Uptown photos for downtown weddings: Nikon and Joe McNally give New Yorkers free, world-class memories

Next to birth and death, few life events eclipse a wedding. It's no wonder that weddings are such a huge industry here in the US, or that people spend thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars to have them photographed. Life memories like these are truly priceless.

But what if you can't afford to hire a high-end pro photographer to record your nuptials? What if your wedding is just a simple municipal affair, in front of a Justice of the Peace at City Hall? It's no less life-changing than any other, but even a single professional portrait of the two of you on your special day may be out of reach.

In one of the nicest PR gestures we've seen in a long time, Nikon's latest expression of their I AM Generation Image campaign sees them teaming up with Nikon Ambassador (and utterly world-class photographer) Joe McNally, to offer free newlywed portraits outside of New York City's Marriage Bureau.

To overcome space limitations in the City Hall area, Nikon and McNally have worked hand-in-hand to convert a truck into a fully functional photo studio. On June 4th and 5th, McNally will use the truck to capture world-class portraits of couples who have just been married at New York City Hall, entirely free of charge.

As excited as the couples will be who have the opportunity to be captured by one of the most talented photographers, Joe seems even more excited, saying the following about the project:

‘One of the most memorable and marvelous experiences l have had was capturing the wedding of my friends getting married at City Hall. People of all types were there to announce and share with the world that this was their beloved. Working with Nikon to bring this pop-up studio to life gives us a chance to celebrate this real emotion and provide couples with a stunning set of wedding photos to help remember their special day.’

The converted Nikon truck will be decked out with the latest Nikon gear, as you could expect. Specifically, the press release mentions the use of Nikon’s D750 camera, Nikkor glass and Nikon speedlights.

Couples will be photographed on a first come, first serve basis. Nikon says the couples ‘will leave with their images so that they can be shared with their loved ones.’ We’re not sure whether that means digital copies of the images or physical prints, but one way or another, it’ll be one heck of an unexpected wedding gift from Nikon and McNally.

Nikon says you can keep up with the project as it’s going on using ‘#IAmGenerationImage’ and ‘#NikonWeddingTruck’ hashtags across social networks. We will share a follow-up article after the event takes place, showing off the truck and some of the images captured by McNally. 

Good PR calls attention to a company and its products, and there's literally a world of ways to do that. Kudos to Nikon and Joe McNally for coming up with such a beautiful and giving way of bringing I AM Generation Image to life.