Sketching Light
An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash
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2.7 • 6 Ratings
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- $47.99
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- $47.99
Publisher Description
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.
Customer Reviews
Nothing New Compared to the Previous Books
First of all the price for this ebook is outrageously high. Second: there's really nothing amazingly new about this book to justify the expense. Looking at the different chapters you notice how at least 50% of the book is an expansion (with a few more technical details) of his blog or a complete transcription of the Kelby's tutorials. I found myself skipping most of the chapters for lack of (new) technical information. Let's face it, Joe McNally knows what he's doing but we are not seeing anything spectacular. It's the same use of speedlites over and and over again and while the newbies will find the book extremely useful, the seasoned photographer will read just waiting for the next punch line (lots of jokes and fun facts in the book). As a journalist his approach to writing is…awkward. Lot's of purposely used slang words, misspellings and non-english words: this book is not for you if you enjoy a clean narration or if you are trying to expand your vocabulary. Well, It will help you expand your street vocal, but avoid at all cost if you are still in school. This book more than his predecessor, feels like a big Nikon ad campaign. I have nothing against Nikon as I use it too, but it feels like some chapters have been done to uniquely sell gear (i love their speedlites but for $500 I can buy Alien Bees studio lights with battery pack) and promote the new SB-910. Wanna buy a good book: my advice is to go with the Hot Shoe Diaries, still from Mr. McNally.
Good stories, bad ebook formatting
I have read a number of McNally's books and watched a number of his training videos on Kelby Training. This book is well written like most of his books, but doesn't offer much new if you have read his other books or seen his training videos. The best parts of the book are his side stories about when he was on assignment photographing some famous people.
The Apple iBook formatting made it difficult to read. Page references were from the hard copy book and didn't match the ebook page numbering. And some of the photos that are referenced were six pages away from their reference. Definitely stick with the hard copy for this book
Apple pricing
Confused as to why the price iBook is $40, the physical copy is $30, and the kindle copy is 18? Get it together someone.