The Moment It Clicks (Joe McNally)

Joe McNally is a very experienced and internationally acclaimed American photographer who has shot covers for National Geographic and Sports Illustrated, as well being a staff photographer for Life magazine. He is also known for his photography workshops and a number of tutorial videos for Nikon and the Scott Kelby’s Training site.

The Moment It Clicks is born from Joe’s photography workshops and aims to present some his knowledge, images and informal style in the form of a book. This is not a photography how-to book, you won’t find detailed shot settings or lighting diagrams, but you will gain inspiration and a number of new tips and techniques to try out. Some knowledge of photography or lighting will definitely help you to get the most from the information in the book. There is a lot of jargon and photography slang used by Joe, but there are plenty of footnotes to help explain it, as well as a glossary at the back of the book.

The book is presented in three sections, the first one covering the opening four chapters. On each pair of pages, one will contain a full page image of Joe’s and the other will contain the story behind the shooting of that image. For most images there will also be a box containing some technical tips on how to shoot that sort of image. The stories in this section vary between amusing, inspiring, heartfelt and touching but are often a combination of these.

The second section, covering the next three chapters, goes into some detail about the vast array of items that make up Joe McNally’s photographic arsenal. From cameras and lenses to booms and reflectors, it is an amazing collection of gear. Also in this section are a number of general lighting tips that Joe has learned from his experience in the field, all of which are worth committing to memory for your own use.

The final section and chapter is the Bar Room, containing a number of stories and anecdotes from Joe’s assignments through the years. Each of these are illustrated with relevant photographs. As a bonus, if you register the book with the publisher’s website, you can download another whole chapter of these stories in PDF format.

The entire of the book is presented in Joe’s informal and irreverent style, making it an enjoyable and engrossing read. If you are after an inspiring photography book, some professional photography and lighting tips or just a glimpse into the world of one of the top magazine shooters then The Moment It Clicks comes highly recommended.

You can read a sample chapter of the book on the publisher’s website here.

Joe McNally also has a blog that is similar in style to the book, containing plenty of images with background stories and lighting information. Visit the blog here.