Joe McNally - Da Grip

[philippaopao]

I'm left-eyed and I own a smaller SLR without a battery grip (D3000, Rebel etc.) and the eyepiece is rested so low on top my shoulder that I have to nudge my head forward and under the eyepiece, and it's a lot more uncomfortable to me (especially when holding heavier lenses) than the usual stance. Oh well, I haven't had any serious problems yet with regards to stability, so I guess I'll stick to my old stance, which is leaning backward instead of the forward "easter egg" stance.

[Zorack10]

I'm glad I clicked on a link to this,I haven't gotten my first DSLR yet,but this will save me from many bad pics I will be taking,thanks!

[sowhatsnew205]

shit this guy knows how to hold a camera. im glad hes not a sniper lol

[Federicoconut]

After check this out, go to his profile and take a look at his first uploaded video (the first 14 seconds)...

That's what I did, and... well... was funny x)

[Klarths]

Not applicable if you shoot upside down...

[raulkprescott]

Not applicable to shooting vertically...

[phirepix]

thanks Joe, I am right eye and hand for fourty years until I watched this vid. Da Grip does save you a stop or two, my right hand still has full control of the camera, but my back feels a hell of a lot beter in the morning. Thank You!!

[msgilliam1474]

like this video

[jamescamerongray]

Wow, thanks! I suffer from a hand tremor which I have been cursing for years in low light situations. Just tried this technique and makes a huge difference.

[celciuz]

Nice tip! Works well in horizontal position, but not possible or rather uncomfortable when in vertical position. Any tip perhaps for what?

[Boodhunnilesh]

the 2nd one is not a camera..its a BAZOOKA !!

[alanderson78]

Da grip taught me I actually am left-eyed. Thanks Mr. McNally!!!!

[aan1swimmer]

I like the last pose of you... lol

btw, I like the video.

Thanks man

[beberia]

hi. could somebody tell me what lense he is using? in the first dslr?

[theman1802]

@beberia That is a 14-24mm Nikkor ED Lens

[elektriksheep]

That was awesome! Nice one, dude. That was educational, interesting, useful, and funny. Just the sort of tips I needed - so simple and yet somehow not obvious :O)

Keep 'em coming...

[capoman1]

Bah, fatigue? Don't be a sissy!

Just kidding!

Nice tips.

[MasterOrona]

Thanx for the tips. And I did see someone at the zoo bend sideways even further than that.

[calmetosis]

Thank You =)

[fairudeen]

ahh... Joe... what else can i say... keep up the good effort... love from Malaysia...!!

[fairudeen]

ahh... Joe... what else can i say... keep the good effort... love from Malaysia...!!

[RavenOps520]

I don't have a battery grip though

[Goffer30]

Worked for me! 1/4 second tack sharp at 200mm!

[CrappyVlog]

That 2nd lens was ridiculous! Looks like it can fit on a sniper rifle fit for a bear.

[Antonia1138]

Thank You,Mr.McNally.I see so many "photographers" with expensive cameras wondering why their pictures aren't sharp.I've been holding cameras all my life,but not like this.Gonna give it a try,and see how it works for me.

[mayelaine2]

I'm taking a Photography course and i usually need to take like 20 pics to just capture one shot because i keep moving all the time xD THANK YOU FOR THE TIPS!!!

[Mrsjf908]

very kind!! Thanks alot for sharing!!!

[richcinti]

Glad I saw this technique... Can't wait to try it!!!

[crispycritterz]

I hope someone noticed that using the strap as a sling is the same technique that Marines use to teach riflemen stability in shooting. The technique translates well. I used the same to shoot both the M-4(M-16) and the D3s.

Well done, Joe.

[mak345]

@crispycritterz That's what I was thinking when I saw him do that.

[tthoman]

Great piece, thanks for the tips. LOVE Nigel!

[021311]

So the camera stays on my clavicle or on my chest muscle?

