Darkness in an Urban Environment: Managing Light on the Streets with Joe McNally

It's great to watch in real time the process of a professional photographer, building shots in a tricky city environment with lots of distractions and the occasional gotchas. This class gives you a great framework on the process, which gear to bring and assistants needed to make a shoot run efficiently with quality results.

Joe McNally is one of my favorite "modern" photographers. I love the way he evaluates the situation, then tries & tests ideas, explains what he is doing as he goes along, and why perhaps something didn't work.

Great Class had plans of shooting downtown but were canceled Because of the Virus that has affected so many. I will surely revisit this class before I rebook.

One of Joe's most magnificent qualities is his ability to be *real* while teaching a class: Is everything going haywire, or are there troublesome problems that are challenging to overcome? Joe doesn't shy away letting you, the student, realize that even the pros have to deal with constant, unexpected problems. His other strength is showing you how to persevere and overcome those hurdles; and one of those biggest hurdles all photographers run up against time and time again - Light! Joe will go down in modern history as the father of small (and large) flash photography. He's not afraid to use the entire US output of flash watt seconds on a single photo, but he's also quick to remind us that flash is a tool, and not a crutch. This was a great course for those photographers who want some experience out on the street before ever leaving their house. As you grow and learn more about your camera and what it means to be a photographer, you can always come back to a class like this and learn new things that may have seemed alien to you the first go-around.

I enjoyed this class for what it was. I was given insight into how Joe does his work, and deals with lighting situations. I plan, at some point, to take his longer course.

This course requires another series. Expectations from Joe are very high. What i saw on this course was too basic and there is too much unwanted content where there is extra talking.. Night shoot is a complex subject and there are many things that can be considered while shooting.. nothing special was covered..

This is a course with a lot of tips and knowledge nuggets if you plan to combine a model and flash on a busy street at night. He shows you how to build a successful portrait from scratch. Well worth the price of admission!

This behind the scenes class is great for those that already have a solid understanding of how to use their flash off camera. I really learned a lot watching Joe work with the models, seeing where he put the flashes, where he stood, how he framed the shots, how he had the models move - especially in the "movement" segment. The three light segment was also interesting - I would have never tried putting the reflector on the pavement with a flash firing into it - so cool. If you need detailed instructions on using your flash and camera - this is not the class for you. If you want ideas on how to get the most out of your flashes on the street - this is it. Great class. Plus Joe is just a great teacher and fun to listen to for 90 minutes!

I like the class. It is a good primer for getting an idea of some of the things that you need to think about when you are doing a night shoot. This is a quicky class Joe just touches on a bunch of stuff so you don't get a lot meat and potatoes on this class, but I found it helpful. Worth the cost.

Great class in situation, just a little think, in the motion video why Joe use the first curtain sync ? The model have a ghost shadow front of the movement of face.

Excellent course and teacher of mastering the shoot in a difficult environment. Mr. McNally shows how to work with the models in NYC in late afternoon and into the night. He works closely with his team to assure that they capture excellent images using the right equipment. I highly recommend this class to anyone that what's more out of photography.