Joe McNally

Veteran photographer Joe McNally takes you behind the camera and tells you how he got the shot!

Photography Secrets from One of the World's Top Shooters

The Moment it Clicks

Photographer and best-selling author Joe McNally shares stories and lessons from a life in photography. When Joe McNally moved to New York City in 1976, his first job was at the Daily News as a copyboy, “the wretched dog of the newsroom.” He was earning the lowest pay grade possible and living in a cheap hotel in Manhattan. Life was not glamorous. But with a fierce drive, an eye for a picture, and a willingness to take (almost) any assignment that came his way, Joe stepped out onto the always precarious tightrope of the freelance photographer—and never looked back. Fast forward 40 years, and his work has included assignments and stories for National Geographic, Time, LIFE, Sports Illustrated, and more. He has traveled for assignments to nearly 70 countries and received dozens of awards for his photography. In The Real Deal, Joe tells us how it all started, and candidly shares stories, lessons, and insights he has collected along the way. This is not a dedicated how-to book about “where to put the light,” though there is certainly instructional information to be gleaned here. This is also not a navel-gazing look back at “the good old days,” because those never really existed anyway. Instead, The Real Deal is simply a collection of candid “field notes”—some short, some quite long—gathered over time that, together, become an intimate look behind the scenes at a photographer who has pretty much seen and done it all. Though the photography industry bears little resemblance to the industry just 10 years ago (much less 40 years ago), what it really takes to become a successful photographer—the character traits, the fundamental lessons, the ability to adapt, and then adapt again—remains the same. Joe writes about everything from the crucial ability to know how to use (and make!) window light to the importance of creating long-term relationships built on trust; from lessons learned after a day in the field to the need to follow your imagination wherever it takes you; from the “random” and “lucky” moments that propel one’s career to the wonders and pitfalls of today’s camera technology. For every mention of f-stops and shutter speeds, there is equal discussion about the importance of access, the occasional moment of hubris, and the idea of becoming iconic. Before Joe was a celebrated and award-winning photographer, before he was a well-respected educator and author of multiple bestselling books, he was just…Joe, hustling every day, from one assignment to the next, piecing together a portfolio, a skill set, a reputation, a career. He imagined a life—and then took pictures of it. Here are a few frames.

The Real Deal

John McNally

Richard Pitman

Hunted

Field Notes from a Photographer

Light and the Life

Warned Off

Since we converted the Eddie Malloy novels to ebook format, more than 50,000 people have downloaded a copy. The reviews have been highly encouraging, and we're delighted to have our first three-book collection out in paperback. Here are some extracts from online reviews: "Very cleverly written I thoroughly enjoyed this book enjoying it every bit as much if not more than the last couple of Dick Francis books I read." Helen Cobbold "I am usually an avid reader of Francis and Francome books and have read them all. I have just read Warned Off and am very impressed. Innovative, fresh and interesting, I couldn't put it down and as soon have I have written this I'm buying the next book. Well done guys, I look forward to reading many more of your books in the future." Kerianns "Warned Off is the first book in the Eddie Malloy series. Eddie is a tough, angry former jockey enlisted to find the person responsible for a pair of grisly maimings and a murder, crimes so horrific that only someone with nothing to lose would take them on. This is a first-rate thriller set in the world of horse racing, but even someone like me who knows nothing about horse racing (or horses, really, except for which end kicks and which end bites) will be sucked in from the first page. I've read the first two books out of order, but I'd recommend starting at the first, with Warned Off. Can't wait to read the rest!"

The Eddie Malloy Series

When Eddie's friend and mentor, Bill Keating dies in a horsebox at his daughter's birthday party, everyone says it was suicide...except Eddie Malloy. Bill's widow, Cathy is about to lose her house and business unless Eddie can help her prove it's not suicide. As Eddie begins to gather evidence, a menacing midnight phone call warns him to stay out of it. That's the wrong thing to say to Eddie Malloy and it sets Eddie off on a complicated chase through a maze of scams and deaths which stretch from the gentle racetracks of England to beautiful Barbados where Eddie endures a terrible torture - one which, his enemy threatens, is the 'last stop before death'.