[xjoewhitex]

Pretty cool, thanks for the advice.

[enkou73]

thanks Mr. McNally :)

btw

@4:01 (background sounds)

"that's my wife Annie in the kitchen.."

ahaha :))

[Alsterpiraten]

Did anyone else check their emails at 3:16?

[jelotakumi]

thanks for the technique

[jelotakumi]

thanks for the technique

[hyimted]

thanks for explaining that technique. i'd heard of it in written form, but couldn't figure it out. seeing it on video makes it crystal clear!

[jcettedgui]

Chuck Norris would let Joe McNally take his picture.

Now seriously Joe, how do you do with vertical composition? the corner of the camera when you hold it by the vertical grip is much smaller, and when you set it n your shoulder the eyepiece is very low. How do you hold it?

[jcettedgui]

Chuck Norris would let Joe McNally take his picture.

[juki009]

I thought I was the only that does this haha

I am the only left eye dominant dominant among my photo friends...

[jgda9rs]

when will you come to Vancouver again mr. mcnally? Canada that is...

[jgda9rs]

when will you come to Vancouver again mr. mcnally?

[jgda9rs]

pff

[THEBOXISMINE]

I just realized that I can barely close my right eye whilst keeping my left open...

Annoying as I have now twice almost poked an eye out whilst trying to change the f stops using this posture. : /

[auofflines]

why there are 26 dislike it…

[luqmansalimm]

@auofflines canon die-hard-fan haha

[MetalBeetle]

After I saw this stance in his book Hotshoe Diaries, my pics really improved. Thanks, Joe.

[chetoflep]

Awesome tutorial!

[articoli]

I want that lens.

[StuartLoria]

I am a fan of your books sir, I like the printed photos and even the feel of that medium.

But I do believe that the future of education is in internet video.

Have you ever think about coming to Costa Rica to deliver a workshop; I would definitely attend (Not a tough decision)

[Greyskymorning395]

Robert redford look-a-like =)

[tat2duck]

@Greyskymorning395 -- More like a younger Garrison Keeler or Steven King...

[Azeckwazion]

I don't really wear glasses but my left eye's vision is weak, any solution?

[SpeedFreakNO]

Good video, but you don't practice what you preach :P After seeing this video I saw the video "Joe McNally: The Moment It Clicks". See the beginning of it and how you stand ;)

Still, like I said, I think it's a good video =)

[dualstagef1]

Joe was great in Good Will Hunting and the Bourne movies

[WhoopMQ]

I'd like to hear Nigel's input on this

[DarkPa1adin]

Hey joe, does this technique only work with battery grips? i tried on a semi-pro body w/o battery grip, my neck was too long, for the viewfinder

[OctopusKing23]

So helpful! Thank you!

[bollwerkman]

Great photographer. Great person. Nothing else to be added. Glad he finds time to provide the community with updates :)

[DarkPa1adin]

thanks a lot, I've been much enlightened by common neglect of posture/handling of camera. btw, do invest of a mic that gives more presence to your voice than to the environment, kinda thin

[vovsen123]

Svar på denne video ...

[technophile]

haha, "autofocus! autofocus!"

[guifhmail]

Timeless advice. This is definitely a must-watch.

[slaturuguay]

Thank you Joe for sharing!

[egzit]

Oh and kickass "The Future of Flying" poster! Grats!

[egzit]

Very helpful. I really appreciate these tips, people often overlook details such as posture in benefit of technical aspects. It is indeed much more helpful if you can get your photo sharp by posture, than sacrifice ISO or aperture. Photography can get very very physical, it's important to keep it in mind - it's not just about the numbers.

Thanks Joe. You always keep it real in your videos. Very encouraging.

[deathserver3]

Thank you. Just ordered "The Moment it Clicks" can't wait to get it.

[Lai829]

great great tips...i wish i can just follow him around everywhere not in a stalker kind of way lol...and learn from him...

[beberia]

This guy is GREAT!!

