Fall2013 A#4 Corporate Industrial Photography

                                            ISO 800 , f/4.5 , 1/125th

The way I see it

If I was the owner of a business and I asked a photographer to take some pictures of my factory for a brochure or some kind of promo, I would like him to show me in his work that my plant is clean, efficient and well lit, that my equipments are modern and in top conditions and that my employees are smart and competent. The first thing that I did when I entered the machine shop was to try to find a way to shoot into a corner. It didn’t matter if the room was big or not. Shooting into a corner creates some spacial references and makes any interior look good. Even better there was a machine with lots of knobs and colorful yellow parts at a perfect angle for what I was trying to execute. Another element is the verticals; they have to be straight in this type of picture. I was impressed by the student that posed for me. Carl turned out to be quite a brilliant young man. He explained to me the functions of the machine and he told me that he would prefer if possible to be captured operating the mechanism rather than standing in front of it. I agreed with that. I set up the lights like in my diagram and the result was I think a well balanced shot. See below for a five photos essay on a Rudyard Kipling poem.

The Secret of the Machines

                              We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine,  

                                 We were melted in the furnace and the pit—  

 We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,  

                         We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit. 

                                       Some water and oil is all we ask,

                               And a thousandth of an inch to give us play:   

                                       
                                   And now, if you will set us to our task,

                            We will serve you four and twenty hours a day!

                              But remember, please, the Law by which we live,  

                                     We are not built to comprehend a lie,

                                   We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.

                                   If you make a slip in handling us you die!   

                                   

                               We are greater than the Peoples or the Kings—

                                 Be humble, as you crawl beneath our rods!-

                                     Our touch can alter all created things,

                             We are everything on earth—except The Gods!

  BY RUDYARD KIPLING

Fall2013_A#4 Corporate Industrial

Fall2013_A#4 Corporate Industrial

Pre Production Questionnaire

1. What type of available lighting will you be encountering?  Being in a second floor basement there is no windows and therefore no natural light. This is not an old factory, the place is well lit. The lights are high enough and are evenly spread. There is no dark area or corners.

        

2. What is your intention in terms of how you plan to use the available light, how will you be addressing the Color Balance for this mixed light situation?  It’s a florescent light situation. I will use a green gel on the flash.

3. What is the reason for your lens choice? (Do you want the compression of a long lens or the exaggerated perspective of a wide angle, fixed focal length or zoom)?  I would like to be able to show the ambiance of the place while concentrating on the man and the machine. So a long lens with a zoom should be good.

     

4. What words would you use to describe the Visual Style you are looking to create in this image? An Industrial photograph that could finds itself in a company pamphlet or brochure.

5. What aperture do you plan to use and why?

6. What shutter speed to you plan to use and why?

7. What ISO do you plan to use?     I already tested my lighting at ISO800, F/4.2 and 125sec. F/4 is the lowest I could go with the lens I had at the demo and I manage to get an evenly lit image with these settings.

8. Are there any technical problems that will need to be addressed at the shoot or any steps you feel will be needed in post-production?  The place could be cramped, so there could be some changes in the angles of view. There could be some post or equipment in the way to block the strobes lights. Lighting equipments from other students could be visible in the background.

9. What equipment you will need for the shoot?  2 strobe lights, one main and one fill. One softbox and one umbrella. Camera, light stands, grey card, light meter. I will also bring some gobos and accessories.

10. Who will be your subject and how will they be represented?  A student will be represented as operating the machinery.

Fall2013_A#4 Corporate Industrial Research Photos

Fall 2013_A#3 Food Industry Photography.