How to decide when free work is worth it

"Inspiration doesn't have an age gap… Maybe you've heard it 100 times before, but this time it hits differently. Or this time, it's where it sinks in and you have that 'aha' moment." That's just one takeaway from our spirited conversation with Grace Mc Nally.

From soaking up a passion for photography through an early mentorship program at NYC Salt to her decision to forgo college and continue learning on the job, Grace has forged an impressive path as a creative renaissance woman with a passion for community.

As podcast host Derek Fahsbender notes about this chat, "Great advice is all around you. Experience is all around you. But if you're not soaking it in, if you're not learning from it, then it's not going to make you a better photographer. It's not going to make you a better person. You really have to take it and internalize it."

So, sit back and be a sponge for some inspired creative insights!

Guest: Grace Mc Nally

Episode Timeline:

• 2:28: Grace's photographic beginnings, her father's influence as a full-time professional, plus discovering the NYC Salt mentorship program.
• 6:08: Studying photography on the job, plus the influence of mentors like Mark Mann and the program at D&AD Shift NY.
• 13:40: How Grace's vision has changed through various mentorship programs, how her early self-portraits compare with recent projects to serve others, plus the creative challenges that come with doing paid work.
• 21:09: Grace's work in art direction and discovering the value of being a photographer in a different stage of production.
• 23:02: The main inspiration for how Grace sees and its relationship to Irish culture.
• 24:58: The gear she works with—from her earliest experiments with the iPod Touch to current work with her iPhone and her Canon R6 MK II.
• 29:30: More on free work vs paid jobs. How do you find your value as a photographer?
• 34:25: Thoughts about having diverse skill sets, compartmentalizing and creating labels, and Grace's vision for her career moving forward.
• 38:15: Grace's most instrumental piece of advice for photographers just starting out—Don't stop shooting and don't delete your work!
• 40:57: Grace's current self-portrait series in the Irish landscape and other future projects.

Guest Bio:

Grace Mc Nally is a creative renaissance woman with a passion for community. Born & raised in Queens, New York by two creative & crafty Irish Immigrants, Grace has a diverse skill set, with more than 7 years of experience running her creative production house Allegro Photo Industries. During this time, she's trained under celebrity photographer Mark Mann, won a Scholastic Golden Key, worked as an Art Director at Area 23, spoken at the 2023 D&AD Awards, created content for Meta, captured icons like Chaka Khan, Lil Wayne, and Drake, been interviewed by Vice, and cast talent for Roblox. Grace also plays video games & football, produces an immigrant-centered cooking show, makes zines, directs music videos, performs spoken word, collects manga, colors with children, and teaches photography to teens at NYC Salt, where she was a student herself from 2016 to 2020.

Stay Connected:

• Website: https://www.gracemcnally.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grmcn/
• Allegro Photo Industries: https://allegrophotoindustries.myportfolio.com/
• NYC Salt: https://www.nycsalt.org/at-salt/2024/5/15/grace-mcnally-the-creative-directors-journeycreativity-hard-work-and-stunning-results

Credits:

• Host: Derek Fahsbender
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
• Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens