This book is exactly what I was searching for. I have read wonderful reviews of it so that's why I had to order it, and I am more than Satisfied! Keep up the great work Joe McNally!!

Hello Amazon,

I believe that this is an outstanding book, but since the product still hasn't arrived, although you send it again (the first order placement was in the beginning of December 2009), I can not make a review about it.

I suggested you not to send the package via the Hungarian national post, because almost every package are lost, no matter from who I ordered - but you answered me that you are not able to sen dit via other postal services.

I'm very upset that around $40 was lost for nothing. But the most annoying thin is that this book is not available in Hungary, that's why I've ordered from you, and it was ordered as a gift to my beloved one, and I couldn't give it to him for Christmas.
I understand that it's not your fault, but it's for sure that I'll never order from you again until you can manage to send packages via other postal services.

Thank you.

joe mcnally is the best. i also have the moment it clicks, which is my fav for sure. it's educational and funny. and i love how humble joe is. however, both books are not "teach me" books. they don't really cover the basic fundementals. You already need to be shooting a dslr and beyond beginner stage to really appreciate these books. I think.

Enormously enjoyed the swift reading of this remarcable book about flashes (Nikon-Speedlights)...
Even for a "dummie" like me this comes over as good explained and well written !
Although you need to spend a lot of money to buy all suggested pieces/accessories for better flashing it seems to me quite normal; if you really want to become a better (Nikon-)photographer in those described circumstances ...
Of course it seems easier nowadays when you have a good sponsor like Nikon !
But therefore you need more than normal skills and good luck ...

Having bought, and thoroughly enjoyed, 'The Moment it clicks' my next step was to buy 'The Hot Shoe Diaries'. Once again I wasn't disappointed it was another great and very informative read. The only downside, if I could call it that, is that the book is very NIKON orientated and as a Canon user I found myself getting lost occasionally, still can't fault the photographer for his choice of gear. Full of great tips and know how, probably a little technical for those out there who have only just bought their first flash.

This book is amazing. It is full of creative lighting suggestions, many of which you can do with only one or two flashes. The photographs in the book are beautiful and inspiring, and Joe narrates with insight and humor that will keep you turning the pages.

I picked up a great deal of terrific information about using flash from "Diaries", but only because I recently finished a 3 day workshop on flash photography. Without that workshop I would not have understood very much of the information in this book. If you want basic information to get you started using speedlights/speedlites, don't buy this book. If you already know the basics (how to use Flash Exposure Compensation, how to set up multiple flashes and set Flash Ratios, etc.), this is an excellent book to improve your skills. You will pick up many, many techniques that it would take months to learn on your own.
It is written using Nikon equipment as the examples, but I shoot Canon and I didn't find the numerous Nikon references to be a problem at all. This book is not a 'cookbook' anyway, it simply talks about how to get different effects from your flash...but it uses a huge amount of difficult to understand jargon. Reading this book is like talking to a computer geek. He throws in so many terms that have meaning only to him that it is easy to become exasperated.
Hang in there, though, and you will learn some new stuff...

Great photography and fun to read except the author uses to many profanities. The only problem I have with the book is you'd better have a fist full of cash to do use his advice. Some of his shots require more than 10 speedlights. At over 400 bucks per speedlight you'd better be a well paid pro to afford the equipment.
Good examples and many good tips on technique but to take full advantage of his teachings bring money.

Absolutely excellent read. If you are interested in off-camera flash photography, this is the book to get. BUY IT!

It is helpful to read, because J.McNally is an excellent photographer and there is fodder in the book for another way to take small flash pictures. However, I had several problems with the book. First, it is a Nikon book. Period. And Canon owners should be aware that Canon flash photography has some fundamental differences with Nikon flash photography; for example, in Canon, ambient and flash exposures are completely independent, and in Nikon systems, they aren't. So, the authors explanations need continual translation for Canon owners, and that gets tiring. This is not an insignificant issue. The only camera manufacturer that is even mentioned in this book is Nikon. All others is as if they didn't even exist. This sounds like a Nikon-sponsored book -an infomercial, as another comment said-, and, in my opinion, it is a big problem.

Two more issues: the explanations are often sort of right-brain explanations, and for left-brained people like me, not enough. In fact, in a few places, in my opinion, they are just confusing. Also, I must say that his brand of humor didn't click with me, and became more annoying than amusing after a while.

Still, as I said at the beginning of this review, there are good ideas in the book about a style -his- that I do like.

