Bayside resident receives photography award

Bayside resident Brian McNally was recently named one of 34 art photographers whose work was selected by the Long Island Arts Council at Freeport to be on exhibit in the 26th Annual Juried Photography Show, co-sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings. The submitted photos were reviewed by veteran art photographer, Toby Old, a prot’eg’e of Andy Warhol.
For his photo “No Pepsi Here,” a perspective of a Coca Cola hot air balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Meet, McNally was awarded “Best in Show.”
“I was running in and out of the balloons, shooting them,” said McNally, who named the photo “No Pepsi Here” because of his distaste for the soft drink.
McNally was not only persuaded by a friend, Doug Going, to enter the contest, but his award-winning photo wasn’t even his first choice. As Going was on his way to submitting his and McNally’s photos for the contest, McNally suggested he take a look at a few others. Going saw “No Pepsi Here,” and loved it. “He deserves a lot of the credit,” McNally said.
A Bayside High School graduate, McNally, 65, earned his Bachelor’s and Masters Degrees in music from the Manhattan School of Music. He took post-graduate school classes at the NYU Film and Television School and later worked as a freelance cinematographer/editor/producer/director in the film industry.
Eventually, when the business dried up, he taught himself the art of photography, and became a freelance photographer, getting his work published in Architectural Digest and Interiors. He’s also worked for countless architectural agencies.
McNally’s work also appeared in The New York Times during the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s, including when he shot Carnegie Hall shortly after its redevelopment.
McNally has taught photography workshops throughout the country, at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA; the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, ME; the Palm Beach Photographic Workshops in Palm Beach, FL; and at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan.
The show will be on display all month at the Freeport Memorial Library, 144 West Merrick Road, during library hours. For more information contact Polly Whitehorn at 516-223-2522, ext 13.