Hope everyone is having a great bunch of holidays. We had a houseful of people Christmas Day. 20 folks, all hungry. Annie did an amazing meal, and I didn’t blow the barbecue end of the deal, thankfully. That was ’cause my sister Rosemary ran the grill basically, and I just did what she told me to do. (Thus proving that a knuckle dragger like me can listen even when standing at the grill, where usually the sheer raging din of testosterone drowns out all rational thought and conversation and all that is heard is a series of hoots, clicks and grunts.)
We had lots and lots of family over, including my niece Michelle, fairly recently married to her husband, Mark. When she was born in ‘75, she was a first in many ways. First for my sister Kathy, first new baby in the McNally clan for a long time, and for me, my first baby photo subject. (My kids came later.) On vacations, summers, visits, her nutty Uncle Joe always had a camera in his hands. She was young enough to think it was fun, and thus tolerated me. And over her early years, I built up enough imagery of Michelle’s moods and mysteries that for my ‘78 Christmas gifts, I printed a calendar of 1979 according to Michelle.
It’s showing wear and tear now, yellowed with age, but the prints have stood the test of time really well. Which is a good thing, ’cause the negs on all these pix have vanished. This was not a one click, send it to Apple deal back then. Made the prints in the Daily News lab, where I was a studio apprentice, a way station on the path to being a shooter at a union shop like The News. As a boy in the studio (you weren’t classified as a man in newspaper parlance until you were on the street as a shooter) I used newspaper printing paper and chemistry, which was a pretty good perk of being back there in the fumes, and then dry mounted the prints on boards. (Obviously not archival board, if you look above.) Then I did Kodaliths of calendar sheets, and printed those. Made 6 calendars, so there were a lot of long nights in the lab after work. It was cool, though, ’cause I was back printing again, something I had always enjoyed at school. The B&W negs were all run through a Versamat machine, state of the art dry to dry processing at the time. I viewed those monsters as high powered mulching machines that you dumped your roll into one and end of and said novenas till it came out the other.
So in January, Michelle proved her mettle as Nikon shooter, F2 in hand.
But, come February, she proved to be more thoughtful, pensive, even. I guess I would be too, if I were wearing a hat like that:-)
By Easter things were definitely more lighthearted. Shot this, believe it or not, with a 500mm mirror lens. Nikon made a couple catadioptric lenses, which were short, stubby, incredibly difficult to focus accurately, and, in the case of the 500, a fixed f8. Needless to say, they don’t make these anymore. God knows why I was shooting that lens for this, but it did make the Daily News centerfold for Easter Sunday, 1978.
Then came summer, and my favorite shot of her, hair so blond it disappeared in the sun.
By September she had once again grown pensive, even a tad mysterious. It might have been that milk mustache disguise.
Outdoors for October. Is there a photographer in the world who has not thrown leaves in the air to get a fall picture of a kid?
Then of course, there were turkey insides to investigate for November.
And at the end of the year, Santa’s visit.
Turns out these were just the beginning of Michelle’s adventures in front of the camera. She grew up so tall and beautiful she took a hiatus from college at one point to make a tour of the NY fashion agencies. Did some work in the Big Apple, and then made the model’s traditional winter trek south to Miami Beach. Down there on the sand, 12′ silks and frames on highboys bloom everywhere as the swimsuit and summer wear catalogs are shot while most of us freeze our butts off up north. It so happened that I had a big job to shoot for Nikon, and I had some budget, and an open ticket to shoot anywhere I wanted. We headed for Miami. It was around the introduction of the SB26 and the new fangled device of a built in sensor panel that would enable it to trigger off other flashes. This was big news at that time. So, I shot this….
But I also got Michelle in front of the lens. I had no particular yen to shoot in Miami, but I thought I could throw Michelle some work, and at the same time let her mom know about how things were going. Michelle could always handle herself, but she was a like a sweet, easy going guppy who just jumped into the shark pool of the Miami fashion scene, and her booker wasn’t sending her out all that often for work. So I played the role of the NY asshole fashion photog with a budget and made calls to her agent, jumped up and down and threw a hissy fit about why wasn’t I seeing the portfolio of this fabulous girl I have heard about? I might have even used a French accent, I can’t remember.