Running Scared

Editors of Life

Photography has been the business and the passion of LIFE since the original weekly magazine's inception in 1936, and it continues to be the business and passion of LIFE Books and LIFE.com in the new millennium. But photography has surely changed during these many decades. The rigs and gear of old have given way-first slowly, then all at once-to sleek miracle machines that process pixels and have made the darkroom obsolete. The casual photog puts eye to lens, sets everything on auto and captures a photograph that is . . . perfectly fine. One of LIFE's master shooters-in fact, the final in the long line of distinguished LIFE staff photographers-was Joe McNally, and he has always believed that with a little preparation and care, with a dash of enthusiasm and daring added to the equation, anyone can make a better photo-anyone can turn a "keeper" into a treasure. This was true in days of yore, and it's true in the digital age. Your marvelous new camera, fresh from its box, can indeed perform splendid feats. Joe explains in this book how to take best advantage of what it was designed to do, and also when it is wise to outthink your camera or push your camera-to go for the gold, to create that indelible family memory that you will have blown up as large as the technology will allow, and that will hang on the wall forevermore. As the storied LIFE photographer and photo editor John Loengard points out in his eloquent foreword to this volume, there are cameras and there are cameras, and they've always been able to do tricks. And then there is photography. Other guides may give you the one, two, three of producing a reasonably well exposed shot, but Joe McNally and the editors of LIFE can give you that, and then can show you how to make a picture. In a detailed, friendly, conversational, anecdotal, sometimes rollicking way, that's what they do in these pages. Prepare to click.

Everything You Need to Shoot Like the Pros

LIFE Guide to Digital Photography

Editors of Life Magazine

Rudolph Giuliani

LIFE Magazine photographer Joe McNally presents 150 photographs taken with his one-of-a-kind camera, a 12-foot by 12-foot high Polaroid which takes pictures 40 inches wide by 80 inches tall - larger than life-size. The series presents the (mostly) anonymous heroes of Ground Zero.

Portraits of the Heroes of September 11, 2001

Faces of Ground Zero

THE FIRST BOOK WITH ONE FOOT ON THE COFFEE TABLE, AND ONE FOOT IN THE CLASSROOM Joe McNally, one of the world’s top pro digital photographers, whose celebrated work has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated, Time, and National Geographic (to name a few), breaks new ground by doing something no photography book has ever done—blending the rich, stunning images and elegant layout of a coffee-table book with the invaluable training, no-nonsense insights, and photography secrets usually found only in those rare, best-of-breed educational books. When Joe’s not on assignment for the biggest-name magazines and Fortune 500 clients, he’s in the classroom teaching location lighting, environmental portraiture, and how to “get the shot” at workshops around the world. These on-location workshops are usually reserved for a handful of photographers each year, but now you can learn the same techniques that Joe shares in his seminars and lectures in a book that brings Joe’s sessions to life. What makes the book so unique is the “triangle of learning” where (1) Joe distills the concept down to one brief sentence. It usually starts with something like, “An editor at National Geographic once told me…” and then he shares one of those hard-earned tricks of the trade that you only get from spending a lifetime behind the lens. Then, (2) on the facing page is one of Joe’s brilliant images that perfectly illustrates the technique (you’ll recognize many of his photos from magazine covers). And (3) you get the inside story of how that shot was taken, including which equipment he used (lens, f/stop, lighting, accessories, etc.), along with the challenges that type of project brings, and how to set up a shot like that of your own. This book also gives you something more. It inspires. It challenges. It informs. But perhaps most importantly, it will help you understand photography and the art of making great photos at a level you never thought possible. This book is packed with those “Ah ha!” moments—those clever insights that make it all come together for you. It brings you that wonderful moment when it suddenly all makes sense—that “moment it clicks.”

Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters

The Moment It Clicks

Photographer and best-selling author Joe McNally shares stories and lessons from a life in photography. When Joe McNally moved to New York City in 1976, his first job was at the Daily News as a copyboy, "the wretched dog of the newsroom." He was earning the lowest pay grade possible and living in a cheap hotel in Manhattan. Life was not glamorous. But with a fierce drive, an eye for a picture, and a willingness to take (almost) any assignment that came his way, Joe stepped out onto the always precarious tightrope of the freelance photographer--and never looked back. Fast forward 40 years, and his work has included assignments and stories for National Geographic, Time, LIFE, Sports Illustrated, and more. He has traveled for assignments to nearly 70 countries and received dozens of awards for his photography. In The Real Deal, Joe tells us how it all started, and candidly shares stories, lessons, and insights he has collected along the way. This is not a dedicated how-to book about "where to put the light," though there is certainly instructional information to be gleaned here. This is also not a navel-gazing look back at "the good old days," because those never really existed anyway. Instead, The Real Deal is simply a collection of candid "field notes"--some short, some quite long--gathered over time that, together, become an intimate look behind the scenes at a photographer who has pretty much seen and done it all. Though the photography industry bears little resemblance to the industry just 10 years ago (much less 40 years ago), what it really takes to become a successful photographer--the character traits, the fundamental lessons, the ability to adapt, and then adapt again--remains the same. Joe writes about everything from the crucial ability to know how to use (and make!) window light to the importance of creating long-term relationships built on trust; from lessons learned after a day in the field to the need to follow your imagination wherever it takes you; from the "random" and "lucky" moments that propel one's career to the wonders and pitfalls of today's camera technology. For every mention of f-stops and shutter speeds, there is equal discussion about the importance of access, the occasional moment of hubris, and the idea of becoming iconic. Before Joe was a celebrated and award-winning photographer, before he was a well-respected educator and author of multiple bestselling books, he was just...Joe, hustling every day, from one assignment to the next, piecing together a portfolio, a skill set, a reputation, a career. He imagined a life--and then took pictures of it. Here are a few frames.

