Happy Monday Everyone
George Carlin said it best and I have repeated this many times over the last 20 years. “Hard work is working at a job you hate.”
Your hard work pays off at the end of the day when you are proud of the work you do. We will spend approximately 1/3 of our lifetime working and it could seem a lot longer if you don’t enjoy the journey.
Enjoy your week.
#miningphotog
That’s my goal when I create my images. I want to capture your attention for a split second at most. I want you to look at the image and have your brain say to you “well this is nice, let’s look at it a bit longer and appreciate the quality of it.”
There are so many factors that go into the images that need to be addressed in order to pull it off, especially underground. Is the shutter speed slow enough to capture ambient light? If so, is it fast enough so that the people are not blurred if they move slightly? Is the light direction at the proper angle to properly light the subjects? Composition so that the subjects are defined within the image. These are just a few out of a dozen factors I need to address in order to create the image………..usually within minutes. The end goal is to create an image that still looks natural, even though the natural image could never be captured.
Finally had a quick opportunity to photograph another (my second) Kiruna truck while I was at Coleman Mine just outside of Sudbury Ontario. The last time was one of my first visits to the site in 2011.
The bigger the better I always say! There is no denying that this Joy Global Haul truck has an “in your face” big box.
I am sure sometimes during the Winter months in Northern Ontario the heat from the furnace is a welcomed companion during the shift.
When the equipment breaks they work diligently and fast to get it back up and running. Underground or above sun or rain the pressure is always there to be as quick and efficient as possible.
I received a few messages in regards to my last post in regards to candid images while on site. Do I use lighting, do I stage them am I stopping production?. The answers are yes, no and no. Photographing weddings over the years (I stopped 6 years ago) hones ones skill in anticipating a moment. You look at the current scenario and visualize where the next moment will happen, so while on site if I do have lighting with me, I place my lighting where I think the “scene” is heading and anticipate the moment I wish to capture. Just a little bit of extra light can help fill in some shadows and draw the focus to the subject of the image.
We are almost done our first month of 2018 and most of us are back in the Captains chair restructuring, organizing and implementing new business strategies for the year. These next few months are filled with industry trade shows and conventions where companies will showcase their products, processes and fabrications to wide eyed prospectors and investors. This is where I come in. A well executed image in your trade show booth and marketing materials can increase engagement from your prospects. Just google “why you should include images in your marketing materials” and browse a few websites. My clients know the value of custom photography. Photographing their employees and equipment instead of using stock images solidifies the confidence that the company believes in their products and people which is why I do what I do. Like the below image I created while on assignment for www.macleanengineering.com . It was a great day underground where I got the chance to create some great portraits and high impact images which Maclean still uses in their marketing force including their website, twitter and linkedin media.
Just because it’s -32 degrees Celsius outside doesn’t mean we get a day off from doing our jobs. The core samples don’t stack themselves nor do they care what temperature it is. Photographing on site in the cold Winter months does have it’s challenges. Equipment freezes up, batteries drain faster, and fingers go numb. In the Summer months when I am underground at +32 degrees I wish I was topside and in the Winter months on days like today I wish I was underground enjoying the warm humid stale air. In the end though it’s all about getting the job done and being prepared for what the environment has in store that day. We look at the bright side here in Northern Ontario, the 4 seasons always have beauty for us to see, even if our eyeballs are frozen in their sockets.
As the sun was high over the rim emphasizing the shadows of the clouds I thought it was the perfect opportunity to create a portrait of our lead rep on the project. It was the least I could do since he was at our sides the whole time, organizing location, people and procedures for us while we were on and off site. All the ingredients were there for something visual in what most might deem a very mundane environment but to me I see “impact” all around me. I stole a few minutes to find the right angle for a background that wasn’t too distracting but added to the story of the main subject even though I knew the green of Brads jacket will always bring the viewers attention back to him.
