over-hyped book, fairly dull read - Rated 
I agree that this book has been over-hyped. I found it rather tedious to get through, although there were some rare snippets which were well presented. This book was really aimed at the Mcnally fan club and those who know him well. From the perspective of a wider audience, it fails and is a fairly flat, and over many pages, a dull read. This book tried to be somewhere between the Scot Kelby type of book (bread and butter tips and very readable) and those trying to inspire photographers to have a better 'eye'. McNally doesn't do either very well. Whilst he may articulate himself well with the camera, he is not able to do so with the written word. His style of story telling is more suited to a bar room chat where a degree of familiarity is inherent - but to a larger reader-base it lack readibility.
One third of the way into reading this book I had my own 'Moment it Clicked' -when I realised the rest of it would not get any better and that I would have to trudge through the rest of his tedious stories without feeling that I had connected with his images or that it was going to improve my photography. Overall - this book was overpriced. It is not suitable for any coffee table - I cannot see myself referring to this again and so will probably 'gift' it to someone.
Nice book - Rated 
This is a nice informative book, read it from page to page in a few days, couldn't put it down and I'm sure I'll be referring to it in the future.
My only criticism is the reproduction quality of the photos; not up to scratch for a photo book.
I have Joe's other book, "The hot shoe diaries" which I like very much too.
Recommended.
Not the moment it clicks - Rated 
From the title and the blurb, I'd expected something about how to capture great photos "in the moment". I was intrigued. Instead, what I got was a book with lots of probably useful advice for someone with lots of lighting kit. Some useful advice about other stuff, but mainly about lighting. Be warned.
Recommended - Rated 
I can understand why some people don't like the style or content for this book, and it isn't one for experts (or probably for people just starting out in photography). But I would recommended it for enthusiasts who already know a fair amount about using their camera and want to develop themselves.
It is great for inspiration, and for examples of how to come up with unusual ideas, compositions and techniques when you have limited time etc. You probably won't find yourself in the same situations as the author (if you do, you will be a pro photographer and don't need to read the book!)... but the concept of coming up with original photographs applies to everyone.
It is mainly about people photography, and quite a lot of it is about how to get people to relax, act natural and pose in the way you want. But it is also about how to use light, and that applies to all photographs.
So to sum up, I'd say that if you are interested developing yourelf in any kind of people photography (not just formal portraits, but also more reportage style) then definitely get it. If (like me) you prefer other types of photography but need to stimulate your creativity, it is also definitely worth checking out.
Somewhat disappointed after reading it - Rated 
I've taken a look at the other reviews, and most of them really like this book, so I had high hopes to learn some 'behind the scenes' from reading it ... which I didn't.
Everything Joe talks about in this book I already knew. It's nice with a photograph on one side and the info on the other ... but stick to the technical stuff and don't try to be funny, I prefer a book that shows me a picture and goes really into detail about the lighting setup, camera settings and even post processing ... that way I can learn from it.
Now you see a nice photograph, but you have no idea how he managed it exactly, you do get some info, but not all of it, so you can't really recreate the same look on your own without filling in the blanks and experimenting a lot.
I'm sure his workshops are nice and interactive, but in my opinion this book isn't as good as a lot of people make it look, sorry.
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