First up, Wes Kroninger's new Amherst Media Release LIGHTING - Design Techniques for Digital Photographers.

I've had the opportunity to work with Wes on a few projects over the years, so I come into this book with an understanding of his unique style of photography. His approach to lighting is fresh and often breaks the rules that freak out your more traditional portrait photographers. His use of light is often edgy and his "Fly by the seat of your pants" delivery is refreshing in an industry of paint by number lighting setups. This IS what makes Wes Kroninger an anomaly in the some times stale world of portrait photography. He's young and he's not afraid paint outside the lines.

I'll be honest I have shelves and shelves of photography books, so when LIGHTING landed on my doorstep it was greeted with the excitement that my friend had just completed his latest venture and at the same time the dread of knowing he'd want me to review it ;-)

That said, I cracked the cover and was immediately impressed, however there was something missing and I couldn't put my finger on it, then it donned on me what it was. LIGHTING doesn't spend 50 pages droning on about topics that make your eyes roll back in your head and question why you ever wanted to become a photographer in the first place. There were no studies on the Inverse Square Law or photo 101 explanations on the difference between Rembrandt and Butterfly lighting. Instead I quickly moved through 20 pages or so of solid info on what's involved with setting up a photo shoot, everything from working with assistants and makeup artists to Location Scouting and Storyboarding, then you are right into the Meat and Potatoes of the book.

The bulk of LIGHTING consists of 58 Lighting Scenarios, each image is accompanied by a short background, technical advice and a tip for making that style lighting work for you in your environment. Each setup also includes a full list of image specifications such as intended use, camera make and model, lens, ISO, etc... Where LIGHTING really shines and what sets this book ahead of the pack, are the exceptional 3d Lighting Diagrams, These give the reader a much clearer understanding of where lights, models and backgrounds are placed in a 3 dimensional environment. The only way things could get any more concise is if they were delivered as a pop up book (inside joke).

See below for example images.

At the end of the day, LIGHTING by Wes Kroninger has moved to the front of my bookshelf as a GO TO reference for unique and compelling lighting design. If you are on a personal search to find a HOW TO, not a HOW COME lighting book then make sure LIGHTING - Design Techniques for Digital Photographers finds its way under your holiday tree.

You can purchase LIGHTING - Design Techniques for Digital Photographers on Amazon.com

You can also purchsae Signed Copies directly from Wes on his BLOG

MEDIA PAD PRO

If you are among the new breed of iPad toting photographers these days, you've probably quickly realized that yes while you can add photos on your iPad, the standard Gallery software that comes pre-installed leaves little to be desired.

This is where Media Pad Pro by MediMobile comes to the rescue http://www.medlmobile.com/index.php?page=viewapp&appId=68

Media Pad Pro is a complete solution for creative types to organize and display galleries of Images, Videos, Music and Graphics, it's the new world equivalent of carrying around one of those old giant portfolios.

There are two distinct parts to Media Pad Pro the Managers Assistant for editing images and customizing the interface and the frontend for viewing images, audio, videos etc...

When you first launch Media Pad Pro you are greeted with a splash screen,  this can be completely customized from within the Managers Assistant, this is accessed via the button in the bottom left corner of the screen.

Once in the Managers Assistant, you can customize just about every aspect of how clients or friends will view Media Pad Pro on the front end.

Adding assets such as images and video files is a little tricky out of the gate, but once you know how to do it, it's a piece of cake. My best recommendation is to watch the 11 minute video below which does a great job of covering the basics of using Media Pad Pro.

Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site

From the clients perspective using Media Pad Pro is about as easy as it comes, select a gallery and then view images in slideshow mode or in the typical iPad fashion by flicking through them one at a time.

While some iPad owners might shutter (no pun intended) at the price of $14.99 for an iPad app, Media Pad Pro is worth every penny. If you are a photographer wishing to give your clients the best image viewing experience on an iPad then Media Pad Pro is a clear winner. While there are several apps that attempt to do what Media Pad Pro does, nothing is as complete of a solution as Media Pad Pro and for that I give it two thumbs up.

I've been told by the developers of Media Pad Pro, there is an updated version coming out very soon. They have been kind enough to offer readers of prophotoresource.com a special discount once it hits the Apple Store.

If you wish to be notified of the discount, make sure to follow the ProPhotoResource.com Facebook page, this is where I'll list the discount once it's available. http://on.fb.me/baQ4RK

Well there you go, two great photography products to add to your wishlist. Here's wishing you get everything that is on your holiday wish list and then some.

© Cris Mitchell