The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world’s top shooters (Voices That Matter)

By Joe McNally

Product Description

THE FIRST BOOK WITH ONE FOOT ON THE COFFEE TABLE, AND ONE FOOT IN THE
CLASSROOM
Joe McNally, one of the world’s top pro digital photographers, whose celebrated work has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated, Time, and National Geographic (to name a few), breaks new ground by doing something no photography book has ever done—blending the rich, stunning images and elegant layout of a coffee-table book with the invaluable training, no-nonsense insights, and photography secrets usually found only in those rare, best-of-breed educational books.

When Joe’s not on assignment for the biggest-name magazines and Fortune 500 clients, he’s in the classroom teaching location lighting, environmental portraiture, and how to “get the shot” at workshops around the world. These on-location workshops are usually reserved for a handful of photographers each year, but now you can learn the same techniques that Joe shares in his seminars and lectures in a book that brings Joe’s sessions to life.

What makes the book so unique is the “triangle of learning” where (1) Joe distills the concept down to one brief sentence. It usually starts with something like, “An editor at National Geographic once told me…” and then he shares one of those hard-earned tricks of the trade that you only get from spending a lifetime behind the lens. Then, (2) on the facing page is one of Joe’s brilliant images that perfectly illustrates the technique (you’ll recognize many of his photos from magazine covers). And (3) you get the inside story of how that shot was taken, including which equipment he used (lens, f/stop, lighting, accessories, etc.), along with the challenges that type of project brings, and how to set up a shot like that of your own.

This book also gives you something more. It inspires. It challenges. It informs. But perhaps most importantly, it will help you understand photography and the art of making great photos at a level you never thought possible. This book is packed with those “Ah ha!” moments—those clever insights that make it all come together for you. It brings you that wonderful moment when it suddenly all makes sense—that “moment it clicks.”

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #552 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed photographer, whose career has spanned 30 years and included assignments in over 50 countries. Although the majority of his career has been spent shooting for magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic, in the mid-1990s Joe served as Life magazine’s staff photographer, the first one in 23 years. He also has shot commercial assignments for Target, Nikon, and Sony, to name a few. Joe is a recipient of the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award and has been honored by Pictures of the Year International, World Press Photo, The Art Directors Club, American Photo, Communication Arts, and Graphis. He conducts numerous workshops around the world as part of his teaching activities. One of Joe’s most notable projects, Faces of Ground Zero — Giant Polaroid Collection, has become known as one of the most significant artistic responses to the tragedy at the World Trade Center.

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Customer Reviews

Great pictures, so-so advice, exorbitant price…
The book has won more praise from photographers of all ilk than just about any other book ever, though as I discovered $55 later, Joe McNally’s blue-collar celebrity and incredible photographic versatility don’t guarantee that everything he publishes is as cool as he is. The party line is that the book “has one foot on the coffee table and one in the classroom,” which amounts to two few feet, as I see it; each image is paired with a very soft technical explication that merely suggests that McNally is, in fact, alive (and proud of what he’s done while alive). Sure, the novice with little imagination may feel treated to privileged perspective thumbing through the candied panoply of McNally’s greatest hits, but unless you’re at ground zero with this novice, this book will not elevate your craft at all (even though Joe is cool).

Beyond f/stop and shutter speed
Not for those looking for f/stops and shutter speeds.

It gives you the litle tricks you gain by practicing…

In cooking (and in French) this would be similar to a great cook explaining his “Tours de main”. The little secrets that turn a known recepy into a journey to the realms of scents at tastes…

Could not put it down
The first photography book I’ve read cover to cover in one sitting.
Beautifully written, A lifetimes worth of tips and advice shared in a lighthearted way. The more I reread it the more aha moments I have. Joe Mc Nally is a great phototographer who’s walked the walk.

The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

[Scott Kelby]

 

Product Description

Scott Kelby was honored with Professional Photographer magazine’s highly coveted 2008 Hot One Award for The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers. Here’s what Jeff Kent, the Hot One Editor at Professional Photographer, has to say about the book: “In a how-to published by Peachpit Press, Scott Kelby, best-selling author on Adobe Photoshop, delves into CS3 to uncover the most important and useful techniques for digital photographers. Our judges liked Kelby’s direct approach with step-by-step instructions. In this new edition, Kelby shares even more secrets from the top pros.”

Shutterbug magazine chose The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers as a Top Digital Book of 2007. Here’s what Joe Farace of Shutterbug has to say about the book: “Scott Kelby’s name on a Photoshop book is like the Dodge brand on the front of a pickup truck. You know it’s built RAM—or pixel—tough. Combining his famous twisted wit with unwaveringly straight tutorials, Kelby takes you through a detailed tour of Photoshop CS3 by showing how to use the new features. No fluff; just page after page of well-illustrated tutorials showing photographers how to get the most out of the new features, commands, and effects found in the latest version of Adobe’s flagship. It will get you up to speed on CS3’s new features faster than you can all by yourself.”

