Women In Mining
Today I had the chance to mix business with pleasure as I found myself on a shoot with my good friend Gen. She’s fresh into the industry so I figured she might as well start of right with a new portrait.

Today I had the chance to mix business with pleasure as I found myself on a shoot with my good friend Gen. She’s fresh into the industry so I figured she might as well start of right with a new portrait.

Underground is dank, dirty and dark. For those that work in this environment you know what I mean. It’s a harsh environment to begin with and using electronics has it’s own pitfalls. Camera & lighting equipment take a beating!!! In some places it’s like a constant dust storm. You can see the dust particles reflecting in the light from your helmet lamp, creeping their way into all the little nooks and crannies of your camera and lenses. Other places its’ humid & wet with rain dropping on you from above soaking your clothes and gear. Then there is the soup (as I would like to call it). That pancake batter like mud that once it’s on it doesn’t come off. You can try wiping it clean, but all it does is move around like a living organism trying at all costs to avoid the human contact. Once it dries it’s like a zombie horror movie. Flakes fall off here and there and every time you look at it your disgusted. Yes. Some lights will never be the same.

I love the opportunities that I get when I can photograph the hard working individuals behind the scenes. It sometimes takes a bit of convincing that the portrait is not going to look like a quick snap with an iphone but something that he/she can show their family and friends. Talking to some of these individuals I learned that some have never had a picture taken of them at work. Why not show your spouse, your kids what you do? When I get a shot I’m happy with I gladly show them the image on the back of my camera and it’s great to see their smile on their face while getting a comment like “wow, that is nice!!! Thank you so much!”

This Gradall Excavator equipped with a hydraulic hammer chips away at the buildup on the mouth of the converter.

As I was waiting to take my next shot I figured it would be the best opportunity to grab a quick selfie.

Yup, here’s me trying out some new digs to go with my gear. I’m sportin Jannatec’s Johnny Light and am fixin (ya I said that) to get one for myself. I also got to play around with several other Jannatec products that I think will change the safety game by leaps and bounds.

This is the new control room for Totten Mine in Northern Ontario. It looks extremely sophisticated and complex, but I bet you could play a mean game of Call Of Duty on it.

You can read more about the Totten Mine Project in the latest edition of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal
An Atlas Copco representative goes over the head assembly with a diamond driller inside the coreshack. The new Excore head assembly is designed to reduce inventory with its ability to convert from a surface system to a pump-in system for drillers who work in both surface and underground operations.
A diamond driller changes out the bit to be replaced with a new one. Choosing the correct bit for the type of rock being drilled is key to optimum performance of the bit.

On a recent photoshoot with Atlas Copco I was handed “The Professional Diamond Driller” handbook. It featured images I have created for them over the years. A lot of the times when I create custom mining photography for my clients I do not always see the end result in how the images are used so I am always a bit intrigued when I come across these publications.
If you wish to start a dialogue and discuss your project simply contact me via phone, email or my contact form.