The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)
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.?
The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter) Accessories
 The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
The Digital Photography Book
Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature
Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Voices)
Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter) Reviews
Speaking as a retired still photographer and television news cameraman,. I appreciate Joe McNally's down to earth practical point of view. Anyone seaking a mind-set to success need read no further. Read The Moment It Clicks.
Highly entertaining and really opened my eyes to how much work goes into creating a great photograph.
It is no coincidence that he doesn't provide aperture or shutter speed or many of the other image properties we're accustomed to seeing. When you put all these tips together, during your next shoot you will be better prepared. It wasn't about light or aperture of shutter speed. However, if you're confident in your lighting fundamentals and you want to hear some "war stories" from someone who's been everywhere and done everything, this book will be a good read. The "story behind the story" regarding his photos are the real educational jewels in this book. This story tells me to always be ready to photograph a moment even when you think your work is done. Joe is explaining photography from a mental perspective. Now many people may read this and think, "Well, duh." However, I've packed up my camera many times when I thought I was done to only scramble to pull it out again.
The lighting equipment and technical details he does provide is more of an afterthought. When I first skimmed through the book, I thought it was an okay photo. People slammed the book because Joe talked about the expensive equipment he used, which was out of their price range, and he didn't provide much technical detail about the photos. If you're looking for a "How-To" book, this is not for you. Lastly, he has a photograph of a man changing a light bulb on top of the Empire State Building. He has reinforced things I already new and gave me new things to consider.
However, as I read some of the stories, it clicked to me what Joe was actually trying to convey and I wanted to write about it. Therefore, the book was not very helpful. Therefore, I give Joe credit for taking an unconventional yet effective approach towards teaching photography. He discusses a shoot where he was done taking pictures. Many similar examples are throughout the book. However, he didn't pack up his camera. I've only read the first 32 pages.
I was very interested in purchasing this book several months ago until I read some of the reviews. It is a daring approach because photographers, who are supposed to be out-of-the-box thinkers, look for the same thing from different books. However, I read the story where he wanted to take a bland subject (changing a light bulb) and make it more dramatic. He is focusing on having us in the proper mindset before we begin shooting.
At that moment, a photographic opportunity was realized and he captured a great shot. This is not your conventional photography bookLou Jones took a similar and equally effective approach with his book, Travel Photography Off the Charts. After reading the story, I had a greater appreciation of the photo. I haven't been to any of his classes or photo shoots so this is the next best thing. I believe those who gave the book a low rating totally missed the point of this book.
Something as mundane as not packing your camera until the end was the point of the story. I've read Bryan Peterson, John Shaw and others who provided a lot of technical detail and their books are great. Joe teaches you about photography but not from the technical perspective.
However, neither was he with yours. As other reviewers have already pointed out, you will probably not be presented with the same situations (or provided with the same resources) as the author. This book takes you into the mind of a very talented photographer. What you might be able to do if you understand his rational, methodology, and "rules" is to dramatically improve the pictures you take. (This is sometimes misunderstood as needing to copy any and all actions of that person which explains why millions of people brush their teeth with the end of a stick but, I digress). It helps you develop an understanding of why choices were made in a wide range of situations that produced unquestionably successful results. There is a once popular self help guru whose philosophy was, in part, that to be successful at something you needed only to internalize the understanding of someone who is already successful at that thing.
The author's photo's are good and his personal stories are nice but there is no meat here for anyone seeking to learn more about photography. I bought the book for a Christmas present and now will have no present and wasted time ordering and repackaging and returning. Thank goodness Amazon has a return policy. If you are looking for a poor quality yet overpriced(32.95) paperback photo book for the coffee table this book is for you.
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