Stirring The Pot
This magnificent piece of engineering had me mesmerized as it rotated around with a low rumbling growl while throwing off a warm breeze that smacked me in the face.
Blog Archives
20
Nov
19
Nov
Working In The Dark
Around the clock this Caterpillar 980K and it’s operator work to keep the payload going through the crusher. In the recent months I have been trying to create images of the night shift workers as they tend to get overlooked when creating images.
15
Nov
“Look to the right, look straight ahead, now look to the left. Thanks that’s a wrap.”
When photographing equipment I always try to get someone outside the vehicle to give the viewer a better sense of scale, especially if the operator is not directly visible.
13
Nov
The Yellow Truck Road
Before I went underground I photographed this Epiroc MT42 minel truck coming out of the Island Gold Mine portal. It’s a bit of a tricky image as the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon and the entrance to the portal was still dark in shade. I have my ways.
#miningphotog #epiroc #MT42 #haultruck #islandgold
12
Nov
Creating A Blurry Image
There is a difference between capturing movement and movement that was captured. The latter is usually unexpected and due to improper exposure, settings and more than likely user error. I remembered recently for one lesson during my dark room class (a few decades ago lol) we had to capture motion using panning and slow shutter speeds. Combined with a recent facebook post from a friend who was showcasing some amazing motion blur images of the Portland International Raceway, I decided to add more motion to my mining images on my next shoot.
As I saw the haul truck slowly coming towards us I quickly changed my camera settings to a slower shutter speed and politely asked Asteria and Brian to stay very still as it crept by. I wanted to capture the movement of the vehicle behind them and with this shot I got exactly that.
11
Nov
Here Comes The Boom
Before this jumbo get’s in front of the face I had a few minutes to capture the front view. I like using the leading lines of the booms to draw your attention to the operator.
8
Nov
2 Brains Are Better Than Mine.
In his book “Think and Grow Rich“, Hill described the Mastermind principle as, “The coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose in a spirit of harmony…no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind”, also known as, the Mastermind.
I find surrounding yourself with goal oriented, like minded individuals a powerful tool. I have been lucky enough over the years to draw upon (and still do) the knowledge of my mentor Robert Provencher and over the past few years my good friend Victor CEO of www.Pendaproductions.com
I have had the privileged to work with Victor on sites in Canada, the US and Greece and with the completion of each project I gain more knowledge and understanding within my business. To be able to call someone with questions in relation to your business and know that you will get honesty and insight from a different view and perspective is an invaluable resource.
Within any business or industry look for those individuals that exceed the norm, work hard and are willing to pass on their knowledge because in the end you will both be closer to achieving your goals no matter what they are.
8
Nov
Open Up And Say Ahhhh! A Throwback
Here is a throw back session from 2008 creating images for the Cambrian College Dental Program here in Sudbury Ontario. I have created hundreds of images for their program guide and view book over the years and each session is always fun with the friends I have made there.
7
Nov
There Is A Difference
Sometimes it is hard to see the visualization of an image in it’s final media. Images that draw attention are a must in today’s marketing due to the fact that we are bombarded with images daily across all platforms.
The images you choose to represent your company in your marketing materials can either enhance your product and company or it can cost you money without even having the chance to obtain it.
In today’s market you have the opportunity to showcase your company to millions of viewers and the images you provide are essential to promoting your brand and reputation.
A picture is worth a thousand words yesterday but it can also be worth millions tomorrow.
www.miningphotog.com#mining #marketing #photography #miningphotog
25
Oct
Gain Their Confidence
Most people that I know of especially in the mining industrial industry do NOT like having their image taken. I can see it in their eyes within seconds of them realizing why we are there to begin with. This “photo fear” is also multiplied when they have no prior notification that I was coming and so I must quickly gain their confidence within a few minutes…….an elevator pitch if you will. Luckily, I have been doing this for years and have confidence in my communication skills as well as my photographic skills but my subjects don’t know that. I need to convey to them that I will make them look good, that I will make them look good doing their job and that I can create a portrait of them better than any cellphone snap they have had in the past.
Within those few minutes we need to come up with a game plan for the scenario, I need to see the “what where when” of the environment and formulate my plan of attack to get the images. Of course there is a lot more talking in between frames and setups but the one thing I learned is to always be the first to open the dialogue and listen to what they tell you when you ask your questions.
It took me many years and many modifications to my communication technique and I am still modifying it today. Practice your elevator pitch, practice your communication skills because we utilize our customer service skills before we even touch our equipment. At the end of the session, when it is time to create the “looking at the camera” portrait, they have 100% confidence with what I am doing and I know I can create an image that they will have confidence in.
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