"There are numerous photography books available and often it is difficult to make the right choice. 'Light Science and Magic' definitely stands out from the bunch.. This book can get very technical covering scientific end of how light works in all sorts of situations. Do not expect to read this resource like a novel, unless you are like me and thrive on technical end of photography. However the book is not created for photography rocket scientists only. It's designed the way that even complex concepts are illustrated in diagrams that any visual folks can understand easily. 'Light Science and Magic' fourth edition was just released at the end of 2011. All the info is up to date!"

"I have used the 3rd edition of this book when I teach. The 4th Edition improves on the earlier version and brings one "up-to-date." This is a text I'll continue to recommend. This is a book that all photographers should have in their library."

"This new edition of the book is based on the behavior of light, and its principles that will not change because the fundamental physics does not. Light: Science & Magic is a book to deal adequately with how light behaves when it reflects from a surface and how the material making the subject determines the appearance of this reflection. This important understanding is not intended to enable photographer to shoot good pictures like those in this book but rather to transfer those images to any subject matter, using any equipment."

"Over the past several years, manufacturers have swamped photographers with a seemingly endless flood of truly amazing gear. New generations of cameras, lighting gear, high-resolution printers, and sophisticated software have revolutionized how photographers work and think. This book provides reader with a comprehensive theory of the nature and principles of light. This 4th edition includes dozens of new photographs and lighting diagrams; new information on how to work with color gels, portable strobes, motion, and more."

"This is the essential book for learning about how light and lighting works in photography. It is used as the textbook for many college photography studio lighting courses (which is how I discovered it, when taking a studio lighting course at CCSF). Even after taking the class and "mastering" all the exercises, I still re- read this book frequently, and am surprised at little tricks or nuances I never learned before, or learned and then forgot (because that particular thing doesn't come up with most of my photography work)."