I’ve just finished The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally, famed New York photographer and photojournalist with credits in just about all the big publications you care to mention (National Geographic, Newsweek, Time, etc.). I read the 256 page book in 2 sittings and am happy to report that this is the best photography book I have read in years. Note that I said “read” rather than “looked at”. Not only is the book full of beautiful images but McNally’s collection of anecdotes, technical details and background information provides a really enjoyable read. His “guy-next-door,” “let’s get together for a beer” style is really engaging and refreshing compared to so many other rather stuffy art photography books. There’s no artistic B.S. here.

This is not a textbook but it is chock full of great information – technical details of lighting and composition, psychology tips for dealing with subjects, equipment hints and tips. Above all, however, the combination of down-to-earth narrative style, interesting stories and astonishingly good photographs makes this a must-read for anyone aspiring to greater heights in their photography.

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LBJ Ranch Doorbell, originally uploaded by David A G Wilson.

Last Tuesday, I spent the afternoon visiting the Lyndon Baines Johnson Ranch outside Johnson City. This was one of the tours organised for a group of foreign students who are visiting Austin during the Christmas break as part of the Christmas International House program.

Despite the fact that I’ve lived here for 14 years, I had never visited the ranch before. What a wasted opportunity! The park holds not just the ranch house but also a working farm modeled on the original 1915 homestead and staffed by excellent guides in period costume. As per LBJ’s instructions, the main ranch is still run as a going concern breeding a herd of Herefords so there are cowboys and cattle to see. The park also includes LBJ’s birthplace, the family cemetery, the one-room-schoolhouse where he started his education and the main “Texas White House” though the only room here which is open to the public currently is the office. Overall, it’s a great place to visit and outstanding value for money – the park is free to get into and the only fee is a mere $1 to take the (albeit short) guided tour at the Texas White House.

We only had a couple of hours to spend there but I’m already planning to go back on January 3rd to spend some time photographing the area.

This shot is of the doorbell to LBJ’s office which I found rather charming (and well-polished!).

I’ve just stumbled upon the work of Tim Tadder. Wow! This is photographic artistry at its best – great subjects and composition, stunning lighting and unbelievably good post processing. Check his work out!