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More Time with Big Steel

On my second visit to the California Steel Industries plant, one of the walking furnaces was in operation which made for a truly awesome sight.  A huge door opened at about 5-10 minute intervals, and each time a  glowing 20 ton slab of steel was pushed out onto a massive conveyor which moved it into rollers that would squeeze it down to a more manageable size.  The noise was primally disorienting, as we made our way through the plant, passing over and under machines the size of buildings moving in a giant choreography unknown to me.  Of course, I had skilled quide who kept me out of danger, and my assignment wasn't to photograph the operations, but the men and women who build these massive machines.  The attached photo is an example.  Photos like these are challenging to pull off because there is no way to control the situation.  Challenges include: multiple lighting temperature sources, low available light, no way to stage personnel, and a dangerous environment.  Just the sort of situation I love.  This scene required a long exposure, fortunately, welders by nature of their vocation, are steady subjects.  With the use of mirror lockup, a two second timer, eyes in the back of my head, and a little luck, it all comes together.  Of course, as with wildlife photography, it helps to study your subject.  I watched the workers go through a few cycles of their craft, so I could predict the sequence, and time the shots occordingly.  At least this location doesn't include a face-full of biting flys.  I should be returning in about a month or two when the new furnace is running, which will make for some interesting photography.  Stay tuned.

Winging It

 

Often when a client hires me, they seem to have a clear idea of what they want from the shoot. When I arrive on the location this is rarely the case. Many times the client has no idea what to make of their everyday surroundings, and they are really hiring me for my imagination, and fresh eyes. I have the same problem. My travel photography is inspired by the immersion into a new landscape or culture. When I travel in the States I have a more difficult time with inspiration than when I leave it's borders.  Lame perhaps, but honest. Fortunately, for my clients when arriving at their location, I have the same feeling as when leaving the country. Whether it is a sewage treatment plant, testing facility, steel mill, or single family home, each place has a story to tell, and I enjoy finding it. The attached photo, is of a fiber optic testing facility. The client was concerned that facility was boring. Due to the nature, and scope of the shoot, as is often the case, I had to improvise on the fly. There was no possibility of making this photo in more controlled circumstances. The fibers (coiled in the foreground) were very delicate and could not be manipulated in any way other than a slight shuffling on the table. I used a very wide-angle lens to add drama and came up with an interesting shot in just a couple of minutes. The final version has a cleaner looking table, and a few other tweaks, but this gets the idea across.

I am looking forward to trying this sort of shot with the new Canon 17mm TS-E lens which arrived after months of waiting. It has been sold out for some time, and I look forward to finally testing it's lauded capabilities in the coming weeks.

Steel School

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph the installation of a new walking reheat furnace in California.  Everything in this facility is big, heavy, and ready to maim if you're not careful.  One of the things I enjoy about my career most is the exposure to a wide range of locations, vocations and personalities.  I have the opportunity to learn about much of the unnoticed structure that makes our way of life possible.  In this instance, I toured the inside of the furnace that will soon heat 20 ton slabs of steel to 2400ºF for the creation of more managable forms.  Photographing the complex structure is challenging, as the endless web of pipes gives many composition possibilities along with the difficulty of choosing the most effective one.  One of my favorite shots is the  accompanying photo of a welder working outside the furnace structure. With only dangerously bright available light, it took a few times to get the composition right. What started as an extra shot suggestion from the client, soon became one of my favorites of the shoot.

Aerial Photography Surprises

Although I have flown in helicopters many times over LA on assignment, I am still surprised by what we can fly over. The attached photo is by no means a great or even good example of photography, but it is taken right over LAX with active runways. My client who accompanied me on the flight was very surprised, and understandably nervous about it, but both of us were excited to have the priveledged view. We were flying at about 1500 feet, so the danger was minimal as planes are well under that on approach or takeoff, but still...! Fortunately, when we arrived in Santa Monica the sun peaked out for a few minutes during our shoot and the resulting photos turned out much better than this example. On the way back, we ducked down to 300 feet, and flew under the end of runnway. I had my video camera ready if a plane took off over us, but no luck. Maybe next time.

Food for Thought

Occasionally, (quite often really) I'm asked to photograph things well outside my known specialties, and unless it's a head shot, or wedding I'm often game. This time a client originally hired me to shoot a location, but as often happens, they added a few elements, and before I knew it, we had three shoots in one day. The  well known chef insisted that the actual food be       photographed which provided some logistical challenges.  It might surprise many that the food you see in photos for advertising is rarely edible to anything but exotic bacteria. This presented a huge challenge as food photography is a notoriously fussy endeavor. Fortunately, the chef I worked with was very good at presentation, and we pulled it off in a working restaurant during lunch! Obviously, this required a bit of prep. I setup a model studio a few days before, and worked out the lighting ratios, angles etc. The food was just one aspect of the shoot, and it was difficult to concentrate with plate after plate arriving to tempt me, but once I'm working I rarely break to eat until the work is done. Once in the creative mode, its all about getting results. Thankfully, they fed me a fantastic meal that night before I started desolving my own body. Attached are a few of the outtakes. Three food groups are represented; salad, sandwich, and chocolate.

An Afternoon in Casco Viejo

Just a quick note from our first day in Panama.  We spent the afternoon strolling the streets of Casco Viejo (old town Panama City,) photographing the endless avenues and sidestreets.  An afternoon shower forced us inside for an hour, but compensation was provided by a few bottles of Balboa, and music in the plaza.  Switching between video and still photography is a challenge, and I invariably have the wrong tool for the job at any given moment, but I got some great shots, and hopefully, a bit of interesting video.  Thankfully, I have a very patient wife who is always willing to help.  If she isn't used to this after ten years of travel she never will be. We are off next to the Panama Canal, and then the Mountain area of El Valle.