Last week I blogged about the Speedliter’s Checklist that accompanies Syl Arena’s new book, Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites. Today the book arrived, and I’m even more impressed. No, I haven’t read the whole thing yet. In fact, I’ve only flipped through most of the pages, looking at the photos and diagrams, and read a few short chapters. But I can already tell you this is one of the most valuable books on photography on my shelf. Don’t think for a moment this is only for Canon shooters. I use Nikon gear including Nikon strobes. Very little of this book is specific to Canon Speedlites, and even those sections can easily be mapped into the Nikon equivalent. And don’t think this is only for large or small strobe users. Even if you only shoot in available light, there’s terrific material here.

I’ve written two books myself, so I have some idea of what it takes. Syl’s book is a monumental effort. It is packed (!) with photos and diagrams that get his points across. And they’re not those huge page-wasting images. This thing is dense! I’ve already discovered sections on equipment, accessories and techniques that made me say, “I wish I’d known that before now!” You will too.