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Food Trucks! Mac’D-N-Loaded!

Inspiration

Food Trucks! Mac’D-N-Loaded!

August 06, 2018  |  by Joe McNally
Next up on our “world tour” of Los Angeles food trucks–Mac’d-N-Loaded! This was a fun job, to be sure. Got to use some lenses I rarely use, and meet some really cool chefs. [caption id="attachment_20206" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Joe McNally Photography[/caption] So–how do you separate yourself from all the hundreds of food trucks out there?  Especially in LA? One way is to have one of the coolest logos on the planet.  (I mean macaroni “loaded”  in a revolver for a graphic – can we say creative?) We had fun on location with this, conjuring nicknames the likes of, “Macaroni Mohaska,” “Rigatoni Revolver,” and “The Penne Pistol.” Most importantly, of course, you stand out by serving up really great comfort food ( macaroni and cheese), great service with a smile, and of course the mobility of all this deliciousness being on four wheels. Above are Dwayne, Tetsujin and Dwight, the principals of our second food truck shoot in a series of environmental portraits in collaboration with Samy’s Camera. This truck, called Mac’d-N-Loaded, is a staple in LA. They work all manner of events, large and small, and honestly, when you want some mac 'n cheese (and who doesn’t?), they are a welcome sight. Different strategy here in terms of light. With the other trucks, I was dealing with shiny interiors, and in another instance, working at night, creating highlights with Speedlights spotted down or controlled with grids. In this instance, though, it was broad daylight, late afternoon, and I had to cover these three wonderful faces. So I went the other direction, using a Lastolite 4 in 1 umbrella as a broad shoot thru, and it was fitted with a Lastolite tri-flash, so I could get three SB-5000 units going to match the strength of the daylight. Needed some power, and some smoothness to the light, which is a strategy that translated into a fairly sizable f-stop. Which I wanted–with a truck like this, you really want to see it, right? The pic up top is 1/250th, f/18. FYI, also, the light source is stuffed right into my left shoulder. I got it as close to my subjects as possible. Thanks to the video crew who was with us again and provided BTS film support which will become videos on the Samy’s Camera site. Dwight (CFO and hardworking young entrepreneur)  was fantastic to work with. Enthusiastic and up for spending time with us in the course of his busy day. Can’t thank the crew enough. Here they are below. Shooting this from the driver’s cab of the truck, with a 16mm f/2.8 fisheye and that big umbrella, handheld this time, with the tri-flash, stuffed into the tiny confines of the cab. Quick shot, fun to do. [caption id="attachment_20201" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Joe McNally Photography[/caption] More tk…. Check out more from Joe McNally here.
August 06, 2018

About the Author

Joe McNally

Joe McNally

Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning photographer whose prolific career includes assignments in nearly 70 countries. McNally is known world-wide as not only one of the top, technically excellent photographers of his generation, but his charming demeanor, confidence and humor make him a sought-after choice from CEO’s to celebrities to commercial and magazine clients alike. He is among the rare breed of photographer who has bridged the world between photojournalism and advertising, amassing an impressive commercial and advertising client list including FedEx, Sony, ESPN, Adidas, Land’s End, General Electric, Epson, MetLife, USAA, New York Stock Exchange, Lehman Brothers, PNC Bank, and the Beijing Cultural Commission. McNally is equally comfortable climbing buildings or lighting a telescope to capturing quiet, sensitive subject matter with confidence in medical surroundings. He has shot numerous cover stories and highly complex features for the National Geographic, LIFE, and Sports Illustrated, where his research skills and unmatched preparedness were highly valued.

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