Scott Kelby, the #1 best-selling Photoshop author in the world today, once again takes this book to a whole new level as he uncovers the latest, most important, and most exciting new Adobe Photoshop CS3 techniques for digital photographers. This major update to his award-winning, record-breaking book does something for digital photographers that’s never been done before–it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure it out on your own. Instead, Scott shows you step-by-step the exact techniques used by today’s cutting-edge digital photographers, and best of all, he shows you flat-out exactly which settings to use, when to use them, and why.

That’s why the previous editions of this book are widely used as the official course study guide in photography courses at college and universities around the world, and this new edition for Photoshop CS3 exposes even more of the top pros’ most closely-guarded secrets.

Learn How The Pros Do It
Each year Scott trains thousands of professional photographers on how to use Photoshop, and almost without exception they have the same questions, the same problems, and the same challenges–and that’s exactly what he covers in this book. You’ll learn:

• The sharpening techniques the pros really use.
• The pros’ tricks for fixing the most common digital photo problems fast!
• How to get great looking prints (that actually match your screen!)
• A whole chapter on the latest, most requested Photoshop special effects!
• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat.
• How to process Raw images, plus how to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features in CS3!
• The portrait retouching secrets only the pros know about!
• How to add real automation to your work.
• How to show your work like a pro!

Plus a host of shortcuts, workarounds, and slick “insider” tricks to send your productivity through the roof! If you’re a digital photographer, and you’re ready to learn the “tricks of the trade”–the same ones that today’s leading pros use to correct, edit, sharpen, retouch, and present their work–then you’re holding the book that will do just that.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #446 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
“This is not some reprint of an old book, but new text with tons of great, new ideas on how to polish your images. Our capture devises while good don’t capture everything we see. Our images also go to many places, not just the computer monitor. Scott’s book is full of techniques for cleaning up color, sharpening, presentation either by print, web gallery or a host of other ideas, organization, black and white conversion and the list just goes on and on. And all of these techniques take advantage of all the power and ease of Photoshop CS3.This is one monster of a book!” — Moose Peterson, moosepeterson.com

“In my opinion, The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book is one of those books that contains so much information that it really is a must have. If you are a beginner to Photoshop, you will have everything you need to create better photos. You will be able to learn things in a step-by-step approach that will fine tune your learning. If you are experienced, The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book will fill in many of the holes that you may have because of the depth and breath of Photoshop itself.” — T. Michael Testi, Blogcritics

About the Author
Scott Kelby is President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), the trade organization for Adobe Photoshop users, with thousands of members in the US and 63 countries. Scott is Editor-in-Chief of both Photoshop User magazine and Layers magazine, and is the technical chair of Photoshop World, the largest Photoshop gathering in the industry. Scott is one of the leading Photoshop trainers in the country today; he trains thousands of Photoshop users across the country each year, and is featured in a series of Photoshop training videos. He can also be seen on the popular weekly video podcast, NAPP TV.

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Customer Reviews

an awesome book…..
this book is everything i hoped for and then some….it is well written, humorous in spots to make it even more of a fun read and covers a wide variety of topics that i was interested in…..you’ll learn some new tips, learn some better ways to accomplish tasks you thought you already knew how to handle and you’ll wish the book was even longer after pouring over it…..a most excellent purchase that will be used for years…..

Excellent introduction to Photoshop
Scott covers an incredibly wide range of topics in The Adobe Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers. From importing and organizing images in Bridge, to removing sensor dust from hundreds of photos at once, to subtly smoothing skin, this book is full of useful tips for digital photographers. Every section has detailed instructions that let you see exactly what’s going on and, even better, make it easy to make changes along the way to discover what each tool does.

The book doesn’t really teach you concepts of photography or give you an idea of what your final product should be; that’s left as an exercise for the reader. What it does give you is exactly what it promises: relevant methods for improving your photos.

Easy to follow instruction and a fun read as well
Scott Kelby’s books have done more to teach me concepts of digital photograpy than any other source I have tried. His style puts the reader at ease as he authoritatively disects the complex world of digital photography.

 

Canon EOS 40D Guide to Digital Photography

[David D. Busch]

Product Description

As the new owner of Canon’s most advanced intermediate digital SLR, you want to get started taking professional-looking photographs using all of the exciting features at your fingertips. “Canon EOS 40D Guide to Digital SLR Photography” is a concise introduction and guide to your camera’s essential controls and functions, such as Live View, built-in dust reduction, and the blistering 6.5-frames-per-second continuous shooting mode that is an action photographer’s dream. The book provides detailed instructions showing you how, when, and why to make optimized settings with the Canon EOS 40D’s enhanced menus, which include a half-dozen versatile new custom functions. You’ll learn about the camera’s improved automatic focus, flash synchronization tricks, how to choose lenses that will provide the perspective and effects you want, and which exposure modes are ideal for each picture-taking opportunity. Packed with full-color images and examples that illustrate the recommended techniques and settings for your Canon EOS 40D, this book helps photographers of any skill level begin maximizing their equipment as soon as you open the cover!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #428 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-16
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 324 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
With more than a million books in print, David D. Busch is a best-selling author of books on digital photography and imaging technology, and the originator of popular series like “David Busch’s Pro Secrets” and “David Busch’s Quick Snap Guides.” He has written six hugely successful guidebooks for Nikon digital SLR models, and the most comprehensive manuals for dSLRs from Canon, Sony, and other vendors. His many other books devoted to digital photography include “David Busch’s Digital Infrared Pro Secrets” and “Mastering Digital SLR Photography.” As a roving photojournalist for more than 20 years, he has illustrated his books, magazine articles, and newspaper reports with award-winning images. Busch has operated his own commercial studio, suffocated in formal dress while shooting weddings-for-hire, and shot sports for a daily newspaper and upstate New York college. His photographs and articles have been published in magazines as diverse as “PhotoGraphic,” “Popular Photograph & Imaging,” “The Rangefinder,” and hundreds of other publications. He’s also reviewed digital cameras for CNet Networks and Computer Shopper.

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Customer Reviews

Canon EOS 40D guide to digital photography
This book will give you an easier path to learning your camera than the factory enclosed manual. I am only about two-tirds through the book, but so far I am impressed with it. I have upgraded from the 30D to the 40D withouth ever learning all the features of the 30D. I think with this book, I will probably learn more if not all of the features of the camera faster and easier.

An essential accessory
If you want to make the best use of the 40D additional information beyond the manual is essential. The manual won’t tell you why to make certain settings. This book has been a big help for me (new DSLR user) to become more familiar with the capabilities of the 40D.

Great general book for beginners and intermediates, but lacking on details for advanced usage.
I must admit that when I initially flipped through this book after receiving it and then started reading the first two chapters, I was expecting to eventually write a 3-star review for it. Overall, as an experienced EOS 30D user, I would probably still give it a rating of 3 or 3.5 stars, mainly because its target audience seems to be more oriented towards totally new to intermediate users of the 40D in specific, and also users new to DSLRs in general. But I selected this book because it does seem to be the best 40D book on the market right now. For a beginner/intermediate audience, I would easily give it 5 stars. But the book is thin on substance for advanced users, either for advanced users of film cameras switching to digital or advanced users of non-Canon cameras. One of the dilemmas in writing an instructional book like this, as is also the same problem found in some software books on how to use Photoshop, Excel, or how to program code for Web sites, is deciding on what to assume readers already know before reading the book and what readers hope to learn by the time that they finish reading the book. A definitive book on the 40D will let readers wade in from the shallow end as novice point-and-shoot camera users and emerge, by the time they finish the book, as 40D power users confidently swimming in the deep end of expertise and familiarity, and knowing how to efficiently use all of the camera’s settings under various shooting situations. But, alas, there is not a single 40D book out there that fits this bill.

Even though the author mentions several times in the book that he does not want to rehash the owner’s manual, a large part of the first four chapters does basically rehash the owner’s manual, albeit using larger text and photographs. This book is far easier to read than the owner’s manual, but due to weight/bulk considerations, I carry all of the owner’s manuals for my 30D/40D cameras and lenses in my Lowepro Slingshot while this book stays at home.

And so I give the book 4 stars instead of 5 because my wish list for the book includes: 1) more in-depth coverage of the all-important creative and manual mode shooting situations; 2) better descriptions of the nuances of the custom function settings as applied to various shooting situations (i.e. not just mainly describing what they do, but explaining more why/when/where a user would want to set a custom function); and 3) more in-depth coverage discussing how to use the supplied software utilities and applications (after all, there are tons of books on Photoshop, but no Canon photography book ever covers much about the included Canon software). I am surprised that guide books written about Canon’s EOS cameras do not spend a full long chapter discussing how to optimally and efficiently use the supplied software that is included with the camera since not everyone will have their own separate Photoshop or DPP software that they already use, and Canon’s DPP software is notably better than most “free with the camera” software that is supplied with other brands of cameras.

Overall, a great book that touches upon lots of topics beyond just pointing out all of the camera’s features, and also going into aperture, shutter speed, and exposure concepts that entire books have been written about. If you are a total DSLR beginner coming from the point-and-shoot camera world, this book will be very helpful in describing how to use all of its dials, buttons, and menus. But if you have reached the intermediate and beyond stage of expertise, the book will not progress you much into the advanced world of manually tweaking settings to get various desired effects and it will not teach you how to compose a great shot; for that, you will have to look elsewhere.