While shooting this, I kept saying ridiculous stuff at camera, like, “That’s good sweetie, yeah, that’s really pretty!” My assistants were chuckling, shaking their heads and looking at me like I just fell off the turnip truck. “Dude, she’s not sweet, she’s hot!” “Yeah, well, I’m her uncle, so don’t even think about it!” It was a long way from playing in the leaves.
She’s married now, and of course I showed up with a D3 to make a few snaps. She spent some time with Cassie, the family pooch in the midst of pre-wedding craziness.
And indulged me in post wedding, “What just happened?” silliness at the reception room bar.
I consider myself very lucky to have a beautiful niece who smiled at a photog relative all these years. She allowed me to write a little piece of our family history with a lens and a camera. As I look at that calendar now, Christmas 2009, I realize I remember precisely nothing of Christmas 1978. Virtually everything about that day and that calendar, for instance, is gone. Michelle’s all grown up, the F2 is a museum piece, and film has been replaced. (Who could have imagined?)
What remains? The pictures. And, now that she’s married, maybe, someday in the future, there might be another little blond photo subject. And, with any luck, I’ll be there, with a camera. More tk….
Richard Cave says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:30 am
Some really good photos and memories there, You have some timeless ones, I never had any photos taken of me when I was a kid.
I have a face for radio, thanks for another inspiring post, and Happy New Year to you, your family and friends
Rich
Rusty Bryant says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:32 am
WOW Joe. That’s good stuff. Thanks for sharing.
John A. says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:33 am
Awesome post Joe! This is one of the things that appeal to me the most about photography, the ability to capture time so it can be remembered at a later (sometimes much later) date. Lord knows I need all of the memory jogging tools I can get.
Thanks for sharing your memories!
john jackson says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:35 am
Great calendar Joe seems like you had a great Christmas. Look forward to more posts in the new year
Chris Klug says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:36 am
Just a wonderful heartfelt piece of writing, Joe.
Tina Blum says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:42 am
Oh, Joe! How is it you manage to bring a tear to my eye on such a regular basis! Thank you for the beautiful story. You just defined why I take pictures.
Paul says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:44 am
Great story and images Joe!
That calendar is a treasure.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Can’t wait to see what you give us in 2010.
christina hornack says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:44 am
Hi Joe - Great photos as always. I feel like I’ve been talking about you for the whole week - getting together with family, they inevitably ask what I’ve been up to - learning photography. And when they ask about photography, I tell them I’m mostly taking a lot of pictures and reading a lot.
You are one of my favorite photography blogs because you spend a lot of time composing the shot with the camera, and not just “fixing it in post.” Additionally, I really enjoy how humble you are - talking about how it never comes on the first shot, and you just have to keep adjusting. It’s inspiring and encouraging to someone still figuring out …well… everything.
Lesser photographers are not as humble, as I have read, whereas when I’m reading you, it’s like I’ve run into one of my favorite self-deprecating cousins who’s talking about composing a vacation shot…
wishing you and yours the very best in the new year -
christina
Kathy Chin says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:45 am
Wow Joe,
What a precious look back in time…guess it’s why we like to document people and things. And it’s so special that you’ve got a lovely niece to show us and talk about.
Continue with your wonderful holidays, and keep those pics and stories coming!
Giacomo says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:50 am
…that was moving, I feel it so much. Thank you Joe.
Best wishes from Italy.
Mike Morgan says:
on December 28, 2009 at 11:53 am
I don’t know which I like the most about your blog—the photography and techniques, or the special talent you have to tell a story such as this one. Thanks for sharing.
Lance Cheung says:
on December 28, 2009 at 12:04 pm
That’s what I love about photography. The images are both a bookmark in time and a point from which to look forward.
