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May 16, 2009
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If you have no interest in flash photography then this isn't the journal for you; so go ahead and scroll down to the features.

OK, so if you're still reading this then you might be interested in Joe McNally's new book The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes [link]

What's it about?
It's a brain-dump of how Joe McNally does small-flash photography. It is heavily biased toward the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) so if you don't shoot Nikon, you'll have some translating to do to get this stuff to work with your kit. That said, this isn't a "How To" manual, it's more about showing you what is possible with small flash and inspiring you to go out and try it.
The book starts with a look at the various pieces of lighting kit – umbrellas, softboxes, snoots, grids, panels, gobos, reflectors, clamps and stands and explains what these do and why you should care. The rest of the book is divided into sections covering working with one flash, two flashes and a whole bunch of flashes. Each section contains multiple "shots" and each of these is presented as a full-page photo followed by text describing how the shot was produced.

How does it compare to The Moment It Clicks?  [link]
If you enjoyed 'clicks, you'll like this one – it has the same anecdotal style. But this time, it's all about flash.

How does it compare to David Hobby's Strobist.com?  [link]
There is obviously a great deal of overlap between the two. If you've read the Strobist Lighting 101 and 102 archives then there's isn't much in this book that will come as a surprise. The two main differences are: McNally is Nikon-centric, Strobist is neutral; and McNally is about the crazy, high-profile, money-no-object shoots and Strobist is about getting stuff done on a budget.

Should I buy it?
That depends ... if money is tight and/or you don't shoot Nikon, no – stick with Strobist and maybe check out McNally's blog [link] On the other hand, if you enjoyed 'Clicks then go for it – if you haven't already.





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  • Mood: Tired
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  • Reading: Sabriel - Garth Nix
  • Drinking: Beer
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:icondaywish:
Good one, thanks ;)
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:iconninereeds-da:
I'm glad you enjoyed it, it took me ages to put this together :)
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:iconwhitebook:
Beautiful selection :heart:
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:iconatbobbert:
Brilliant book. I keep stealing it from my bosses office and he keeps tracking it down. :shakefish:
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:iconninereeds-da:
Indeed, I enjoyed it but I wanted to give a balanced view here - I would hate anyone to buy it on my say-so and then not like it.
Where do you work that your boss has this book?
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:iconatbobbert:
I know what you mean about a balanced review.

LOL, my employer is not photographically inclined for sure. In fact, they don't allow cameras on the premises period. But my boss is hopelessly in love with photography and lighting so we're always comparing notes and trying to outdo each other. :D
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:iconninereeds-da:
Cool! It's good to have someone to talk to and compete with :) One of the guys here is a fellow photog but he's not so active anymore. I still get him to eye-ball my stuff though - you can never get too much feedback :)
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:iconatbobbert:
Yes, the competition/collaboration is a good thing for sure. In fact, he called me tonight and wanted to borrow my SB600 for a real estate photoshoot--and invited me along as well. So I'll go take house pictures and see how that works out. :laughing:
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:iconproverbialcheese:
One of these days i will get a flash Ive been saying this for 12 years lol!
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