Joe McNally

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“I’ve done highly technical stories about science and space. To do that, you need to have a fair amount of imagination, and then sometimes that imagination leads you to a solution. Because what you’re doing is trying to take a concept or an idea, or some sort of scientific theorem, something that most people are not going to have an immediate understanding about, and translate that into a photograph that’s going to grab somebody. You have to imagine yourself in the reader’s seat. I always view the reader as who I serve. ”

Joe McNally

Joe McNally, born in 1952 in New Jersey, is an American photographer, internationally acclaimed for his work. He completed his bachelor and graduate degree at Syracuse University and lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

After the September 11 attack, McNally produced a series of photographs titled Faces of Ground Zero – Portraits of the Heroes of September 11th.

For 20 years, Joe McNally has contributed to the well-known magazine National Geographic. 

Joe McNally is internationally notorious for producing amazing projects with an appropriate use of light and color. He has done studio work to big productions and has shot conceptual images to aerial photos.

On October 1st, 2016, I had the great honor to attend his master class, which took place in FES Acatlan. First of all, I want to recognize that he is a genius and a lovely person. During the master class, he made a lot of jokes about him and his experiences as a profesional photographer. After that, he started to take a lot of photos using people in the audience as models.

It was the final result of a lot of work by all in the auditorium, shoots and attempts. Oscar was born to be a rockstar, as you can see in this image.

. My favorite model was Oscar, he was very friendly, his kindness was natural. Joe McNally loved Oscar too, he couldn´t stop laughing because everything that Oscar did was so funny.

There were more models: a couple, an old man, three women and the fotofestin group, but I didn´t really love them at all.

•Believe in your work, because no one else will do it.

•Camera loves gray color.

•A real photo has a cautivating story

•How you afront problems is one of the most important things, because it gets reflected on your job.

•Imagination is fundamental when you need a good photography.

•Flashes and colors are your best friends (when you know how to use them).

•Every person and every moment requires a different type of light.

Things I learned from Joe McNally:

•When you really love what you do, you have to take risks….he refers to himself as a “sick bastard” because in 2009, he climbed the Empire State, without any protection, just to take a picture of a climber of antennas, who was an engineer, changing the bulb at the top of the Empire State.

“I’m not serving my ego, I’m not serving even the magazine—I mean, obviously, I am. But at the end of the day, if you’ve been able to move the reader, the consumer of your picture, then you’ve done a good job.”

Joe McNally

References:

•blog.joemcnally.com

•www.facebook.com/unamacatlan

•www.facebook.com/joemcnallyphoto

•bermangraphics.com/press/joe-mcnally.htm

Karina F. Cruz MonroyGroup: 803 English Level 8