Acclaimed, award-winning photographer Joe McNally is known worldwide as the quintessential “pro’s pro”: an extremely versatile, deeply experienced assignment photographer whose jobs have brought him to over 70 countries and counting. McNally is often described as authentic, empathetic, articulate, and an exceptionally skilled technical photographer who pairs extraordinary camera know-how with a vivid imagination and an ongoing, vibrant creativity.
Always curious, always adapting to the conditions at hand and the relentless advances in camera technology, he has photographed five cover stories for the National Geographic (amongst an overall fifteen coverages) and seven covers of LIFE magazine. He photographed the very first all-digital coverage for National Geographic, which was considered such a significant, watershed moment in the history of that venerable publication that the entire coverage has been incorporated into the archives of the U.S Library of Congress.
In addition to inspiring editorial work, McNally has covered four Olympics (with number five looming in Paris in 2024) for such diverse clients as ABC Television, Sports Illustrated, and TIME magazine. McNally is known for his penchant to get his camera in “a different place” and has twice climbed the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, in addition to climbing the Empire State Building four times.
He is that rare photographer who has successfully made the bridge between the commercial world and the editorial world, and is highly regarded by clients for his versatility and his willingness to be a team player. Joe McNally, a proud Nikon Ambassador, has an extraordinary ability to photograph simple assignments with intimacy and grace, as well as master movie-scale productions with large crews, tremendous pressure, and countless moving parts.
