In pages xiii-62 of Hot Shoe Diaries by Joe McNally, it mainly focuses on specific gear, settings, and terminology. Reading this section is great for a beginner, but as someone who is an experienced photographer, I found that it was an overload of information. A lot of the stuff is useful, but a large chunk of it was mostly tid-bits that the author would add for comedic effect. That being said, I learned a lot from these pages because it helped me understand the settings on my camera, and when I should be using them. I have a good understanding of how my camera works, but learning about how to control an on camera flash, using aperture and shutter priority mode, and exposure compensation are great things to learn when your photos feel stagnant and need a bit more pop to them. McNally talked about blinking highlights, which are very important when you are adjusting your exposure. It reminded me that I should turn on that setting on my camera because many of my photos are overexposed because I am worried about my shadows being too dark. I enjoyed learning these little tricks to help me improve my work, because lately I have been feeling like I am stuck in a rut. By using these new tools that McNally has described, I feel like I can tackle harder scenes and expand my portfolio more. One of the things that stuck with me the most in this part of the reading, is at the very beginning section, McNally talks about how without light, there would be no photography. This reminded me that photo means light, and graphy is the measurement/recording of it. Photography is basically just a recording of light. Without it, there can be no photos. Back when I was at College for Creative Studies, we learned about the Camera Obscura in my darkroom class. The Camera Obscura is a room with a little pinhole in it that lets in a very small amount of light. With that little pinhole, the scene that is behind it can be seen on the wall opposite of the pinhole upside-down and backwards. Just thinking about how that tiny little pinhole is able to help people see a photograph is so interesting to me. It reminds me that photography is a science that can be explored in a multitude of ways. People are still discovering new things about photography. A recent trend I have been noticing people do in the analog photo world is soaking your film in different chemicals to see how it affects your photos. I have seen people use bleach, citrus from fruits, gasoline, and a bunch of other things. Experimentation means excellence, and photography has such a wide range of unexplored things that you can never get bored of it. By reading about these different terms and settings on my camera, I feel that I am better equipped to experiment with my photography. Touching up on terminology is never a bad idea for gaining some more confidence behind the camera. Although the reading itself is boring, being knowledgeable about the subject of photography will help me feel confident and comfortable in experiment with different styles, and become the best photographer I can be.