Last year, about this time, I taught at a conference called Luminance, put together by PhotoShelter. It brought a hugely diverse group of talents and interests together under the same tent. One of those very talented people was Allen Murabayashi, the CEO of PhotoShelter, and orchestrator of the conference. His neighborhood in NY is lower Manhattan, and in 2001, he actually lived just by the Trade Towers. We got to talking, and he showed me a picture on his Iphone he had made on 9/11, with the crisp blue sky, and the fires arching upwards, bent on destroying the buildings. It was like a punch in the gut, as pictures from that day are, I’m sure, for many, even now.
A year later, both Allen and PhotoShelter have stepped up on behalf of the collection Giant Polaroids known as the Faces of Ground Zero, and are partnering with me in preserving the collection, and hosting my website. It is a welcome, welcome partnership.
I have managed, sometimes just barely, to keep this collection of huge images, consisting of portraits made of people whose lives intersected the events of that day, together, and safe, in museum quality storage, for 12 years. There are numerous large crates, some weighing in at about 2,000 pounds. Storing 24,000 pounds of anything carries a price tag, especially artwork that requires certain atmospheric parameters. What PhotoShelter has done has been to step up and help, and to individually sponsor two of the images into the permanent safekeeping and care of the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
I look forward to many years of collaboration, not only in the realm of portfolio displays, internet presence, and projects with this group of creative folks. If you go to my website, you’ll see new work, and an updated look to the pages.
My thanks go out to Allen, Andrew Fingerman, Chris Owyoung, and Drew Gurian for orchestrating this new website in such smooth fashion. And to the entire PhotoShelter organization for helping to preserve these pictures. They join with Adorama, who has been a friend of the collection for many years, in this ongoing dozen year effort. The museum will be a reality shortly, and with this boost, we might just make it.
This type of wonderful collaboration reminds me yet again that the photo community is indeed, a community. More tk….
New site looks great!
Awesome, Joe! That collection is amazing. I have the poster from one of your workshops hanging in my office, on permanent (at least until I die 🙂 ) display there.
PhotoShelter is terrific; been there for many years, almost since the beginning, I think.
Looks fantastic Joe! Take my hat of to PhotoShelter, absolutely brilliant what they have done! Good luck for the
Museum!
Grand news Joe.
Wow! This is great news indeed! Joe, knowing how much of your heart and soul you put in the Faces of Ground Zero exhibit, and all the work you did to keep it afloat all these years, it’s phenomenal that Photoshelter is now on board with you and Adorama.
Photoshelter team: Much respect!
~ Mark
as if I didn’t have enough reason to like Photoshelter before…
The expanded “Faces of Ground Zero” gallery is a tearjerker. Powerful, deeply relevant work, Joe.
Wow, just wow! That is an impressive thing. You are very fortunate, one to have been a part of the Faces project and then to have this collaboration to safe the project.
Well done Joe, well done!
Congratulations to all, on a Job (LOVE). Well done.
If you can’t permanently display them, would it be cost effective to store them in that underground repository in, I think, western Pennsylvania?
Hey Bill….not really. At least where they are I can have periodic access to them without too much fuss. I’ll just hang in there. All Best, Joe
Great things done by great people! Congrats!
Also, I love the simplicity on the new look website.. bravo!
So great to see this news in my inbox today, congrats Joe and thanks Allen and Photoshelter!
Gorgeous forms on the slide show. 😉
Great news on the partnership with Photoshelter Joe – good on them. The new site looks great as does the dedicated Faces of Ground Zero site.
I have been tinkering with a new site and identity myself over the past few months – funny enough via Photoshelter. I now have another reason to be happily aligned with their name and services.
Simon
Hey Joe! Congrats on switching to PhotoShelter. I also switched and love the new site design. Keep up the great work you’re doing. You’re my favorite shooter :))
The pairing with updated portraits is incredibly powerful. They’re not just photographic excellence but deeply respectful and humbling in their dignity.
Hi Joe,
Your site does not work in Internet Explorer 9 i see your home page http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/#!/index but everything else dows not work.
In Safari on my iphone or is google chrome it works great.
p.s. big fan of your work!
welcome Joe! I took a look and the first I saw was your video from the Burj Khalifa Tower. Man, you are so crazy. I just shit my pants while watching the video (as I did when I saw your Empire State photo 😉
Cheers
Rudi
Many thanks Art…coming from you, a good friend and esteemed pro, that means alot….best, Joe
Joe, You bring a tear to my eye. Best Regards to you and Family
Awesome work and awesome site. Thank you so much for sharing. I plan to pass this around to many others 🙂
Hmm, the new site isn’t working in IE on the PC, no problems in Mac Firefox though. Hope that can be resolved.
Great shots simply love the color and composition of your post.