This book is very inspiring to someone who enjoys photography and wants to learn how a real pro deals with different lighting situations and uses his lighting equipment to its fullest potential. I like the informal style of the book that some other reviewers had felt negatively about. Definitely worth buying and referring to often. A couple of caveats, though. The writing does include some crude language, but I felt it was not excessive and it gives insight into the author's personality. Some of the examples are very Nikon-centric, but even if you are not a Nikon shooter (I am not), there is still plenty of useful information to be learned from this book. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of using gels on the flashes to match the white balance of the ambient light, and creatively using tungsten white balance to create certain moods. Highly recommended, an entertaining and informative read.

In the author's own words, he says that his wife thinks he jumps from one topic to another, etc. His writing style is so annoying, I cannot & will not read this book. I usually take a book out from my local library, and if I like it, then I head to Amazon and order it. This will not happen here. If Amazon allowed a ZERO-star rating, I would give it to this book!

You might like Joe McNally.

Unlike Kelby, who spends more time trying to be funny than giving you, the paying customer/reader, the information you need - Joe McNally gives you the goods without making you wade through an endless sea of babbling.

The info he presents is straightforward and more or less easy to apply to your own real-world situations. Granted, you may never actually use half of what's in the book. But it still makes for an interesting read.

It's definitely worth reading if you want to expand your flash experience. Although the author uses the Nikon system you can apply the concept to your flash system. Joe McNally writes like he talks, but I like it and it makes for easy reading.

I'm still reading the book, but I can tell that there's a lot of great info about using hot shoe flashes! A must read form anyone thinking about buying photo strobe lights.

This book is great! Joe McNally really gets into the down and dirty of how he does what he does. The images are stunning and the accompanying explanations of how he created them are very informative and well thought out. His writing style is kind of outrageous at times, but it makes the reader feel like they are having a conversation with Joe. I came away from this book with an immediate desire to go throw some gels on my Speedlights and get crankin' on some new ideas! He really is inspirational. This book is the type that you read cover to cover on first inspection, and then refer to for a lifetime of learning. I would venture to say that this book has improved my photography work almost overnight. I just shot a wedding last weekend, and used gels for color (not just color correction) for the first time in that high-stress environment....all thanks to Joe and his tips in this book. The photos from the wedding are some of the best I've ever taken. Thank you, Mr. McNally!

BUY THIS BOOK if you are at all interested in off-camera flash.

If you are a Nikon owner, it is a must-have. Seriously. Don't cheat yourself. USE that CLS system! Joe will teach you how.

this book is everything i heard about it,easy to read, very informative, excellent pictures with details on how he took them and a lot of humor.it has definately improved my photography.

McNally runs us through some of his techniques but doesn't give us much detail (diagrams, etc) with regard to the images in the book. He does however give basic concepts as to what he is trying to achieve. For this reason alone its not a bad book to keep in your photo skills library.

The Book is a blatant promotion for Nikon gear, which is fine, but the book should have been called "The Nikon Flash Diaries."

The biggest problem is that McNally writes like a 9 year old child - literally. With some decent editing, the book could have been cut down by a third. For his next book he needs to get a decent editor or attend a class in basic english composition. Sections of this book are barely readable due to this. I would have given it at least another star if it had been well edited

I thought this book was excellent. It provides enough technical details to help you understand the capabilities of your speedlite and how to get the most out of it, but in a very easy to read and entertaining way. Realize the author's style may not appeal to everyone, but I thought it added that right level of everyday language that I like.

If you don't think your speedlites have enough capability to shoot excellent, professional images, please read this book and see just what you can do with them!

This is a great book for everyone who uses flash in their photography. However,it is not really a beginners's book. Nevertheless, there is something here for every photographer no matter what his or her skill level. Joe McNally is the Zen master of flash photography. The book is gorgeously illustrated with Joe's amazing images. He explains in detail how the images were made. Sometimes the light came on and I thought, "Of course, that would work like that." Other times it was just slack-jawed amazement at Joe's technical expertise. Often I was reminded of the Larry Bird and Michael Jordan commercials - "Off the sign, over the bleachers, in the window...nothing but net."

Joe is unique. He brings his own light, and uses it effectively to make his images - and he tells you how you can do it. I thought I knew a bit about flash photography, but reading Joe's narrative and seeing his pictures, I felt like I was priveliged to be instructed by someone, perhaps with three (maybe more) PHDs in the subject, and maybe a couple of Purlitzers, and perhaps even a Nobel Peace Prize - while I am still reading third grade "Dick and Jane" readers - relative to flash photography, anyway.

Seriously, it is a great book by a master of flash photography who generously shares his images and knowledge. While there is necessarily some technical stuff, Joe's easy-read, down-to-earth style makes it all very readable and understandable. If you are at all serious about improving your flash photography, get this book.

