Unlock Creative Possibilities with The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light From Small Flashes

Wanderingjack: Anyone even remotely interested in portrait photography or event photography must buy this book.

Canada on Apr 04, 2023

Moo: I dare say, it'd be hard not to like Joe if you were to meet him in person. He's, no doubt, a chatty guy with a good bit of photo-shtick. But, when it comes to acquiring knowledge, wading through copious non sequiturs to get to the nuggets of information is, I'm sorry to say, a little tiresome.

That said, Joe clearly knows his stuff, he's put in the hours, messed up, recovered and tells you how to avoid doing the same. His photographs are terrific. And, his advice sound. When he put his mind to it, Joe can explain what you need to know in an enjoyable way. If you are prepared to skip a large amount of waffle along the way, there's much to learn from this book.

Be warned: Joe is a longstanding Nikon-guy, and if you shoot another brand (Canon, or Fuji, or Sony, or ...) you'll be skipping most of the equipment-specific stuff as well. But, there's nothing much a Nikon flash does that a Canon flash doesn't, and I dare say that's tue of most other brands too. So, provided you know your particular flash-system well, you'll be able to replicate pretty much everything mentioned. But, if your new to flash, and don't shoot Nikon, then this book isn't the best starting place.

United Kingdom on Jan 20, 2019

Monty G: This book does NOT explain basic photography concepts like shutter speed, aperture size, ISO, Aperture priority, Manual Mode, or how to use all the buttons and dials on your camera.
What it does do is make you think !!

I have a wedding venue and have taken a lot of photos and processed them with lightroom.
I know the basics of photography, and I have read a lot of beginner to intermediate photography books.
Most of those books repeat a lot of what I learned from the other books.
I use a flash for most of the indoor shots and a lot of the close-up outdoor shots. I use a softbox or umbrella when I have time to set them up. If the available light allows I will go without a flash. If time allows I will use manual mode instead of Aperture Priority.
I've had photographers come to my venue with no flash and a couple of primes(natural light fanatics). In a lot of their photos the background is washed out and the bride and groom have too much noise from high ISOs, or the depth of field is way too shallow from opening the aperture too far to get more light in. Some fill flash would have helped with this situation.

After taking and processing thousands of photos,...

United States on Dec 14, 2018

Lilia's CO2 sales: I never like to read books. I like workshops, DVD training, working with other photographers, and going out and shooting, everyday. I hate it if a day goes by and I do not shoot something.

I was looking for something to give me ideas. I shot mostly sports but with the economy being down, and every person with a digital camera calling themselves a photographer I have been doing more work that requires flash. Actually I am always using flash when not shooting sports, as you should know the creative part of photography requires the photographer to use flashes to create ART. When shooting outside the real PRO PHOTOGRAPHER is always using multiple flashes to produce PROFESSIONAL results. Nothing like shooting in a park with lights hanging from the trees, ever want a great hair light or back light a subject. PHOTOGRAPHY is all about LIGHT, and this book is a history of 30 years of creating light. Just to be very clear I have been using flash for more years than I care to remember. One reviewer who gave this book four stars was funny. He bought an SB700 and this book because he (D. Lynch) was shooting a wedding as the main photographer in a week and needed to learn to use his...

United States on May 22, 2013

Spuds: After reading some of the previous reviews, I do wonder what some people expected when they bought this book...it's well known this guy exclusively uses Nikon kit, so it was always going to feature that company's products. I use Nikon at work (as a Crime Scene Examiner) and I've just gone over to Canon (EOS 5D MkII) and Metz for my private stuff, so I feel I can give an unbiased opinion.
I bought the book because I wanted to know more about the capabilities of Speedlight lighting, as recent years have seen a lot more accessories available through companies like Interfit (their Strobist range). In the old days you had bulky studio kit or weedy little underpowered on-camera units. That's all changed now.
The author's use of American "slang" can be a bit irritating, but it's just his writing style. He's an American so get used to it. His pictures aren't perfect either (whose are?) but he doesn't say they are. It's all a matter of taste, after all, and if his clients liked them then who are we to criticize?
Where this author excells is in his huge well of experience using this type of lighting. In many cases, it's a case of using the kit to get a picture or not getting the...

United Kingdom on Nov 07, 2009

E. Middleton: If you take this book at face value it's a great read. I was a little nervous around flash, often preferring to push my ability to hold the camara steady or push the ISO up before resorting to flash. This book has given me a few ideas and the confidence to experiment. The book is a collection of stories about particular photographs. If you're looking for a detailed explanation of each of the buttons on the flash you'll be disappointed (although Nikon users do get a guide at the back). If, however, you're interested in some basic principles and a couple of ideas to start with this book is for you.

A couple of reviewers have commented that the book is very Nikon-centric: for sure, Joe McNally is a Nikon user and isn't afraid of telling you why he likes their kit. However, the principles apply to all systems and most of the techniques / settings are available in other systems. I use Canon and Olympus and had no problem applying the principles. If you can't figure out how to use 2nd curtain flash for your camera you need a manual, not this book.

On a similar theme, the book is a little light on the exact settings used and the placement of the lights. This suits me - in...

United Kingdom on May 17, 2009

Bruce M. Walker: This book is written in the manner of a conversation between a couple of photo buddies. Joe McNally is a seasoned working photographer. He believes strongly in the edict "you don't take shots, you make shots". To this end he also makes light work for him rather than simply waiting for ambient light conditions to be right. He uses an informal tone and humour to demonstrate his principles and practice.

He has worked out how to get excellent lighting results from those small, portable hotshoe-mounted battery powered flashes commonly known as Speedlights (Nikon-speak). Beginning with many examples of shots made using a single flash, the book progresses to two or three flash shots and eventually deconstructs a shot made with 47 flashes to light a plane on wet tarmac.

Each chapter starts off with a photo that illustrates a particular lighting idea. The text outlines what the challenge was and what steps were taken to get the shot along with any problems encountered and solved. In some cases additional shots are reproduced that reveal setup, partial steps or mistakes -- perhaps just, "this is the wrong way". A number of chapters include a hand-drawn placement diagram...

Canada on May 16, 2009