The Real Deal: Field Notes from the Life of a Working Photographer

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. —- ISBN: 9781681988016 | ISBN10: 1681988011 | ISBN-13: 978-1681988016