Firstly, quite a few of the reviews I've read here, seem to be from people who are looking for a magic bullet in regards to their own photography. If you've been shooting for awhile, or forever, you know that there IS NO MAGIC BULLET. There's standard formula, and the rest is all trial and error. So to those people that have knocked this book, and commented that Joe McNally has strictly written this book to boost sales of Nikon gear...then you're all missing the mark, and probably shouldn't own a camera.

I've not been into the "strobist" scene very long, perhaps a little over a year. I like the freedom of shooting wirelessly in a studio, in a kitchen, or outdoors on location. Even if you do not own many of the light modifiers that Joe speaks about, and uses regularly for his work, this book is full of "real life" on location setups and remedies to many of the works he's produced and shared here in the book.

The brass tacks of equipment IS Nikon centric, but that's what Joe uses. Why would he write about Canon or Pentax systems if he uses Nikon? I personally use Canon cameras, and remotely fire Vivitar 285HV flashes, where power is manually dialed in on the flash itself, using cheap Japanese FM transmitters. I've personally found mountains of useful info from this book. Things I may have stumbled on myself after dozens and dozens of shoots going forward. Buying and reading this book has lowered that bar, and I've already used several tips with great results. You don't need to use Nikon's CLS system to gain any useful info here.

Joe writes in layman's terms, is quite funny, self derpicating, humble, and very REAL in his approach. If you're a reader of his blog, you already are aware of this. There's fistfuls of his humor in the book, and mountains of info, if you're actually READING and not just sifting through the awesome pictures. If you're looking for some mathematical magic formula ( not only here but in any photography book ) I assure you, it's not here. And if you approach photography in that manner, you'll forever be searching, and not getting any enjoyment or return from the craft. IF you're not one of those types, then there is surely something for every level of photographer here. I'm sure I will reach for this book time and time again moving forward. This is one of those items I'd be sure to grab if my house was ever on fire.

Mr. McNally takes money from Nikon. I may be wrong about this, and retract this if so. However, JM pushes Nikon speedlights, even using 30 of them to light a stealth fighter. Lets see, that's $15,000 worth of lights. Absurd. I believe authors who are paid to promote products should make that clear. Scott Kelby promotes products, but he does not take money from the manufacturers. If you have a Nikon, consider a more powerful, cheaper flash with radio control. Particularly if you light something like a building.

I definitely think that Mr. McNally has improved quite a bit with "Hot Shoe Diaries" when compared to his first effort "The Moment it Clicks". I think there's a lot more useful advice to be found in the latter volume, and it seems better structured as well. If you are fond of flash photography there are definitely a lot of hints, tips, and tricks to be found here. No doubt about that. The pictures complementing the text are, as was the case with "The Moment it Clicks", beautiful. The semi-coffeetablebookness of this book makes it stand out from the competition. We are able to see what can be done with flashes right there, and it's quite a lot that can be done, apparantly.

There are, however, still a few problems with the text. First and foremost I do not care for the very colloquial way in which "Hot Shoe Diaries" was written. There are far too many 'ya might wanna dis and dat' (not quoting, but using actual words from the text, though) and colloquialism that lead to incorrect grammatical constructions. Normally, writing in a more colloquial manner, makes the text more accessible, but in this case, in my opinion at least, it subtracts rather than adds. Closely related to this is his attempts at humour, which sometimes hit, but most times fail. Awfully. I realise, that I might be alone in this judgement, because humour is, after all, a matter of personal preference, but I really think he's overdone it. I'm sure he's a blast to share a pint in the pub with, but books are sadly not pints in pubs.

Because McNally uses Nikon gear, the discussion about how to utilize this and that piece of equipment seems, at least to me, to be rather limited. I use Nikon myself, but I would suspect that a Canon, Sony, etc. user would find the tips and tricks less useful at times.

These quibbles, however, does not subtract from the lessons that one might learn from this volume. The advice McNally gives is sound and straight forward, making this book worth buying. I just wish he would drop the overtly Kelby-like approach to writing books and get on with the subject at hand.

It's rare when a top shooter also produces a top instructional book, but this is one of the exceptions. McNally's photography is every bit as good as his advice, and this book does something unexpected. It elevates a maligned and misunderstood photographic tool to an art form.

Electronic flash is too often seen as the amateur photographer's crutch, used to provide washed out photos under available darkness, or deployed from the 1000th row of a rock concert to (laughably) attempt to capture Jack Johnson in action. More seasoned photographers disdain their camera's built-in flash entirely (even though they can credibly be used for fill in sunlight), and dismiss hot shoe flash units as too much trouble or too difficult to use. McNally explodes this misguided paradigm, showing exactly how small flash units can be used creatively to produce pictures that you couldn't get any other way. You don't need a studio and studio lighting to create great flash pictures. All you really need is Joe McNally's advice, and the gumption to put his techniques to work. If you can't get great flash pictures after reading this book, you shouldn't be shooting.

Joe McNally has done it again! This book should be in every photographers library. No non-sence and usable from the get go!

This book definitly has made me bring my flash out of the bag.
The help I needed to demistify the use of flash.

Thought I was buying a book on Strobist technique. If you have a Nikon D90 or better and some sb600 - sb900 flash units this book is for you. Can't say it was worth the money.

These books are a must if you want to learn how to shoot like a pro. Joe McNally teaches you everything and keeps it simple so you don't get overwhelmed with all the new skills you're going to learn.

Joe McNally provides an engaging tour of his lighting techniques with small speedlights. It is truly amazing what he can accomplish with just a few small speedlights. The book is also sprinkled with his wit and humor throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a read and gained some very practical knowledge that I can use to improve my own photography.

I found this book to be very informative. Mr McNally gives excellent examples on how to use flash and camera settings i.e. WB to create the effects he achieved in the examples, down to the details of placement of the flashes, their angles and other accessories involved. Great read and I will recommend it to any serious photogrpaher who wishes to improve their work, especially those who shoot with Nikon camera and Nikon flash.

At first I was unsure about this book because it is so Nikon-centric and being a Canon shooter did not think it would be that useful. I also thought it might be a little over my head. I was wrong on both counts. By the end of the book the terms that he used regarding Nikon equipment were not even registering to me because it was more about the photos and how they were done. I even found myself looking at a photo and trying to guess how it was done before reading the explanation. The explanations, by the way, are very entertaining in their own right. This was an educational, informative and fun book and I highly recommend it!

This is a great learning aid for photographers wanting to step up their game a bit.

Great, fun informative read. Doesn't read like a manual, entertaining as well as educational. I learned a lot and enjoyed reading... written in a light hearted manner that makes it enjoyable to take in the info presented. Definitely recommend.

The cover put me off of buying this book for a while. I'd think, "That's not MY style of photography, the book probably won't be of interest to me." But how wrong I was! I finally got a copy in my hands and immediately knew I HAD to have it.

There are a few pages dedicated to the equipment and camera settings - shoot in Av mode, use matrix metering, gear, etc... but the real meat of this book is the 30 or so gorgeous images McNally has taken and the easy-to-understand explanations of how he set up and photographed each shot. I loved learning how McNally problem solved lighting issues on each shoot.

It was fascinating to see how every session is completely different in terms of the effect McNally was going for and how he was going to get that effect given the quality of light on that particular day. I guess I had thought ocf was more formulaic, not so much thinking on your feet.

Anyway, every photographer interested in ocf can benefit from studying these 30 photographs, regardless of the style of photography he/she prefers.

Highly, highly recommended.

I picked up my first external flash unit recently, and quickly realized that I was going to have to relearn a lot of things about exposure to employ the flash creatively. Unfortunately for me, The Hot Shoe Diaries assumes a sophistication with flash that I don't yet have. Among other things, it champions the use of multiple and off-camera flash units, while I have not yet gotten comfortable using the one external flash on the camera. McNally, a highly regarded pro, writes in a lively, conversational, self-deprecating voice, and the book is full of remarkable photos. But his approach is also Nikon-centric, which is slightly off-putting to those of us living outside of Nikon World. The Hot Shoe Diaries wasn't the right read for me as a photographer just now, but I suspect I'll come back to it in a few years and get more out of it.

I am a beginner when it comes to lighting, so this was very informative for me. I like that it shows lots of scenarios and each situation is broken down pretty well. There are some diagrams, although I would like more, but it is a common sense kind of book that helps me understand how to create different feelings with light. Not exactly a how to, but I'm not sure how helpful that kind of book would be to the photographer who makes such a variety of images. Overall a very usefull book.

First of all Joe is one of my favourite photographers. His pictures just inspire me to take my photography to a whole new level.

This is a great book, which caters for a large audience. For someone who wants to see AMAZING pictures. This book provides a very good source for them. There is a lot of useful stuff inside as well for people who are eager to learn about lighting and take their art one step further.

There is no one perfect book, because by the time you are finished with a particular book you have tons of questions. But this is as close as it gets...

I found Joe's book to be very helpful and informative. While he doesn't tell you everything (like the ISO, f stop, or shutter speed) on every chapter, he does give you enough information that you can effectively recreate the shot yourself. After reading the book, I found myself being more creative with my Speedlights. A well worthwhile read!

This book may be of use to you if you are a Nikon photographer wanting to shoot using Nikon's speedlight automation (TTL) system and have multiple speedlights.

Very little else of value - the average page of text contained 1, or if you were extremely lucky, 2 sentences of actual, usable information. The majority of the text is banal blabbering that appears to have been added in an attempt to fill the page opposite each (admittedly attractive) photo.

My advice - before buying this book, get to view a copy - open it to ANY page and read that page. See if you get anything at all from it. If you do, then it just may be worth your while, else steer well clear.

To be fair, I did gain a little useful info from the book surrounding alternative ways that gels can be used. But that snippet just wasn't worth the price.

As stated in my title, I gave this book to a friend who is a Nikon shooter and a newbie, so he just might get some direct use out of it.

Excellent. I am amazed at Joe McNally's creativity, energy and talent. He gives the world of small flashes a new dimension and his background stories of how he achieved these strong and gorgeous shots are lively and fun. He generously shares his knowledge, triumphs and near-disasters with humor and hubris. Wish I could work with him.

I have been a fan of Joe Mc Nally's work for some time now but this is the first of his books I have purchased. This book really opened my eyes to what is possible using small flash units, light modifiers, unit placement and some imagination. Joe explains things in a funny yet common sense way. Joe uses Nikon equipment but the principals and ideas translate to other flash systems. Reading this book has pushed me to think backwards to when I first started in photography and experiment and practice lighting set ups every day. The book is full of many wonderful photographs. Readers will probably recognize many of the photos from National Geographic, Life and other major publications. Joe then let's us in on how the photo was designed and set up. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is out there working in either a small studio or on location.

I wasn't sure what I can expect from this book. What can I say, I really like it. The best thing is that even if I do not have much time I can still read one "diary entry". For me the information itself is kinda hidden in the text and between the lines. It is clearly not a reference book but if you read it from start to end you'll get a lot of good information about flashes and light (setup) plus marvelous pictures. I have to admit that I'm not a native English speaker but for me it is easy and funny to read the book.

Bernhard

For years, I have been one of those, "I shoot natural light," guys, in part because the world of flash baffled (read: scared) me. Things have improved in the last couple of years taking up the Nikon digital system, but Joe McNally's "Hot Shoe Diaries" is the key to the kingdom. Loaded with tips and directions, the book is an entertaining and detailed description of how to harness the power of little lights. Whether you have one SB unit in your bag or a whole arsenal to deploy, this book has a lot of information that will repeatedly make you want to put it down and go experiment -- warning: if your gear is more on the one-SB side, this book will crank up your equipment avarice.

The guy is talking about his experiences. But without too much concrete solutions... Good generic book about photography...

I am absolutely loving this book! Joe makes me laugh with his descriptions of how to photograph assignments. He is truly inspirational - my hero! [...]

Abigail

A friend highly recommended this book. I had been previously disappointed with McNally's "The Moment It Clicks," recommended by another friend. I hesitated due to the title, "Diaries," but read the reviews on Amazon, which pushed me over the edge. Mistake! Both books are far from expected. In short, I would recommend them for those with idle time who like to read novels/stories about a photographer and his goings on with a few injected tips/ideas. As a photographer looking for the latest trends, systems and creative ways to light, I do NOT understand the appeal of this book; unless one has zero sense of creativity and needs a couple of pictures to spark a dead imagination. I either need to lower my expectations for McNally books and/or get new friends to combat further disappoint in regards to photography advice. There are so many other, less emotive and useful flash/lighting books available for the photographer who wants to learn, experiment with, further develop and hopefully master lighting. I'll give "Diaries" to my wife who likes to read touchy-feely novels. Doubt she'll read it. Yawn!

This is a must have book. The author presents the material in an entertaining manner.
Informative AND entertaining book about what could be a dry subject.
Presented in short bursts of data. I found myself reminded of things I already knew, but haven't used in a while. Along with new things I haven't tried yet.
I ended up reading this book with camera in hand. Read a few pages, go apply what I learned, read a few pages, take some more shots.

Opened my mind to the possibilities of just using flashes. Just wish he would have covered non-Nikon equipment as well.

Just love this book....Great Photographer who shares his pro information.....gives you the info you really need.

Once you have used your flash enough times that you realize that there is so much that you don't know, it is refreshing to come across a book like this one. Entertaining as well as instructive and innovative.....