The great privilege of shooting industrial photography is you get to see things that most folk simply don’t.
While the headlines are full of digital this and AI that, the truth is there’s still an incredible amount of light and heavy industry going on in this country. For me, a great deal of the appeal of working for such clients is that you get to see people using skills that you thought might have died out, as well as watching people at the very top of their game doing what they do so well. Like I say, a real privilege.
I’ve trawled through my archives and found some shots from a couple of jobs that stood out to me for different reasons. Working in a foundry is like nowhere else. Hot, noisy, full of sparks and hot metal. It’s a dangerous place, for sure, so you need to know what the rules are before setting foot in there. Fortunately, I’ve plenty of experience of jobs like that, so can get shots safely and, as importantly, efficiently without disturbing people at work. And warehouses are similar. Not so hot and no sparks flying around but in their own way just as dangerous if you’re not careful. After all, you wouldn’t want a two tonne pallet of floor tiles dropping on you would you?
What I bring to environments like this is an outside eye – being able to find interesting compositions in unusual places, as well as getting shots of important processes.
And shots like this have a multitude of uses. It’s great to show processes on websites, marketing and display materials. It helps clients to understand the work and skill that goes into manufacturing or storing goods. And, above all, they can look dramatic (who isn’t impressed by a shower of sparks flying across a space!!). Plus, these images don’t date unless processes change, so can be used and reused for years.
So why hire me to shoot images like this for your brand? Aside from the quality of the photography, which I hope speaks for itself, I’d say that experience counts for a lot. I’ve been in locations like these numerous times. I understand that there are rules and protocols that must be followed, or injury can result. I also work quickly and unobtrusively. I understand that processes need to be followed, that delays can be costly and have large repercussions. So I work around existing work schedules as much as possible, to minimise any disturbance. For the same reason, I work with the minimum of kit; aside from the health and safety benefit of not having trailing wires and equipment in unfamiliar areas, it means I’m able to move around and work speedily.
