New Photography Instruction Book From Chappaqua Resident

Michael Maher, Chappaqua resident and former award-winning photojournalist, recently published a new photography instruction book, Great Shot! to help everyday amateur photographers make their own pictures professional-quality.  The book features valuable tips, 100 of his best photographs, stories of how individual photos were taken, and key lessons to be learned.

The book is available on Amazon.com in print and Kindle by clicking here: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Shot-award-winning-professional-photographer/dp/0615506216/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1402444374&sr=1-1

Great Shot! trains the photographer’s eye by teaching a pro’s knowledge, secrets, and approaches to taking outstanding pictures.  The photographer’s skilled eye is the most important factor in capturing great photographs, not the camera equipment, yet current photography books heavily emphasize technology -- cameras, lenses, pixels, etc., -- perpetuating the myth that gear matters more than individual ability.

You will often hear someone say, ”What a nice camera—you must take great pictures,” mistakenly believing camera gear is the primary reason for a photographer's success. Indeed, photographers typically learn how their camera equipment works, but never train their eyes to visualize superior photos. Instead, they shoot and hope that repeated trial and error will teach them to take great shots. Unfortunately, this seldom works.

Great Shot! takes the most effective approach to learning any topic -- a combination of instruction and demonstration -- letting readers ‘virtually’ accompany an award-winning professional photographer, on assignment, to see first-hand how he took his 100 best pictures and learn the inside tips that won him more than 25 professional photojournalism awards. Readers can then create their own great pictures like a pro.

Great Shot! is “a how-to book for the average person to take great photos,” commented Kendall Wallace, Lowell (Ma.) Sun Chairman of the Board, “The book includes 100 of his best shots, many that had been published in The Sun.” 

“Maher had a great eye for just the right shot. Sun photographers have chronicled the life and times of Greater Lowell for 136 years. Reporters have told the stories of people, places, events, fires, accidents, weddings, funerals, good times and bad for generations. Few did it better than Maher,” added Wallace.

Maher, a 22-year Chappaqua resident and twice New England Newspaper Photographer of the Year, has had his photographs published by major news wire services, daily/weekly newspapers, photography textbooks, marathoner Bill Rodgers autobiography Marathon Man, and an HBO special, “Curse of the Bambino.”