McNally Fest '08

So... I spent the last week assisting the great Joe McNally on a handful of jobs that he had out here in the Santa Fe area... It was a blast! I mean, I'm in desperate need of prescription painkillers and the world's longest nap right now, but it was totally worth it. Working with him was truly inspiring and I honestly would have paid HIM to let me observe him working for six straight days. But if I'm paying, someone else can haul the equipment!

I had the pleasure of assisting alongside my good friend Norah Levine and also with Copper Perry and Jesus Zapata - our hair and makeup squad.

Here's some snaps from the first and last days of shooting - the only times I had enough 'down' time to grab my camera...

Copper, our amazing makeup and hair guru, powdering Joe so that he's not all shiny on the video.

Here I am, striking a pose for Norah...

Copper, doing Deserae's makeup.

Deserae, waiting for her time in front of the camera. Deserae is already one of the most beautiful girls I know, so by the time that Copper was done with her, watch out...

Joe, showing the hole in the flag that he was shooting through for the shot of Thomas.

Jason, the videographer that was on set with us for two days, with Norah sneaking up behind...

Jason filming Joe while Copper touching up the model's makeup.

Norah, getting ready for her five minutes as a super model during a shoot at Fusion night club.

Ciera, our model for Tuesday, getting the finishing touches put on by Jesus, Copper's assistant.

Norah, showing us how to REALLY make an entrance at the club. :o)

Copper doing Ciera's hair at Fusion.


Me showing off my "Tell Your Mama to Vote for Obama" shirt (and fancy tiera) in the green hallway at Fusion. These shirts are handmade by my friend Jennifer.

Copper, making a funny face under an amazing sky-light inside Fusion.

You can check out Joe's blog to see some images from the week and to hear more about how he's a total genius and can make speedlights (small strobes) look like full studio lighting (if not better!) We used Nikon SB-900s as our ONLY artificial lighting source all week and you'd never know from looking at the amazing pictures he got.

On a separate note, I'm moving back to Detroit for the fall. I leave this Saturday the 6th from Albuquerque, and I won't be back in Santa Fe until January. While I'm away I'll be spending a month in NYC doing some internships, as well as time in Chicago and hopefully Minneapolis visiting friends and family. It's hard to say goodbye to beautiful New Mexico (the 'Land of Enchantment' has definitely 'enchanted' this girl!) but I'm very excited to see my loved ones and to have what is sure to be an adventure in the Big Apple.