Book Review: Hot Shoe Diaries

OK, first blog post ever. Instead of trying to be philosophical or profound, I thought I'd start simple, with a book review.

Dad was a Nikon guy. I am a Nikon guy. It runs in the family. I've seen this gear pounded around, shot in the rain, dropped on lenses--and it all still works great. As a matter of fact, I still use manual focus primes from the early 80s on my D700 DSLR. Can Canon cameras create great results? Of course. But, it's personal preference--and Nikon's how I roll.

So, I am always pleased to read Joe McNally's books. He's a Nikon guy, and his books are like the manuals that should come with all this gear. I loved The Moment It Clicks, and The Hot Shoe Diaries is now my favorite book on how to use my DSLR and SB-600 flash. As he does in The Moment It Clicks, Joe shows off a bunch of great photos and let us know how they've been constructed. There are great discussions of how and when to use flash gels, how distance affects shadow, and great techniques for diffusing light.

So far, Joe's talked me off the ledge when it comes to gels. I was really freaking out about these new toys in my camera bag. Will I use the right one? Which one? The yellowy one? The orange one? Readin this book, there are places where he talks about one CTO (orange gel) not being warm enough and using three to get the result he wanted. The point? There's no one right answer. I'm already breathing easier.

There are diffusion examples everywhere in the book. But, there's a standout section here where he shows the same composition of a woman in a prison mugshot setup. The first shot is with the built in pop-up flash. Yuck! Then, with a hot shoed SB-900. Then, off camera SB-900 with Lastolite panels, then one with shoot through umbrellas, and the Lastolites. This is probably the best example I've seen of showing the differences between hard directional light and diffused, wrapping light.

Also infused throughout this book is Joe's magazine shooting experience. I think stories about tight deadlines and making your shots stick out in a world where a billion photos are now taken every day speak to my dream of one day being a pro with real clients.

It's also nice that Joe mentions the gear he uses--Lastolite tri-grips and all in one umbrellas, Lumiquest modifiers, etc. This is great because I can look these things up on the web and understand exactly what these lumps of equipment are and how he's using them. It's really great.

But, the greatest gift in this book is the encouragement to go out and shoot, and make adjustments, and get great results. This book is pure inspiration. I'd encourage anyone--especially my Nikon brethren, to go get this book.

-30-

OK, phew, it's done. My first ever blog entry. :) Now, off to have an Ardbeg (nothing to do with photography) with an old friend.