased. Nonetheless, his photographs are so exceptional, they actually motivate me to go out and start shooting! Perhaps more importantly to novice learners, he often thoroughly explains how each photo was taken and/or shows side by side comparisons to demonstrate how different equipment/techniques affect output. Finally, unlike some other photo books I own/have read, this book publishes full-color prints (or B&W, if shot on B&W film) on high quality paper. As such, you can appreciate the quality of the examples. This alone is a great advantage over some books that choose to reproduce the prints in B&W on low quality paper. To sum it up, I love this book. The only thing I don't like is that it's too big (A4 size) to carry around to all my shoots! Thank you, Mr. Frost. I'm going to come to the UK and thank you personally one day!
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: In a word? InComplete Review: I have to admit that I was very disappointed by this book. The information contained in it (the tips, tricks, equipment suggestions) can be found at various place online with only a little bit of research. For my money I was expecting something a bit *more*. What this book is, is a show case of the authors (often breath taking) low/no light photos. He has many impressive shots mixed in with the text of his documents, but sadly does not include any information about these shots other than "Location". No film speeds/type/brand, no shutter or aperture settings, not one bit of useful information about them other than "I was here". What the book isn't is complete (far from it). Aside from the photo's lacking any information that could be of use to the reader, his discussions are not detailed. He seems to prefer to gloss over his points with out sharing with you the why you should so something "this way" vs. "that way" (an example is his discussion on shutter speed vs. aperture settings he seems to prefer longer exposures than larger apertures but never fully explains why). Don't misunderstand me either. I'm not someone with a lot of experience with 35mm SLR photography (low light or otherwise). My Canon ELAN II is so loaded with features it might as well be little more than a glorified point and shoot. And I still found this book too basic. If the author wanted to show case his pictures he would have been better served to do as at a gallery than an "instruction" manual.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: A must have if you intend to do night photography Review: I learned so much from this book-light and exposure, when and why to bracket, how to meter, composition, what lenses to use, and so much more. Whether you're into digital, 35mm, medium or large format photography, you'll enter a whole new world of creativity.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Easy to follow, very practical, and well written Review: I like the way the author led the readers from the beginning of this book to the end. It's always a good idea to review some of the basic photography techniques at the beginning of the book, especially understanding the exposure in low light situation. As the reader follows along each chapter, he/she will find that the possibility of making a good picture is not necessarily during the magic hours. The very last few chapters are dealing with techniques to overcome different low light situations and subject matters. I love these last few chapter; they were well written and very2 practical.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: GET THIS TODAY AND YOU'LL SHOOT LIKE NEVER BEFORE!! Review: I must say, this is one of the best books I have ever read on photography! This book completely changed my views on the nightlife and low light subjects. Lee Frost is a great teacher, never missing a detail and explaining everything with expert precision, wonderfull language and slight humor that you will appreciate. After about half of the book I was outside shooting after dusk and before sunrise. Most importantly, Lee Frost inspires and encorages you like no one else! I loved it. A picture of mine taken with his techniques was an honorable mention in a contest with over 10,000 entries. If you want to give your pictures a new edge and new look, buy this book t.o.d.a.y. !!!
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