Joe McNally and the Z 7: Close Encounters
Z 7, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S, focal length 24mm, 1/10 second, f/11, ISO 250, manual exposure, Matrix metering.
Behind the Scenes - View the Behind the Scenes video to get a glimpse into the effort needed to pull off this photo shoot.
The launch of the Z 7 required a ton of end-result images to highlight the camera's exacting capture of photographs in the expected realms of imaging: weddings, portraits, action, wildlife, travel, landscapes and whatever else we thought of at the time. We had no trouble finding photographers to handle that for us.
But who you gonna call when you want to be surprised? When the unexpected is in fact expected?
We called Joe McNally, and we gave him no assignment other than to be himself and let the ideas come.
He's good at that: think Michelle Yeoh dangling from a helicopter; mirror magic and Cirque du Soleil performers in the Nevada desert; 32 Nikon Speedlights firing up twilight on a Tarrytown, New York, street. If you don't know these photos, Google and ye shall find.
The idea for the photos he created for us...well, we have no clue where it came from. Joe might have shot some frames with the Z 7, said to himself, This technology comes from another planet, and gone on from there. Or, being a fan of diners, maybe he upped the ante of Edward Hopper's nighthawks at the diner. Who's to say?
In any case, be sure to meet up with Joe via the behind-the-scenes video he made for us.
