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 Location:  Home » Art » Photography » The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)November 18, 2008  


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The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)
The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)
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Author: Joe Mcnally
Publisher: New Riders Press
Category: Book

List Price: $54.99
Buy New: $32.79
You Save: $22.20 (40%)
Buy New/Used from $29.99

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(140 reviews)
Sales Rank: 539

Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 8.9 x 0.7

ISBN: 0321544080
Dewey Decimal Number: 775
EAN: 9780321544087
ASIN: 0321544080

Publication Date: February 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Editorial Reviews:

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.?




Customer Reviews:   Read 135 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars Word of caution   November 18, 2008
I consider myself an advanced amateur. Over many years I've progressed to the Nikon D300 with a nice assortment of gear. I bought this book after reading Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography Book-Volume 2," great book and very useful to amateur photographers. At the end of the book, Kelby strongly recommends "your next book" should be "The Moment It Clicks." So I ordered it. It is a fine book of pictures, with descriptions of how the majority of the photos were taken. However, you need to know this guy has more gear than imaginable (it's all pictured at the end of the book), and an assistant. Probably 98% of all the photos are taken with the aid of light boxes, movie lights, what have you. I guess my point is, unless you are an advanced professional, this is a nice book of pictures.


5 out of 5 stars High level book   November 13, 2008

Keep it close to you and read it over and over. Your photos can be better after this.



5 out of 5 stars great book   November 12, 2008
this book was awesome to read. Author was funny, photos were great. Great tips on how to get the images.


3 out of 5 stars Not what I expected   October 20, 2008
  1 out of 2 found this review helpful

As photography books, especially instructional ones, go this is definitely an interesting one. The layout is really good and the images nothing short of stunning. Mr. McNally's thoughts and advice are written in an easily understandable and very approachable manner. All very well, then.

Well, not entirely. Many reviewers before me have mentioned that there are few real pieces of advice as how to go out and produce shots similiar to those presented. There are plenty of hints and 'I got hold of helicopter and had my fleet of assistants doing this and that to get the proper lighting on the King of Siberia while the catering firm truck was just in the right spot for creating the right shadows', which creates the feeling, at least to me, that the author (who is a great photographer) just tells stories about why he is as good as he is (this is not boring or bad as such, mind you, just not what one is expecting). If you know all there is to know about lighting and creative photography, I guess you could look at the advice in this book and say 'oh yeah, I forgot about that. Let's do it this way', but unless you're quite good with lamps and lights, there's not enough to be had here. I have definitely learned, from most of the advice in this book, that one needs an assistant, 5 flashes, tons of reflectors, and all kinds of other stuff to get any sort of portrait in the field as well as in the studio. There are, in other words, not enough tips on shooting for amateurs in the field (in my opinion).

With danger of sounding hippocritical, I'll say that some of the advice (sold as 'nuggets of wisdom' in the foreword by S. Kelby) is a bit on the simple side ("Bring your camera"?). It's not a big problem, though (you can't have a book tailored to just your own needs, can you now? And this one does actually cover quite a bit of ground).

There is also a slight problem with the writing. Approachable and easily understandable as it is, I think that the language at times is a bit too... colloquial. "Then I was like...", "Dat's one fine lookin' photo subject", and the like makes it all a bit too... well, colloquial, for me.

There are some photographs in here, though, and hints and advice are never a waiste of time. It's just not the book it could have, or indeed should have, been.

2,5 stars



5 out of 5 stars Great gift book   October 18, 2008
  1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I bought this for a friend who is a photographer and teacher of photography, and he loved it. This book makes a great gift for anyone who is interested in making pictures or just looking at them.


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