[PDF] Sketching Light ~ An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash - Joe McNally

[PDF] Sketching Light ~ An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash - Joe McNally



Following up on the great success of The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes, legendary magazine photographer Joe McNally takes us on another memorable ride with Sketching Light, another trip into the land of light--but this time running the gamut from small flash to big flash, and everywhere in between.

Of course, Joe includes coverage of Nikon Speedlights, but he also covers big flash, as well as "in-between" lights as the Elinchrom Quadra. The exploration of new technology, as well as the explanation of older technology. No matter what equipment Joe uses and discusses, the most important element of Joe's instruction is that it is straightforward, complete, and honest. No secrets are held back, and the principles he talks about apply generally to the shaping and quality of light, not just to an individual model or brand of flash.

He tells readers what works and what doesn't via his let's-see-what-happens approach, he shows how he sets up his shots with plentiful sketches and behind-the-scenes production shots, and he does it all with the intelligence, clarity, and wisdom that can only come from shooting in the field for 30 years for the likes of National Geographic, Time, Life, and Sports Illustrated--not to mention the wit and humor of a clearly warped (if gifted) mind.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
Following up on the great success of "The Moment It Clicks "and "The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes, " legendary magazine photographer Joe McNally takes us on another memorable ride with Sketching Light, another trip into the land of light--but this time running the gamut from small flash to big flash, and everywhere in between.
Of course, Joe includes coverage of Nikon Speedlights, but he also covers big flash, as well as "in-between" lights as the Elinchrom Quadra. The exploration of new technology, as well as the explanation of older technology. No matter what equipment Joe uses and discusses, the most important element of Joe's instruction is that it is straightforward, complete, and honest. No secrets are held back, and the principles he talks about apply generally to the shaping and quality of light, not just to an individual model or brand of flash.
He tells readers what works and what doesn't via his let's-see-what-happens approach, he shows how he sets up his shots with plentiful sketches and behind-the-scenes production shots, and he does it all with the intelligence, clarity, and wisdom that can only come from shooting in the field for 30 years for the likes of "National Geographic, Time, Life, " and "Sports Illustrated"--not to mention the wit and humor of a clearly warped (if gifted) mind.

About the Author
JOE McNALLY is an internationally acclaimed American photographer and longtime photojournalist. His most notable series is “Faces of Ground Zero—Portraits of the Heroes of September 11th,” a collection of giant Polaroid portraits. He also photographed “The Future of Flying,” the first all-digital story for National Geographic. His award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazines. Joe's previous books are the critically acclaimed and bestselling The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaires: Big Light from Small Flashes.

REVIEWS

Amazing book. He's a frikkin' genius writer, because he's so uninhibited and confident and smart that he gives you a brain-dump of everything in his mind. Take from it the bits you like, run with 'em, and have fun making some awesome shots.

If you haven't used a lot of flash before, you'll sometimes read over a page and have no idea what he's talking about. WTF? Not that he's overly technical... kind of the opposite, that he's so gushing and enthusiastic and dropping all the hip terms for everything ("start with a bit of a hot rim and then back it off, 'cause in a sidelight situation it's gonna blow it out by a stop... then it gets piped backed to the lens and baby, it's dark out there!"), that it's hard to bring him out of orbit and back into the land of 'OK, what button do I push?' But stick with it. Read the book, shoot, read it again, shoot some more. You'll get it.

McNally gets a lot of attention for using flashes in extraordinarily complex setups -- and yeah, he does. But he's always focusing on the people... the story... the eyes. He's not a landscape photographer. His stories about interacting with his subjects (models, celebrities, musicians, quarterbacks, astronomers, bagpipe makers) are what this is really about.

This book has longer stories, more details and more diagrams compared with the previous books. If you don't have his other books (Hot Shoe Diaries, or The Moment it Clicks) and you want to learn his techniques, *get this one instead*. It's fatter, it's got more writing, and the narratives are longer and more intricate. This one is more chapter-based with various techniques, and the other two are closer to "here's a cool photo, and here's a page about how I took it." If you have the other two and love him, then get this one since it's essentially all-new material, and his technique and philosophy are so useful and inspiring, that the more you read and see of his work, the better your photos will end up as a result.
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I have been waiting for this book in several ways. First of all, it's been almost a year since I ordered it, so I'm very happy that it's finally here. But more importantly, I believe that Joe has finally written the book most of his fans want. His first book, The moment it clicks, is great inspiration, and you can read a lot of good stories about the photos. The problem? He doesn't tell exactly how he got the shot. Are you an experienced photographer you will get a lot of inspiration, but I think beginners want to learn more. Later, he wrote The hot shoe diaries, which is more instructional, but not enough. Actually, as I wrote in my review of that book, Joe made room for a new book, and now I have it in my hands!

In Sketching light, you get a lot of behind-the-scene photos, and also Joe's well know sketches. You will be shown everything from the most basic lighting set-up (using flash) through to more complicated multiple exposure photos. There's an incredible variety to the photos Joe shows you and explains, and any keen photographer is sure to fill up the "mental rolodex" with useful information that will come handy when out on location.

If you are a complete beginner, I think this book might be a bit intimidating. After all, it's 400 pages and contains A LOT of information! But if you have learnt the basics of flash and you want to boost your knowledge, and possibly your creativity, this book is great! It was a lot of fun to read, and I can't wait to get my camera and flashes out on location and try out some new ideas!

REFERENCE:
https://www.amazon.com/Sketching-Li...ities-Voices-ebook/product-reviews/B004QQ3MK4

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