Dancer by a window, Havana……
Nikon DF camera, 1/25th sec; f4; ISO 400; 24-120mm lens.
Cuban Cowboy, by a farmhouse window….Nikon DF camera; 1/50th sec; f3.5; ISO 100; 28mm f1.4 lens.
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Just back from Poland and the ŚwiatłoSiła Photo & Video festival organized by the incredible team @cyfrowe_pl.
The event (The Festival of Light) was a terrific, energetic celebration of photography, attended in large numbers. I had three events, and this particular frame is available light in harsh sun during our Photo Walk. Loved the Photo Walk as it took place as a meander through the old, historic docks and cranes of Gdansk. Happy to have had the opportunity to visit Gdansk, still an important port city in Poland and the birthplace of Solidarity, the labor movement that shook all of Eastern Europe and the Communist bloc at that time. Lech Walesa was a dockworker turned union activist who championed the rights of the workers to strike, and changed Poland forever.
Our model @_frostmagdalena was wonderful and easygoing, giving all the photographers nonstop look after look that was captivating and beautiful. Magda made excellent use of posing in the strong sunlight!
#thursdayvibes #thursdaythoughts #cyfrowe_pl #światłosiła
#picoftheday #photowalk #nikonambassador #nikonpro #nikonz9
Again, this day. Always remember.
The ever striking muse @nwilmshurstx locks onto the camera. Classic beauty combo of an overhead light with a low fill. No background light, as she is only about eight feet in front of one of the @manfrottoimaginemore collapsible backdrops, which are super handy when using someone’s living room as a location - which is the case here! Over-under light, and add a lovely subject! Natalie is currently a highlighted performer at the @royalpalacekirrwiller in Kirrwiller, France. Looks like a spectacular show!
#saturdaymorning #picoftheday #portraitphotography #nikonambassador #nikonpro #nikond850
One small light through a window! A Speedlight, as a matter fact. Remember those? Handy, versatile, and highly evolved. The one flash is gelled CTO and placed out in the parking lot. I actually triggered it line of sight, so this pic is definitely from the old school of technology. Wonderful model, carefully placed so the striped highlights through the blinds hit across her eyes. Rest of the photo is just available pool hall light, with some assistance from a smoke machine. Shot with the Nikon D3X, which was a heckuva good camera, and aperture priority with underexposure dialed into the camera. The flash has no diffusion and is zoomed tight to retain the edge and hardness of the light. So much fun to play with light at a location like this!
#throwbackthursday #thursdayvibes #thursdaythoughts #portraitphotography #picoftheday #nikonambassador #nikonpro #nikond3x
The Labor Day Weekend symbolizes the end of the summer, and our yearly, necessary, honorable celebration of work. On this Labor Day, I remember going underground with some of the hardest working folks I’ve ever been privileged to point a lens at—the legendary NY Sandhogs. I’ve always been compelled to photograph labor. Work. Always been curious about how things are built, or the intricacies of major industry. Hence my propensity over time to climb things, or go under the ground with my cameras. The camera stands in service to hard work and knowledge, and I’ve loved the times I’ve been allowed behind the scenes—in a mine, in an operating theater, in tunnels, or massive manufacturing plants. Sweat and striving. The drama of heavy industry.
The camera honors and defines the nobility of work be it backbreaking labor accompanied by the din of heavy machinery, or delicate, intuitive, tension-laden moves of a scalpel inside the chest of a patient. Work compels us, support us, frustrates us, rewards us, defines us. For many, the job becomes almost inseparable from the person.
So it is with the Sandhogs you see here. They build astonishing structures far below the earth’s surface which flow water into New York. Without their work, the city couldn’t exist. It was a story I responded to, and remember on this day.
#Laborday #photojournalism #NYC #storytelling
Wide open sharpness intensifies the eyes. Once again, an over/under style of light not only suits the lovely face of Cassie, a beautiful Hawaiian dancer I have worked with, it illuminates the eyes. The under component is essential, given the floral decorations in her hair. That is provided by the Westcott Eyelighter 3, with a Profoto overhead umbrella with a diffuser. All overhead light would produce shadowing. But this lighting twosome and her resolute beauty looking at the camera demands the attention of the viewer. It’s like that old game we played as kids, “Made you look!” This style of light does make you look. Nikkor 85mm lens wide open at
f/1.8. Compact lens, handy to carry and crazy sharp.
#saturdaymorning #hawaii #portraitphotography #picoftheday #beauty #nikonpro #nikonambassador #nikonz7 @nikonusa
The startling beautiful Monteece locks eyes with the camera. A veteran Vegas performer, she has an amazing array of skills, from gymnastics to dance, to acting. I’ve always found inspiration amongst the group of performers and friends I’ve worked with over the years in Vegas. The physical grace and strength demanded of them to be in these shows nightly is extraordinary, as is the discipline. Shot with over/under lighting and the square format on the Nikon Z 7. One of the primary benefits (for me) of all the accelerated mirrorless technology is the ease of use of square format. Don’t forget to experiment with different formats! I find the square connects to a historical continuum of portrait tradition, and has a formalism to it. (Also, you don’t have to turn the camera for a vertical😉) And our talent’s gesture inhabits this particular square wonderfully. Production excellence from the one and only Lynn DelMastro and gorgeous styling by Sam Brown.
