Very inspiring book
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This book made me want to take more photographs.
Not sure why so many people gave it only 1 star on amazon.ca and amazon.com. One critique mentioned all the errors in the text. I didn't find that many. The author does repeat equipment definitions because this book doesn't have to be read cover to cover.
I do agree that most of the equipment described is way beyond most people's budget; but, for someone wanting to make photography a career, Joe McNally's anecdotes and inspiring stories make you realize that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
His pictures didn't appear in National Geographic because he's a bad photographer.
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A great read
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If you make a living as a photographer or are thinking about it, this is a must read book. Filled with humorous anecdotes and insights into the making of some iconic images of the last 25 years. Joe shares all in a warm and honest tone. Don't read the book expecting to improve your technical skills, read the book to understand what it means to be a professional photographer.
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Entertaining and Inspiring
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Joe knows how to share his photographic experiences with both the amateur photographer and the seasoned pro.
His stories help explain the gear that made the shot but more importantly the humanity behind the lens that helps create great images with sometimes difficult subjects. There are photojournalism assignments and complex commercial projects. He is not afraid to admit failures with the successes. I found it entertaining and inspiring.
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Uninspirational Photography, Nothing Really Useful
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Definitely a fiasco of a book. The premise is interesting and the writing is even funny at times, specially all the spelling mistakes. However, 90% of the photography is nothing special. Actually, if those pictures came out of my camera, I would certainly have deleted most of them. This is not what I expected from an award-winning photographer.
The advice in the book is very repetitive (I swear, he explains at least 5 times what a honeycomb filter looks like) and often he simply just keeps stating the obvious. When it is not obvious, it is just beyond the reach of most photographers in terms of setup. Some picture were taking with a dozen strobes with assistants holding reflects, sandbags and a different colored gel on each light!
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Joe reveals All
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Often a photog who writes a book will either, discuss the story behind the shot without revealing too much as for the lighting and camera settings or will discuss lighting and camera without telling the story behind the shot. Joe reveals all with passion and humor.
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