This past August, I found myself in one of the most beautiful lighting situations a photographer could ever dream of. It was dusk, there was a wildfire burning nearby giving the sky a fiery orange tone, and streaming in through the windows of the venue was the most gorgeous golden light I have ever seen! I was in Heaven!

But, what should a photographer do when mother nature isn’t quite giving them the perfect lighting scenario? Well, create it yourself, of course! There’s so much information on the topic of lighting, not to mention the amount of gear available, so where’s a photographer to start? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a book that covered everything from lighting styles and terminology to what gear to use in a particular situation? When I discovered Kevin Kubota’s Lighting Notebook, which includes over 100 lighting styles and setups for photographers, I knew it would be the perfect solution. Kubota Images sent me a copy to review and as I read through the chapters and the saw the applications, I couldn’t wait to get out there and start manipulating light!

Kevin starts the book off with a few chapters covering things like history, terminology, lighting styles, gear, etc. All to equip you with the right information to be able to decide for yourself the best lighting setup to use. I especially love the way he weaves humor into his writing, making history fun. He writes about how he sat down with Leonardo da Vinci for lunch to pick his brain about his thoughts on light and shadow. Kevin then illustrates the different styles of lighting in photographs taken throughout the 20th century. Crisp and directional in the 1930s and 40s, natural in the 60s and 70s, and of course, a little edgy in the 80s. He emphasizes the importance of defining the concept of your shoot then building your lighting around that idea.

So how exactly do you know which lighting styles will create the mood you’re going for? Kevin has you covered! In chapter 2, he goes over several different styles of lighting and the effects they create. Some of these lighting styles include Rembrandt, Split, Butterfly, and Backlighting. He also goes over the essential lighting tools and how to choose them wisely because, as he says, “You can light your subject in countless ways – any of which could be completely awesome or completely awful.” Knowing which tools are essential to a particular situation is key. He covers everything from Speedlights to Softboxes, and everything in between. He’ll even show you how to assemble a lighting kit tailored to your needs.

After talking a bit about using software to further enhance an image, we get to the real “gravy” of the book─and my favorite part─the Notebook. Say you have a shoot coming up and you know you will need artificial light because you’d like to backlight your subject creating a silhouette style, and your budget is $0 to $300. Using the key icons, you can thumb through the pages to the exact lighting setup Kevin suggests for your situation.

For example, on page 86, he gives a detailed list of settings and equipment used for this type of lighting scenario, as well as a sketch of where the equipment was placed in relation to the subject. You’ll find these sorts of details on the more than 100 situations outlined in the book. Lighting situations ranging in style and budget (from $0 to $2000+). He does an excellent job in covering a wide range of lighting situations, gear, and scenarios.

Here’s a short video of Kevin talking about the Lighting Notebook in his own words:

Find Kevin Kubota’s Lighting Notebook on Amazon. It’s definitely written for any photographer interested in how to manipulate light, whether it be natural or artificial.