[itsBarcode]

you pretentious prick, the first line in the description is unecessary

[wazzupbeckham]

that left hand right hand thing is stupid

[inajeep]

Wonderful advice, I can't wait to watch more of your videos.

[ashtonthehomewrecker]

1:25 "Which of course I never [sic] have an accident."

5:09 "I'm clumsy."

Clumsy people never having accidents?

:) lol.

Thanks for the camera etiquette, Joe. I'll definitely use some of your techniques.

[counterfeitcoin]

Your voice reminds me of a famous actor's voice....can't place it. Clint Howard?

[karlk79]

@counterfeitcoin

William H. Macy ?

[counterfeitcoin]

yeah....that could be it. thanks.

[adamjlynch]

I'd say maybe Richard Dreyfus.

[KEBokeh]

LOL the last part was great....good tips!

[Tristate1551]

Please de-interlace the video before uploading it to Youtube.

Otherwise, useful information.

[kaouthiavideo]

All of you talking about smaller bodies, remember he said he's using pro bodies. So, if you're not using a full size pro body, or a smaller body with a grip (like a D200, D300s, etc) it's not quite as easy.

It's also not that easy if you're not a left eyed shooter. I am, and I shoot with a full size body, this is the way I hold 'em too.

Thanks Joe :)

[Penniecheable]

abrauche dringend beschäftigung bin so einsam! Jemand lust zu chatn

[buffalobaker]

Great pigeon imitation ;-) You are so funny!

[zburke3]

haha, an easter egg

[steakabuser]

thank you very interesting.

may help next time to take off the sweater so we can clearly see your arm/body positioning.

[KeNuBort]

this technique is kinda hard for a d60 user

[vannabie]

How come?

[KeNuBort]

i just think the d60 body is too small to put it on your shoulder and look through the viewfinder. i find myself cranking my neck down or pulling my shoulder up which is very uncomfortable even with the vertical grip. either im the camera size is the problem or my body is just unproportioned.

[vannabie]

I tried it with a D40 I had in my basement and I have to admit - it is a bit difficult doing it with such a small body. There are $40 vertical grips for the D40/D60 which might help.

[5301hcn]

Thanks a lot Joe for this sharing! :-) Just realize the way I hold camera cause my elbow painful :-)

[RaquzaRage]

I had the chance to see him at the U of H campus.. im a young photographer, i learned many different things such as light , subing people and much more things.. awesome talk! Thanks a bunch!

[JohnnyBoyzRawr]

tourists are awesome :))

[lifestylefoto]

you're so funny. you make learning and remembering so much fun!

[karlcelt]

thanks joe , you're a true gentleman , and a great photographer .

[redtippmann]

Thanks joe! hope you get some more videos up soon! Im starting out photography and hope to one day become 1/2 as good as you are. You the best ( I think)!

[nih]

God, joe is so cool ! Seems like such a nice guy, and an educated one :) Unlike Scott Kelby who is also pretty good, but is much drier and commercial.

[thetinguy]

Haha. You wish buddy.

[jamesgambino]

i know. i was looking at the d3x but it's 8k. Ill just wait for ur wife to get pissed at u for being away while u snap pics of really hot 20 yr old models and sell it to me for $100 bucks. lol

[loco039]

I love the turist tip too ha,ha,ha,ha,ha.

[applepedro77]

Love the turist tips... thank you... LOL...

[tjcad]

Anyone knows what kind of strap is on the Joe Mcnally's camera that he used for this video?

[youjunk657]

He is using Nikon original arrow strap. It is only available in Japan. You can buy it online

[Malle1221]

He is probably the coolest guy on youtube! i love your vids :D

[dombower]

handy tip, hadnot thought of those before, thanks for sharing. ps, your large amount of muscle is very impressive.... just like mine.... you will see if you watch my videos

[dizmatt1]

great advice and what a cracking personality. well worth watching

[schnooks17]

Thanks for the great tip! good thing I use my left eye.