#wednesdaywisdom #picoftheday #portraitphotography #nikonambassador #nikonpro #nikonz7
@monteecetaylor - talent
@northorchard - production
@samanthabrownstyle - styling
@nikonusa
Hard light, amazing eyes. And transformative HMU by @clairepiao. The wondrous @dlimathais graces the lens with a look that holds attention. Available hard light, working outside on a deck in Los Angeles, with my dear friend @bertonevisuals - who has a marvelous studio area.
Camera rig is the Nikon Z 7, partnered with the astonishing optic, the NIKKOR Z 58mm F/0.95 S, wide open at .95. Fastest lens I’ve ever used. Sharpness is unreal, and DOF falls off a cliff. Perfect for a hard light look!
#saturdaymorning #picoftheday fashionphotography #nikonambassador #nikonpro @nikonusa #nikonz7
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A blog for Labor Day. https://joemcnally.com/2024/09/02/long-ago-under-the-ground/
Labor Day bargain...gorgeous prints at 15% off. @Printique_lab does an amazing job, and shipping finished products is virtually immediate.
Leave for Poland tomorrow, Tuesday. Gonna be a great festival in the wonderful city of Gdansk. https://www.cyfrowe.pl/kursy-i-szkolenia,1,182,1629.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=swiatlosila_earlybirds_08_2024
Good stuff and a dream come true. @MarkKrajnak covers The Boss & his images are informed by his long history of covering the Jersey Shore, Asbury Park music scene, which is rich in talent and history. Wonderful coverage, & the writing accompanying the photos is laced with emotion
Land of the Giants - A Documentary https://wp.me/p6YJx-hJ1 come and spend a week while the grasses are short and it's safe to be with the Kodiak Brown Bear, a window into their story of survival and life. @BedfordCamera @NikonUSA #NikonAmbassador #NikonPro @KelbyOne
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Amazing light!
Beautiful as always! I can’t imagine sharp images at those shutter speeds…maybe I’m getting old. LOL Any supplemental light?
its just wow
amazing picture joe
Are these Cuban window photos handheld or on a tripod/monopod?
Cowboy looks like the Cuban Tarantino
Or it might be just me… 🙂
Joe, your pics are amazing again! I’d love to join on eof yoru workshops in cuba some time!
I couldn’t tell if this is ambient light only or the guru of speedlites (like ussual) showed us once more how to mix both artificial and ambient lights in a seamless way. Looking for the “how it was made” video version…
… just finished re-reading (probably 3-4th time)Hot Shoe Diaries and The Moment it Clicks)… I am attempting to glean from your messages how important it is to see and interpret a scene before shooting, and bringing into the mix the solutions that tell the (your) story…
thanks for sharing your expertise and experience…
Awesome!
These are so wonderfully light. Full of emotion and calm. Cuba is a place on my bucket list. These images help define passion to a people and place my father spoke of so endearingly.
Excellente’ Maestro!
Joe I was wondering, I have seen you work in two different classes now and it is amazing what you do with light. In this photograph here was this all done in camera or was it finished up with any Photoshop?
If you get a chance to come back to Pittsburgh please do so, it seems every time I attend one of your workshops I always pick up a few more ideas.
Thank you sincerely, Mark Rosensteel
Your photos never cease to inspire. Beautiful wide angle portraiture….not an easy thing to do! Thanks.
Great as always !! Soft light but crisp pic 🙂
Second image looks like one of his famous bed sheet over the window with a dash of light from the right
Great shot with the dancer …I believe I have seen that staircase … nice venue for you to have a model with you..great use of mood thought provoking.
Great portrait with a 28mm lens!
Awesome shots Joe. Fantastic camera.
Cuban Cowboy looks like emaciated/old Quentin Tarantino
On the way to Pittsburgh soon. A bit later this year. What I did here was intro a bit of sharpening, vibrance and contrast via Aperture. No Photoshop, as I don’t have the current version to work a DF NEF and I don’t really know how the cloud works so well, so I’ve just been living with what I can do with a jpeg on Aperture. Sounds dumb I know, but I’ve logged so many air miles of late, I’m behind in a whole bunch of stuff. Joe
Quick snaps, natural light…..Joe
Hand held…..didn’t bring a tripod….Joe
Just the window light….:-)))
Fantastic shots – it really rocks
wow the cuban cowboy is a masterpiece of fantastic balanced flash with catch light in his eyes but not hifghlights on face, with a beautiful ambient light, without a tripod, stunning¡¡
Love the dancer shot, great natural light!