Field Notes from the Life of a Working Photographer

I've gotten a lot of requests the past few years to make a keepsake, a compilation if you will, of the favorites from the blog. It’s easy to miss a blog post—anyone’s post—because the rush of day-to-day life intercedes. This book gives me a chance to put some favorite posts together in one place, and to collect a lot of thoughts, feelings, and lessons into something coherent. It’s humorous, educational, and most of all, real. Editing for this book was like editing pictures. You pick the ones that resonate, have the potential for memory, and possess some sort of emotional or stylistic connection. The following 25 stories are a cross section of the most popular, educational, and madcap posts from the blog. The ones that have struck a chord with readers. The book has two sections—“The Light” and “The Life.” The Light section deals with the nuts and bolts of using flash and crafting light. There's a bunch of techniques, strategies, truisms, and gear talk. The Life section is about a photographic life, about being a shooter—which is sometimes painful, sometimes humorous, but hopefully, at the end of the day, anecdotally educational. Writing the blog has been different from writing a book because it’s less formal, and a little more raw. I have occasionally written about times gone by, and events I've had a chance to reflect on. On other occasions, a blog has spontaneously sprung from the events in the field that day, from the frustration of getting on an airplane with a lot of photo gear to dealing with a difficult subject or client. It’s the unedited rushes of the photographic experience. It veers from considered commentary, to technical lessons, to quick, funny riffs about the exasperating, goofy stuff of any given day in the field. It's quick off the mark, and an honest account of just how wonderful, amazing, crazy, sad, frustrating, rewarding, disheartening, and ultimately glorious it is to be a visual storyteller. - Joe

The Light and the Life

A crazy technology genius from Boston is hammering the English bookies by manipulating race results. This American Robin Hood secretly pays the innocent people who lose out through his scheme. His big mistake is to scam Eddie Malloy. Eddie's already in trouble. Trainer Matt Nash and racehorse owner, the beautiful young heiress, Rebecca Bow, have got involved with the Triads and need Eddie's help and protection. While Eddie is trying to track down the American, and keep his friends safe from the violent Chinese gangsters, a 12 year-old boy on a pony is searching the snowbound English Lake District for his father. The result of that search is to have a devastating effect on Eddie's life. From smoky London Casinos, and the country racetracks of England, to a New York's Wall Street, Eddie works to unravel multiple mysteries and to finally find love.

The Third Degree

Following up on the great success of The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes, legendary magazine photographer Joe McNally takes us on another memorable ride with Sketching Light, another trip into the land of light--but this time running the gamut from small flash to big flash, and everywhere in between. Of course, Joe includes coverage of Nikon Speedlights, but he also covers big flash, as well as "in-between" lights as the Elinchrom Quadra. The exploration of new technology, as well as the explanation of older technology. No matter what equipment Joe uses and discusses, the most important element of Joe's instruction is that it is straightforward, complete, and honest. No secrets are held back, and the principles he talks about apply generally to the shaping and quality of light, not just to an individual model or brand of flash. He tells readers what works and what doesn't via his let's-see-what-happens approach, he shows how he sets up his shots with plentiful sketches and behind-the-scenes production shots, and he does it all with the intelligence, clarity, and wisdom that can only come from shooting in the field for 30 years for the likes of National Geographic, Time, Life, and Sports Illustrated--not to mention the wit and humor of a clearly warped (if gifted) mind.

An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash

Sketching Light

When it comes to photography, it’s all about the light. After spending more than thirty years behind the lens—working for National Geographic, Time, Life, and Sports Illustrated—Joe McNally knows about light. He knows how to talk about it, shape it, color it, control it, and direct it. Most importantly, he knows how to create it...using small hot shoe flashes. In The Hot Shoe Diaries, Joe brings you behind the scenes to candidly share his lighting solutions for a ton of great images. Using Nikon Speedlights, Joe lets you in on his uncensored thought process—often funny, sometimes serious, always fascinating—to demonstrate how he makes his pictures with these small flashes. Whether he’s photographing a gymnast on the Great Wall, an alligator in a swamp, or a fire truck careening through Times Square, Joe uses these flashes to create great light that makes his pictures sing.