[AviatorGuy]

Outstanding Tips!! I picked up your book Hot Shoe Diaries and I highly recommend it Your tips on using the SB800 are the best Ive come across. Thanks for sharing your experience!!!

[chackrapon]

i've try this tips yesterday

it's really good tips work with my D80 :) Thanks

[nflfreak13]

JOE MCNALLY IS THE NEW CHUCK NORRIS!

[wonnapee]

@nflfreak13

ROFL

Indeed

[lucasisokay]

GREAT TIPS!

[alimagics]

cool

[huyked]

Hello Mr. McNally,

Thanks for the tips and reminders!

Take care,

huyked

[Chassidwithacamera]

Joe,

Thank you a million for all your help. I just bought your book The Hot Shoe Diaries last night after watching a dvd of you showing the system. I am very excited about the Nikon Lighting system now because of you. You are a big help to me. THANKS!

Joe,

Your cat Nigel is 19 lbs? Wow, my racing bike (road) is 15.9, that's one big cat. : )

P.s. I use a D200

[ChickenBot]

One day I will sell one of my kidneys to get a lens like that...

:)

[teroxr]

I wonder if he reads the comments...

anyway... thank you Joe.

You're my inspiration.

[VenonnFang]

Too bad this doesn't work with my d40, things too damn small!

[SamarkandChan]

I really love his book "The moment it clicks" I feel like I've learned a lot form it

[bubblywums]

Does anyone know what that long lens is? :)

[rustynasty143]

its a wide angle lens.

[pedrocotrim]

delicious irony. you said the LONG lens was WIDE angle.

[GrandMasterJun]

hi, what did you say on 5:02? thanks

[steveminla]

Lens coat = lens hood

[steve16823]

No, lens coat does not = lens hood.  A lens coat is a commercially available neoprene cover custom fitted to the lens.

[steveminla]

Sorry, learning more and more as I go. Thanks for clearing it up. : )

[fourthsquarephoto]

lens coat are like the rubber sleeves for an iphone, they help you out when traveling and on location so incase you do drop it its a little more padded, the lens hood is used to keep stray light from entering the lens and keeps you from running the front of the lens into something

[LittleModig]

well you see ,this guy is a Really pro.I do like the great tips you can get from a really great photographer.thank you SIR!!!

[altbinhax]

Fantastic, immediate improvement, thanks.

[F3N1X05]

sasa

[gabrielronai]

great and useful information, thank you for sharing your experience

[ZioZambe]

Thanks Joe! :)

[BlooBeluga]

that second lens is rediculous, wow. good vid

[alsaherfans]

Thank you very much :)

[vannabie]

I love you too, Joe!

[jaimetxy]

Thank you very much, Joe; really loved this

[turo9992000]

wow thanks

[richflores34]

Thanks Joe, Tried it and got better shots..Really admire your work.

[1897i]

holding camera steady just comes natural with experience, its just like the kind of sensitivity you build up with the pedals on the car.

[artlovee]

Great tips! thanks a lot!

Loved the tourists imitation :P

[zosozoso2]

Great stuff!! I love photographers that teach others to be better, I do it myself. You are a great inspiration Joe!

[l33thustla]

Im not commenting about shoulder part.

[l33thustla]

no shit really... well it's kinda good tip but who in the world do something like that? (In mean the stupid grip at the end for example...)

I've never seen anyone doing that.

[uomodimanto]

This guy's a legend for a reason.... Give it a try before you knock it. It actually does really stabilize the camera for those situations where you need the low shutter speed to make the shot...

[dorcasm]

If you haven't seen the "underhand" lens grip, you haven't seen too many pro photogs doing their thing. I'm just sayin.

[Cokeman473]

Haha, so totally unrelated to the content of this video but i cant help but laugh when i hear mac's email sound around 3:20.. The first three times i watched this i kept getting distracted by that sound because i was trying to find the email that i just "got" haha well done Joe

[Flexigum]

Thanks for sharing the technique. However the end of the video is the best of all...haha..

