Fancher offers candid, practical, and valuable lessons on how to create successful and fresh photographs armed with only minimal gear, a resourceful mind, and a creative spirit. Nick focuses his approach on hard light, demonstrating how to use it in innovative and flattering ways, working with subjects ranging from products to people. You'll learn: How to work with both available light (e.g., the sun) and manufactured light (such as inexpensive small flash) How to shape, bounce, and manipulate your unmodified flash to get the results you want The importance of proper light placement and ambient balance How to create dramatic, intentional photographs with hard light DIY techniques for making your own gobos and photo hacks (such as with a reflector) How to incorporate colored gels into your work to create expressive and innovative imagery Post-processing tricks and techniques that Nick uses to achieve the final look of the image. Included in the book are behind-the-scenes photos, lighting diagrams, and lightroom settings for every scenario, so the reader can follow along from idea through the shoot and on to the final edit. There is also a feature throughout the book called Making a Scene where, upon being presented with an empty scene, you're challenged to figure out where you might place your subject and your light(s) in order to achieve a specific effect or result. At the back of the book, Nick shows you how he chose to tackle each scenario. The goal is to train yourself to look at the everyday, commonplace locations and scenarios you encounter and begin to see them full of photographic potential.