Big Light from Small Flashes

The Hot Shoe Diaries

WARNING: THIS BOOK WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE JOSEPH'S MANSIONS FEATURING FRANKIE HOULIHAN. THE BOOK HAS BEEN COMPLETELY REWRITTEN IN LATE 2016 TO WRITE FRANKIE OUT AND BRING EDDIE IN TO MAKE THIS BOOK 9 IN THE EDDIE MALLOY SERIES. A Dublin gangster hires a young English scientist and plans to plunder the world of racing with an ingenious idea. Trip Healy, a handsome vet in his thirties must become a criminal to prepare for his impending death. 19-year-old Jess Wainwright sees from the back of a runaway horse that her dreams and her life are endangered. And Danny Deever, a bitter ex-jockey delights in harming the innocent. Can Eddie Malloy defeat this cast of deranged and dangerous men and keep his friends alive? Another searing mystery thriller in this well established and much loved series.

For Your Sins

A trio of apparent suicides of racing people in the beautiful Lambourn valley in south west England baffles Eddie Malloy. Eddie refuses to accept the police assumption that each death, accompanied by a suicide note, suggests no crime has been committed. One of the dead saved Eddie's life, when Eddie was just 19. Fourteen years' later, Eddie knows he cannot rest until he discovers the truth behind the death of his friend. Eddie enlists the help of a woman "with a brain the size of the moon", Maven Judge, a solitary maverick living on a remote Welsh clifftop above Hell's Mouth bay. Eddie believes he is up against a criminal genius. But he is betting that his determination, and the intellect of Maven Judge, can unravel the strangest mystery he has faced.

Dead Ringer

La iluminación en la fotografía es esencial. La luz es singular y mágica. Gracias a ella se revelan sombras, texturas, e incluso el material con que están hechos los objetos y a qué distancia se encuentran. Hablar sobre iluminación no sólo se refiere a introducir o eliminar focos de una escena, sino también a exposición, velocidades de obturador y sobre todo a cómo crear la luz y utilizar el flash. Después de más de treinta años tras los objetivos, el autor conoce de fotografía como nadie. Sabe cómo hablar sobre la luz, cómo moldearla, cómo darle color y cómo controlarla y dirigirla. Este libro aporta soluciones originales para obtener resultados impresionantes. Un despliegue de talento que profundiza en el proceso creativo del autor, a veces divertido, a menudo serio, pero siempre fascinante. Tanto si está fotografiando a una gimnasta en la Gran Muralla, un caimán en un pantano, o un camión de bomberos a toda velocidad por Times Square, Joe otorga una importancia especial y única a la iluminación. El resultado son imágenes con un toque único y maravilloso. No se lo pierda.

Iluminación para una fotografía impresionante

En los últimos años he recibido muchísimas solicitudes de hacer una antología, una recopilación de los artículos mas populares del blog. Es fácil dejar pasar artículos, dadas las carreras que la vida nos interpone cada día. Este libro me ofrece la oportunidad de reunir mis artículos favoritos en un solo lugar, y de agrupar una diversidad de ideas, emociones, y lecciones en algo mas coherente. Es divertido, educativo y ante todo, real. Editar estos artículos ha sido como editar fotografías, seleccionas las que mas te impactan, las que tienen memorias especiales y poseen entre ellas algún tipo de conexión estética o emocional. Las siguientes 25 historias son una selección de lo mas popular, emocionante y educativo del blog, los artículos que mas resonancia han generado entre los lectores. El libro tiene dos secciones — La Luz y La Vida. La sección de La Luz cubre muchos detalles sobre la ciencia y el arte de la iluminación. Encontraras una gran cantidad de técnicas y estrategias de iluminación, tips y selección de equipo. La sección de La Vida es acerca de mis experiencias como fotógrafo, que han sido a veces dolorosas, a veces divertidas, mas espero logren ofrecer anécdotas educativas. Escribir un blog has sido distinto a escribir un libro, ya que es mucho menos formal, mas auténtico. Ocasionalmente he escrito acerca de viejos recuerdos o eventos en los cuales he podido reflexionar. En otras ocasiones, los artículos se han generado espontáneamente gracias a las experiencias vividas ese mismo día en alguna locación, de las frustraciones de subirse a un avión cargando montones de equipo fotográfico, o de tener que manejar a un cliente o sujeto complicado. Son los afanes sin editar de la experiencia fotográfica. El blog pasa de opiniones concretas, a lecciones técnicas, a reacciones rápidas y divertidas de las cosas bobas y frustrantes que pasan cada día trabajando en una locación. Son recuentos honestos de lo maravilloso, fascinante, loco, triste, frustrante, remunerador, desalentador y glorioso que es ser un artista visual. Y porque traducir estas historias al Español? Es algo que he querido hacer por mucho tiempo, sobretodo después de haber conocido tantos fotografos maravillosos y apasionados en México y Sur América que luchan por alcanzar su sueños. Quiero poder compartir mas con ellos. Agradezco a mi buen amigo Eduardo Angel quien tradujo todas estas historias con destreza técnica y gran cariño. Espero que este libro sea del agrado de todos. –Joe

Joe McNally

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