What do you think?
Rate this book
LIFE Guide to Digital Photography: Everything You Need to Shoot Like the Pros
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.
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.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
8 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Joe McNally
50 books53 followersAn accomplished and widely-respected photographer, Joe McNally got his start as a newspaper photographer in New York, eventually becoming a staff photographer for Time magazine and a frequent contributor to National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, and numerous other publications.
Particularly noted for his portraits, McNally teaches numerous workshops throughout the year.
See McNally's own website or his biography at National Geographic's site for more.
Particularly noted for his portraits, McNally teaches numerous workshops throughout the year.
See McNally's own website or his biography at National Geographic's site for more.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 3, 2024
Can you learn from a book "Everything you need to shoot like the pros"?
Not from this one.
It's not a bad book and it lightly touches on many aspects of digital photography (really, photography in general) , but the author spends much of his time trying to encourage the reader to relax and take pictures. He also tells interesting stories about his assignments working for LIFE (though I doubt he shot much digitally in those years... LIFE went belly up in 2000), but technical details are in short supply
Not from this one.
It's not a bad book and it lightly touches on many aspects of digital photography (really, photography in general) , but the author spends much of his time trying to encourage the reader to relax and take pictures. He also tells interesting stories about his assignments working for LIFE (though I doubt he shot much digitally in those years... LIFE went belly up in 2000), but technical details are in short supply
July 31, 2017
Picked this up in my attempt to learn how to actually take good pictures with the camera we invested in 3 and a half years ago and so I don't feel like I can take just as good pictures with my phone.
I had read that this book is a good place to start and it definitely hits on all of the basics. I just wish it would have gone a little more in depth on some of the basics. I am now fairly comfortable with aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. It would have been nice if there were more examples of particular moments to use a certain aperture or shutter speed. I kind of got the gist of it from the explanation of the functions, but would have liked it a little more spelled out. I don't think the section on portraits even mentioned recommended shutter speeds or apertures.
Overall, I think my picture taking has improved immensely having read this books. Gives me lots to think about now when I'm shooting. Maybe too much!
I had read that this book is a good place to start and it definitely hits on all of the basics. I just wish it would have gone a little more in depth on some of the basics. I am now fairly comfortable with aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. It would have been nice if there were more examples of particular moments to use a certain aperture or shutter speed. I kind of got the gist of it from the explanation of the functions, but would have liked it a little more spelled out. I don't think the section on portraits even mentioned recommended shutter speeds or apertures.
Overall, I think my picture taking has improved immensely having read this books. Gives me lots to think about now when I'm shooting. Maybe too much!
September 12, 2017
A great overview of photography principles from a guy who knows what he's talking about. It's fun to read, too. It's written in a way that makes it feel like a conversation, and beginner to intermediate level photographers will learn a lot.
December 28, 2010
I read the iPad version of this book and found that the embedded videos and narration recordings add a lot to the text that one would get in a print version. I missed the ability to highlight or annotate the text occasionally.
The book surprised me. I had heard it was for beginners to digital photography and I suppose that it could be. McNally covers the basics of exposure and different camera modes but does not dwell on them. He provides a lot of practical advice about shooting in certain situations.. landscapes and portraits. The text is laced with the McNally humor and a touch of irreverence... probably why I like his writing so much. This is NOT a book about how to use flash in you photos. In fact, flash is rarely mentioned.
I learned quite a few things and some of the hints he gives are right on target for our upcoming travel. Great images throughout the book.
The book surprised me. I had heard it was for beginners to digital photography and I suppose that it could be. McNally covers the basics of exposure and different camera modes but does not dwell on them. He provides a lot of practical advice about shooting in certain situations.. landscapes and portraits. The text is laced with the McNally humor and a touch of irreverence... probably why I like his writing so much. This is NOT a book about how to use flash in you photos. In fact, flash is rarely mentioned.
I learned quite a few things and some of the hints he gives are right on target for our upcoming travel. Great images throughout the book.
August 24, 2019
This book was a Christmas gift over a year ago. I have recently started a photography course, so I finally picked it up and read it through. For a beginner such as myself, it was a useful read which complemented my course material. The language was clear and informal, and McNally's anecdotes relevant and interesting. I particularly appreciated the amount of photos provided with all their exposure information - a useful visual aid at this stage of trying to get my head around the meaning of these kinds of details.
August 19, 2014
Lots of good tips about both the technical and artistic sides of photography. Even if you don't have a fancy DSLR (I don't) there is plenty to learn. And lots of examples of course, with discussion on the salient points of the example photographs. Landscape, portrait, sports and other photography subjects are all discussed. The author started his career prior to digital photography, and mentions occasional tidbits about the film days. I still have no idea how people could get good when not seeing their results right away... I guess it just took longer!
February 10, 2012
Geared more for the newbie photographer, there is some value for more experienced shooters if you look hard, and keep at it. Like all McNally books, it is infused with his experience, technical smarts and self-deprecating wit!
March 5, 2011
A good review of the basics, plus some great tips for specific types of photography.
May 2, 2015
Amazing book, discusses some technical issues in photography and inspiration.
February 18, 2021
It was alright. Just not super interesting to me. Couldn't stay focused to read it all.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews