Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Not what I expected
Comment: As photography books, especially instructional ones, go this is definitely an interesting one. The layout is really good and the images nothing short of stunning. Mr. McNally's thoughts and advice are written in an easily understandable and very approachable manner. All very well, then.
Well, not entirely. Many reviewers before me have mentioned that there are few real pieces of advice as how to go out and produce shots similiar to those presented. There are plenty of hints and 'I got hold of helicopter and had my fleet of assistants doing this and that to get the proper lighting on the King of Siberia while the catering firm truck was just in the right spot for creating the right shadows', which creates the feeling, at least to me, that the author (who is a great photographer) just tells stories about why he is as good as he is (this is not boring or bad as such, mind you, just not what one is expecting). If you know all there is to know about lighting and creative photography, I guess you could look at the advice in this book and say 'oh yeah, I forgot about that. Let's do it this way', but unless you're quite good with lamps and lights, there's not enough to be had here. I have definitely learned, from most of the advice in this book, that one needs an assistant, 5 flashes, tons of reflectors, and all kinds of other stuff to get any sort of portrait in the field as well as in the studio. There are, in other words, not enough tips on shooting for amateurs in the field (in my opinion).
With danger of sounding hippocritical, I'll say that some of the advice (sold as 'nuggets of wisdom' in the foreword by S. Kelby) is a bit on the simple side ("Bring your camera"?). It's not a big problem, though (you can't have a book tailored to just your own needs, can you now? And this one does actually cover quite a bit of ground).
There is also a slight problem with the writing. Approachable and easily understandable as it is, I think that the language at times is a bit too... colloquial. "Then I was like...", "Dat's one fine lookin' photo subject", and the like makes it all a bit too... well, colloquial, for me.
There are some photographs in here, though, and hints and advice are never a waiste of time. It's just not the book it could have, or indeed should have, been.
2,5 stars
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Summary: Great gift book
Comment: I bought this for a friend who is a photographer and teacher of photography, and he loved it. This book makes a great gift for anyone who is interested in making pictures or just looking at them.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book
Comment: Fantastic book with great work inside. Incredibly upbeat and witty, with helpful tips for everyday photography to advanced lighting techniques. Highly reccomended
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Summary: Fun to read and illustrative as well!
Comment: First of all, the pictures in this book are great, and for that alone it is worth buying.
With each picture Joe tells a small story on how he got to the picture. Some reviewers were expecting a closely detailed "how to", and this is not it.
But just as photography is not about the gear alone (a good camera does not automatically make you a good photographer), it is also not just about technique.
So, there are no lighting diagrams in the book, no setups like "two flashes here and a reflector there". But a lot of tongue in cheek stories. Why film actors don't like their picture taken, how to get the right props, what NOT to do when shooting college sports stars, how to deal with police disrupting a shoot, etc.
I once made a portrait of my coworkers son. She said it was his best portrait ever - showing his true smile and not the fake one he always had in pictures. This book will get you a feeling (among other things) on how to get that true smile out of people.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book
Comment: Note that the majority of people that don't like this book explicitly mention Kelby's books. That should speak volumes to experienced photographers and photo editors.
If you love Scott Kelby books then this probably isn't the book for you. It isn't filled with lousy jokes and simple formulas. You have to have some base photographic knowledge to pull off complex shots and you'll never get there with simple formulas. No ... it isn't a beginner book like Kelby's drivel so don't buy it if that's what you're into.
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