As an aspiring professional photographer, I found this book to be an excellent tool and a spectacular read. I think it is a great book for any student learning photography, any advanced amateur, or anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of how lighting impacts their photography. Photographic Lighting Essential Skills gives a nice overview of all the major areas of photographic lighting. The comprehensive overview covers everything from the types, quality, and color of lighting to all types of photography equipment and computer techniques for both film and digital media.

John Child and Mark Galer's practical approach focuses on building your competence as you progress through the book. They not only teach each concept through the text, illustration, and sample images, but they also include activities for you to do which help you truly master each concept. Since I am more of a hands-on type learner, I found the activities & assignments to be most beneficial as they helped to solidify what was taught in each section of the book. In addition to the activities, I found the companion website to be a valuable resource which offers quizzes and video tutorials and more to further develop the skills taught in this book.

The terminology used makes what could be a complex photographic concept very easy to understand. The simple terminology coupled with great organization of the chapters makes the subject of lighting encouraging and seem manageable. For example, the early chapters cover the characteristics and behavior of light and moves into the camera and the equipment relating to light, while the latter chapters address lighting techniques for practically any situation.

The full color illustrations really make this book the jewel it is. They are clear, concise, and most valuable at demonstrating each concept. Also, I found the professional images throughout the book to be interesting and motivational. I especially liked the images from author, Mark Galer. His images not only illustrated each topic, but also gave me a reference for my own images when applying the skills.

After reading this book, I feel more prepared to take on whatever lighting situation I may encounter and to create a certain feel in a photograph through the use of lighting. Any aspiring photographer serious about making their photography the best it can be cannot afford to leave this one on the shelf.