Joe McNally (1)

I one sense, I didn't learn squat from Joe McNally's book .... other than how profoundly lazy and unimaginative I am. Anyone who is technically competent with their equipment can do what Joe does -- technically. But what sets McNally apart from me and from most photographers that I know (spanning 40 years in photography) is the lengths that he goes to in realizing his artistic vision. As a photographer I have always worked with the light, really concentrating on being perceptive to light. But Joe turns things completely around. He exerts control; he makes the light follow his imagination and vision. For me this was a revolutionary way of approaching lighting. I don't need to look at a scene and think, "what can I do with it." Rather, I can look at a scene and think "what do i want it to look like." It's like when the Beatles first heard Jimi Hendrix. OK, so I exaggerate (I caught that affliction from McNally).

The writing is clear, concise, and his self-depreciating humor is entertaining. He's a master of the metaphor.… (meer)