Product Description

THE FIRST BOOK WITH ONE FOOT ON THE COFFEE TABLE, AND ONE FOOT IN THE
CLASSROOM
Joe McNally, one of the world’s top pro digital photographers, whose celebrated work has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated, Time, and National Geographic (to name a few), breaks new ground by doing something no photography book has ever done—blending the rich, stunning images and elegant layout of a coffee-table book with the invaluable training, no-nonsense insights, and photography secrets usually found only in those rare, best-of-breed educational books.

When Joe’s not on assignment for the biggest-name magazines and Fortune 500 clients, he’s in the classroom teaching location lighting, environmental portraiture, and how to “get the shot” at workshops around the world. These on-location workshops are usually reserved for a handful of photographers each year, but now you can learn the same techniques that Joe shares in his seminars and lectures in a book that brings Joe’s sessions to life.

What makes the book so unique is the “triangle of learning” where (1) Joe distills the concept down to one brief sentence. It usually starts with something like, “An editor at National Geographic once told me…” and then he shares one of those hard-earned tricks of the trade that you only get from spending a lifetime behind the lens. Then, (2) on the facing page is one of Joe’s brilliant images that perfectly illustrates the technique (you’ll recognize many of his photos from magazine covers). And (3) you get the inside story of how that shot was taken, including which equipment he used (lens, f/stop, lighting, accessories, etc.), along with the challenges that type of project brings, and how to set up a shot like that of your own.

This book also gives you something more. It inspires. It challenges. It informs. But perhaps most importantly, it will help you understand photography and the art of making great photos at a level you never thought possible. This book is packed with those “Ah ha!” moments—those clever insights that make it all come together for you. It brings you that wonderful moment when it suddenly all makes sense—that “moment it clicks.”

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1167 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed photographer, whose career has spanned 30 years and included assignments in over 50 countries. Although the majority of his career has been spent shooting for magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic, in the mid-1990s Joe served as Life magazine’s staff photographer, the first one in 23 years. He also has shot commercial assignments for Target, Nikon, and Sony, to name a few. Joe is a recipient of the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award and has been honored by Pictures of the Year International, World Press Photo, The Art Directors Club, American Photo, Communication Arts, and Graphis. He conducts numerous workshops around the world as part of his teaching activities. One of Joe’s most notable projects, Faces of Ground Zero — Giant Polaroid Collection, has become known as one of the most significant artistic responses to the tragedy at the World Trade Center.

Customer Reviews

Pro Photgrapher at work - a how to light almost any subject
This is an interesting book, filled with beatiful photos and first hand explanations of how they were taken. It is well written and interesting reading for any photographer. However the photographer used a small truck load of lighting equipment for almost every shot, so it is not of much instructional use to a photographer who does not posses, or is willing to rent, an almost unlimited amount of flash lighting equipment for every photographic session.

Very well done
This book has a very simple layout, a picture on the right side and a description of the shot on the left. While it doesn't provide a high level of detail, it does demonstrate the wide range of challenges the author faced getting the pictures completed. Sometimes the challenges are technical, sometimes it is working with models and sometimes he is just lucky. It is not a step by step lighting book, but it is an excellent resource for seeing how an expert dealt with all types of problems to get an excellent image.

Essential reading for the aspiring Strobist
Initially I dismissed this book but its grown on me. Like other reviewers I felt the title was misleading "Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters"
Now that I've say down and started reading it. Its now one of my favourite books.

Especially as I am into strobist blog and use Nikon speedlights. There is another Joe McNally book on the way "The Hot Shoe Diaries" and I will certainly be pre ordering it. If its anything like as informative as Dave Hobbies DVD Set.(Honestly once you've seen this DVD everything about off camera lighting just clicks together. Its mind blowing) I'll be very pleased.