Chapeau! The Collector's Edition of Schatten is gigantic 30 x 40 x 5 cm (11.8 x 14.7 x 2 in) in size. It weighs 7.7 kg (17 lbs). And with that, this book is just not for wimps. I looked pretty silly when the courier handed me such a heavy package.
If it's big, then really big. All or nothing! That is the motto of Krolop & Gerst.
With its 596 pages, it's also not for the impatient. You need time to watch and read. It took me a whole three days and I browsed through the book in stages. It really is a book to browse through and linger. With an incredible love of detail, a work for eternity was created here. Now that shouldn't sound like an exaggeration. But such a crazy book you probably keep for the rest of your life, right?
There are pages in the book that fold out to the left and right. It didn't need that for me. On the other hand, I really like the written and painted foil pages that were incorporated!
Unlike the classic photo book, this is a mixture of a textbook and a coffee table book. A very successful mix, because the photos are of high quality and beautiful. Many of the pictures made me green with envy (not literally speaken!) and I have to say that the models also look fantastic.
The lighting is explained in detail for every photo. Also the camera settings.
What is special, however, is that the secrets of how the pictures were created are revealed. The most diverse ways of working with light and the importance of removing light and reflection are shown. So how to shape light to create spatial depth, i.e. three-dimensionality, and to emphasize the beauty of female bodies.
Krolop & Gerst — Schatten
German
Hard Cover with box
342 € plus shipping
596 pages
30 x 40 cm
7.7 kg
Martin Krolop told me he learned a lot from me and I can only say thank you very much, but I've definitely learned a lot more from you! And to anyone who wants to do the same, I can recommend this standard work on lighting (and working with shadow). It is available in the collector's edition shown here or in a slightly smaller (and cheaper) version.
I forgot to mention: the white gloves (you can see in the title image) came with the collector's edition.
Transparency
This is not a sponsored post. I recieved the book as a surprise gift by Krolop & Gerst, but I write about it only because I wanted to. The overly positive feelings I describe in my article are real.