Mike Doran says:
on December 28, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Thanks for sharing Joe I also have a niece photographed since
she was born in 1992. She just turned 17 and is beautiful as
well and I have shot photos of her as well. Although intially
wanted to be a model she has decided she would rather be
a fashion photographer instead. If you are interested you can check out
the web address I have provided. Mariah has turned into a great
student and assistant she is a natural in front of the lens as well
as behind. Thanks again for sharing it brings back many memories
of Mariah growing up.
Mike Doran
Doran Creatives
415-606-9171
Monte Stevens says:
on December 28, 2009 at 12:17 pm
A wonderful heart warming story. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the great niece photos tk….
Rick Moreland says:
on December 28, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Well put! This pretty much nails the reason I shoot in the first place. Our memories fade so much faster than the prints.
Thanks for the reminder of what matters.
Don Wells says:
on December 28, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Very touching post. Thank you for sharing a moment of your families life.
Tom Peterson says:
on December 28, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Great story telling as usual. I’ve been documenting my granddaughters growth (12 years old now) in a similar way. I think I can remember every click of the shutter. Not the why of what was going on, just her beautiful face. Thanks for reminding me.
Gary Kieffer says:
on December 28, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Lovely post of the past and present all wrapped together. Haven’t thought of a CAT lens in awhile…I seem to remember having a Vivitar Series 1 600mm F/8. But then that was years ago and may more brain cells intact back then. Thanks as always for fantastic memories and imagery.
Terry Wheeler says:
on December 28, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Wonderful pictures that are well framed by your graceful and captivating writing skills!
Lloyd Eldredge says:
on December 28, 2009 at 2:21 pm
One of your best posts yet, and once again proof, I think, that the most important images we will ever make as photographers are those of the people we love.
Nasir Hamid says:
on December 28, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Thanks very much for sharing your memories. As I build up a library of images of my daughter growing up I just hope I can still do something with my RAW files in 30 years time! Maybe the lesson here is to make prints while you can.
Tom says:
on December 28, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Two things….
MY GOODNESS, this is no doubt my fav blog post of yours yet. Felt the heart via your fingers on that one.
Two, your blog is having trouble with the new firefox release, 3.5.6, everything is smoutched togeather.
Harry Pocius says:
on December 28, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Great post Joe, always look forward to reading them. My kids stopped letting me take pictures of them until I bought a polaroid pogo printer that prints business card size stickies. Now whenever they see the camera out they yell “I want a sticker!”
Just one thing tho, seems like you’ve celebrated Christmas 2010 a year too early lol.
Howard says:
on December 28, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I can still remember the many hours in the darkroom of the PJ I used to work for, breathing the stabilization print processor chemicals and cleaning those rollers…….ahhhhhhh what great memories! The perks of printing my own images was definitely worth the exposure to the fumes!
John Leonard says:
on December 28, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Great post. All we ever have are our memories, maybe that’s why we shoot when it all comes down to it. I guess that is also why I’m drawn to wedding photography; just making memories for people to look back at and say “How great was that day”. It’s also cool that your family is right there in the middle of things with you. No kids for me but I do drag my wife out in front of the camera. She tolerates me, but I love taking her picture. I got this on Christmas day while we were at the beach. I have to admit I really pinched your style here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enigma1977/4214821202/
Have a Happy New Year! And thanks for all of your insight and willingness to teach and share.
John
Drew Gurian says:
on December 28, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Hey Tom,
Thanks for the post, and sorry to hear that. Just checked out the situation on two of our computers using Firefox 3.5.6, and it seems to be coming up fine here…odd. Try emptying your browser cache and reloading….hopefully that’ll set it straight.
Tommy Eriksen says:
on December 28, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Hey Joe,
Thanks for another great post. Your posts always inspire to go out and capture something
Mike Hodos says:
on December 28, 2009 at 3:50 pm
If I would put my camera down and learn how to tell a story like Joe does, my photography would improve dramatically.
Thanks, Joe. Great story.
Mike
Bob Perry says:
on December 28, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Great story and pics Joe. Thnx again for your heart warm stories.