[loco039]

I think I have to say is one of the good photographer like Tom D. Mangelsen,Art wolfe etc.But the best fotographer in the US history and I hope you agree with me was Ansel Adams however I like JM job is my personal opinion don`t get offence.

[loco039]

Joe McNally, yuo`re the best photographer on the world and also you are the inspirations of so many photographers amauters like me who wnats to be a real pro like you.Thanks for sharing you knowledge with us.

God bless you

[StopBeingYouSir]

Good photographer, though you are going

a bit far to say that he is the best.

[scaredweepel]

for smaller cameras you took your elbows in and keep them as close to your upper body as possible. He's basically using the same technique as you would firing a rifle! Nicely tight and compact.

[welmoepics]

Great tip!

[Dracil]

Seems too low on my 450D without a battery grip.

[bred2k6]

I think I'm just asking for a neck spasm trying this with my D40!

[c11umw]

Interesting .... I tried it with my D300 + 14-24, but got a bit of shake. May be better with a D2/3 or the D300+powerpack as it isn't broad enough for me. Interesting option I hadn't tried before tho. May save the day one day :o)

[Hysteriano]

Cant really get it to work actually.

The placing of my camera is no problem, but I cant get my head low enough. This counts for both my cameras (D3 and D200).

Any tips what I can do futher?

[DavidTheDivine]

Surgery! >_>

[FloatingOnAZephyr]

I have exactly the same problem with my Canon 400D. I thought it was just because it's quite a small camera but it's interesting that you have the same trouble with your D3. Maybe Joe just has a far different build to me. I physically cannot do this grip and look through the viewfinder.

[Tesselator]

Hard to do and not recommended at all unless you're bare chested (no shirt or jacket). This isn't a new idea and it's fairly nutso (IMO). The problem besides the discomfort and the severe limits that it places on my pan and tilt range, is that my clothing tends to grab and turn the focus or zoom ring rubber and then the shot you just spent 3min setting up is history.

Kooky idea, no thinks.

[x1zz1x]

oops...never mind, saw your other video w/ Nigel

[x1zz1x]

wheres the cat.... i want to see that 19lbs. cat. Thanks for the tip.

[FloatingOnAZephyr]

Take a look at his other video, it's all about the cat...I want to know what the HELL Joe's wife feeds it!!! ha ha

[talkingtech]

Great stuff! Can't wait to try your technique!

[tomstrainset]

Thanks much Joe!

[jonworth]

Do *that* with a Digital Rebel. ;-)

[hllselman]

thank you joe!!!

[kg4ccl]

Great information. I just saw Joe at Photoshop World and his classes were PHENOMENAL! Thank you Joe!

[megzi32]

wow great info thanks for sharing joe :) plus u have a great sense of humour, always makes the videos even more interesting!

[thisisaw]

huh! I am also left eye dominant but I trained myself to shoot right eye when Nikon started putting all of their controls on the back of the camera. Unfortunately my "boxer" stance is right handed as a result of the switch. I'm consciously trying to switch back. Hopefully this alternate grip will help. Thanks!

[keithgreenberg]

WOW! thanks a BUNCH for sharing the basics that I have never learned. CAN YOU PLEASE POST MORE LITTLE GEMS LIKE THIS ONE?

thanks Joe.

[DavidTheDivine]

Also, what do you mean by motor driven camera? (one with a vertical grip?).

[ALAPINO]

yes.

- Al!

[computerk2002]

first thing that comes to mind is a film slr with a motor drive.

[DavidTheDivine]

I second renodavid's request. (question, rather, but I guess he was wanting a video on vertical as well).

[funpoleece]

Whats the big lens?

[Verbal91]

200-400 f/4 VR methinks

[mungkey]

That's great! Thanks for sharing joe =)

[renodavid]

OK, but what do you do when you shoot verticals?