"The Moment It Clicks": Review

As I mentioned a week or so ago, I had finally gotten a copy of Joe McNally’s newest book which has skyrocketed to the top ten books list on Amazon.com.  After reading it cover to cover, I can see why.  Joe really struck a major chord with this book and he did something that no other photography book has yet to do: reveal himself on a very personal level.  Not only do you get to see some of Joe’s amazing work and read all the technical and setup data behind the shot, you also get the story behind the image and how it came about. 

Joe shares a lot of information, techniques, and secrets (sssshhhh…) that many photographers spend a lifetime attempting to discover, let alone master.  He talks about everything from lighting, to business, to barely scraping by, and more.  The only way a photographer could attain the kind of wisdom that Joe possesses is to spend his or her life behind the lens.  And that’s exactly what he has done.

The inspiring words and not-so-gentle instruction that come through in the book have changed the way that I will think and shoot… forever.  I really wish Joe could have written this book a long time ago.  If you have even the slightest interest in photography or photojournalism, you HAVE GOT TO GET THIS BOOK! 

The book is filled with lots of little tidbits of information that were passed on to McNally by editors from the likes of Time and National Geographic magazines, both of whom Joe has worked for.  He even has a chapter in the book called “The Barroom” where he tells some of the war stories from the field that will blow your mind.  He bears it all, good and bad. 

With only four main chapters, you would think the book would be short.  No way!  It’s 256 pages of pure photography bliss!  Chapter One is titled, “Shoot What You Love”, Chapter Two “Keep Your Eye In The Camera”, Chapter Three “The Logic of Light”, and Chapter Four “There’s Always Something to Bounce Light Off Of”.  There’s lots of extras in the book and you can even register your copy at peachpit.com for more stories from Joe.

With out a doubt, if you like photography you will love this book.  As Joe himself says, “It has one foot on the coffee table and one foot in the classroom.” 

Joe McNally’s Blog
Preview: The Moment It Clicks

Focus on Lighting Wednesday

Photographers and photojournalists have been using images for years to convey feelings, capture emotion, express themselves, and tell a story or two.  Okay, maybe more than two.  One of the most powerful tools we as photographers can use to do all the things I mentioned above is light.  Organic or not, fixed or portable, it really makes no difference.  Great light can can add a lot to an image… a whole lot!

In the shot above, I used a couple of flashes to get the lighting I wanted.  Although I would have changed one thing.  As close as the kids are to the background I would use a gobo on the gelled flash to prevent the red light from spilling onto the kids.  However, as it is it does help to add to the effect a little bit.

Wanna take a shot like this?  You can!  All you need is a couple of flashes, some gels, subjects, and a book.  I shot it at f5.6, 1/60, ISO 200, and a 40mm focal length.  I fired an SB800 into the book to reflect back at 1/32 power and I fired an SB28 at the wall behind them with a Rosco 90 red gel on it at 1/4 power.  I triggered the flashes with Cactus V2s radio triggers.  Those things rock! 

• Gear Gouge

If you want to get into using creative lighting (or any artificial lighting for that matter) I highly suggest going with flashes/speedlights because they are very portable, easily used wirelessly, and can be had for very little cash.  You can pick up and SB24/SB26/SB28 on eBay for anywhere between $75-$125 roughly.  I bought my SB28 recently from an eBay auction and I don’t think the thing had ever been used.  It was brand spankin’ new and probably in the same condition it was 10 years ago when it was first purchased.  I paid $129.00 for it with shipping and insurance.  The Nikon equivalent today (the SB800) goes for $314.95 from B&H Photo.  You run into the same thing with Canon flashes too. 

Another avenue has also emerged in the photography world.  Companies that have made excellent lighting equipment for many years are starting to jump onto the “information sharing” train and are producing some really great, affordable lighting gear and providing instruction with it as well!  I’d have to say one of the largest companies to do so is Westcott who now has a division called, “Photo Basics”.  They have constant light and strobe kits to suit the needs of the learning photographer as well as the more advanced and even pro photogs.  I haven’t had a chance to try out any of their gear yet, but Westcott makes excellent stuff and I have total faith in what they are doing with Photo Basics as well.  Their kits come with an instructional DVD that promise to have you shooting better photographs immediately.  Their website offers free photography tips and lessons and has a page to help you decide which system is best for you depending on your skill level and current gear.  You can check out their website here.  I’m sure you will be glad that you did.

That’s it for today everybody.  It’s Wednesday already and the weekend is right around the corner.  Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Tuesday News Reel

Here’s the latest and greatest happenings in the fine, fine world of digital photography:

• In case you hadn’t heard, Apple has recently upgraded it’s line of computers to the newest Intel Core 2 Duo processors as well as giving some of them an extra shot of RAM and improved video cards.  For example, your basic 15″ MacBook Pro comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card with 256MB of dedicated video memory, a 200GB hard drive, a built-in iSight camera, and that’s just to get you warmed up.  Of course it comes with OS X 10.5 Leopard and all the software you need without the junk you don’t!  What a perfect companion for the photographer on the move!  I’m drooling just writing about it!  You can check them out here.  Image courtesy of Apple.com.
• Joe McNally has posted some videos on YouTube and I highly recommend that you check them out!  One video details how he got a shot from atop the Empire State building and another is a sort of “behind the scenes” look at “The Moment It Clicks”.  Which by the way, is in stock at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.  Be sure to jump on it if you were waiting for them to re-stock.  They won’t last long!
• Digital Photography Review has posted a couple of new reviews on two Nikon lenses.  They recently reviewed the 18-200mm VR lens and the new 18-55mm VR zoom that now comes with the new D60.  There is a lot of good information in both articles and here’s the link for the 18-200mm VR lens as well as the link to the 18-55mm VR lens.

That’s it for this Tuesday!  Tomorrow I’ll be bringing you another lighting tip for Focus on Lighting Wednesday.  Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow!

How I Got This Shot: Cathedral Black & White

I hope you all had a great weekend!  In case your wondering, I had a great weekend!  It’s always great to be back home after being gone and I was ecstatic to spend some time with my wife and kids.  I kept the shooting to a minimum, but I did get a little time to process some shots that I took while I was gone.  I shot the above image at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  It was a perfect candidate for a B&W conversion and here’s how it came about, from start to finish.

The shot was taken mid-morning around 10AM and it was a cloudy, overcast day outside.  Clouds are nature’s softbox for the sun, which made for some really beautiful, soft light inside the cathedral.  I shot it in Manual, f 4.5, 1/60, ISO 400, at 35mm with my Nikon D40 using an 18-135mm Nikkor lens. 

In Photoshop, I converted it to B&W using my preferred method that I learned from the Photoshop God, Scott Kelby.  (He didn’t actually teach me, I read it in one of his books.)  This method utilizes the Gradient Map Adjustment Layer and it’s my favorite of all the methods to convert color images to black and white.  Photoshop CS3 has a new adjustment that automatically converts to black and white and gives you a starting point, but I’m really not that impressed with it.  The Gradient Map Adjustment Layer still looks A LOT better to me.  After the conversion, I added some sharpening and I was good to go. 

I hope you enjoy the shot and be sure to let me know what you think.  If you have questions, send ‘em my way!  Have a great week and it’s back to our regular posting schedule!