Mark says:
on December 28, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I confess to having thrown leaves into the air for photos, though most of the time the kids need very little encouragement to throw the leaves at me.
Great post, Joe. Very cool backtrack through the years.
Lorri E says:
on December 28, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Great post. Thanks for reminding us that the most important photos we take are not necessarily that spectacular photo we seek but the ones of family and friends that capture the precious moments in our lives.
Ranger 9 says:
on December 28, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Nice read. But crikey, you’re going to catch some kvetch from the silverbacks over that “film has been replaced” crack — they still think digital is just a passing fad! Keep your head down and have a happy New Year!
Kevin Williams says:
on December 28, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Wonderful post, Joe. Thanks for sharing!
J. Kiely Jr. says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:09 am
Joe,
Another great take. Always worth checking this place out. You have a real good knack for putting the proverbial hammer directly down on the proverbial nail. One heck of a communicator (words+pictures) that is for sure.
Using all the modern (apple) tools I made my first calendar of my first nephew/godson this year. He’s 8 months old now. I wonder where it will be in 30 years.
Doubtful in such good shape.
Thanks again Joe!
peace,
-j.
Paul Aylett says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:20 am
A very, very touching post Joe. Really tugs at the heartstrings! Hope you had a great Christmas and wish you the very best for 2010.
Doug Wittrock says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:31 am
Great story, and a great photographic history, not just of your niece, but the evolution of photography over the years. Who knew indeed, that film would be replaced by a sensor chip? Love the old B&W’s of your niece. I’ve used one of those mirror lenses too, they are a bear to focus but sort of fun too.
Jay Rodriguez says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:37 am
fantastic post Joe, very inspiring and also very warm and comfortable. Its good to see a soft side of the great Joe McNally!
Great post, thanks for the read
Polgara says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:39 am
She really is beautiful! In the end the sentimental photos are the ones that we keep…
Jeanette says:
on December 29, 2009 at 3:50 am
What an amazing post! I want to make a calendar for my family next year… in B&W too, it just so very special
MikeScott says:
on December 29, 2009 at 9:35 am
You brought tears to my eyes, Joe. Beautiful post. Happy New Year to you and the whole family.
kevin says:
on December 29, 2009 at 10:24 am
joe sometimes i think you are the luckiest sob out there. shot some pics of my daughter as she was growing up, but as my luck would have it, they were lost in the house fire. keep up the good work.
Girish says:
on December 29, 2009 at 10:42 am
Hi Joe,
What a fantastic write. I loved it. The photos are as brilliant as it could be. It’s so nice to see your old photos. They are so beautiful. No strobes at that time. I love the February and September photos.
Wish you a belated Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Hans says:
on December 29, 2009 at 10:59 am
That’s a post in true Christmas style, in the end all what counts are friends and family. Great frozen moments in time. Very nice read Joe, cheers.
Robert says:
on December 29, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Great pictures! I was personally always more attracted to the available light in photography.
Fred K says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Nice!!!
Traci says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Priceless! Joe you have a wonderful heart! Thank you for sharing!
Jon Tiffin says:
on December 29, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Joe, Thanks much, again a great read. Beautiful child turns into a stunning woman. Your wisdom and tutelage you have conveyed has opened my eyes to doing things differently. Never would have realized just how simple using commander mode is. Now I’m turning colleagues on to it as well. Love seeing your blogs hit my inbox.
Best to you & yours and Happy Holidays!!
-jon
Linda Brinckerhoff says:
on December 29, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Thanks for making us remember how fast the children in our lives grow up. Another great story. Another beautiful McNally woman! You are a lucky uncle-dad-husband!
Robert Byron says:
on December 29, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Great post Joe. These glimpses into your life are the best!
Mark says:
on December 29, 2009 at 7:42 pm
One of your sweetest posts ever. Love your recollection. And, of course, very happy to hear Michelle is doing well. I enjoyed meeting her that one time. She is a sweet gal and I wish her well.
Once again, though, thanks for the peek inside your life. Ya big lug, ya!