Location Photography
Every picture tells a story. That's what Rod Stewart said. For this project, my client wanted a story about the people who develop and manufacture the product. It could have been about the manufacturing process or about the product. We spent the day shooting and encountered lots of remarkable people. Let me know what you think!
Not a portrait of the environment, nor the "Environment" as in climate change. Instead, a portrait of someone in their environment. Perhaps including things in the background that tell you a little something about the subject. Maybe this person works in a trendy office, lab, factory, or plays the guitar. Let me know what you think.
I like shooting portraits on location. Getting people in their own environment. In some ways, it's easier to see someone's soul when they are on their home turf. This day I was photographing some exceptional women who were being recognized for there work. I enjoy the excitement of pulling together the location/background, the lighting, and posing until everything works. Or at least I think it does. What do you think? 
Shooting on location is often full of surprises. You’re never sure what you'll find when you get there, even if there has been a lot of pre-production. Often there is not. I enjoy the challenge of pulling a photograph together on the spot. Fortunately, this client had prepared well and knew what they needed. This makes it easier for me to make better photographs. I am in awe of the amount of coordination required for a factory to function smoothly. It was like watching a dance. I am lucky to be able to illustrate it with photography.
I had a project earlier this year photographing in a factory that produced Bush Hogs, among other things. Everything seemed to flow through the factory as if in a choreographed dance. It was a busy day. We had to wear shoes with metatarsal protection because of all the heavy things moving around in the plant. We were busy and made quite a few photographs. I am always interested in your thoughts.
3D printing is the future. I got a little glimpse of It recently while shooting at an Ann Arbor firm that does 3D printing. I photographed their process and final products. They print in plastic and metal. It’s absolutely fascinating; a little like science fiction. One of the favorite things about my job is the peek into compelling worlds that I would never otherwise see. Let me know what you think!
Location Photography has its share of challenges. There are lots of things you cannot control, weather large among them. On this day it was snowing and below freezing all day. We persisted and ended up with lots of good photography—the result of a great client and crew. Let me know what you think. 
You’ve gotta lift those really heavy parts with something! This is the smaller of the two that we shot the other day. I was attracted to the yellow I beam this one moves on. We created a studio in the plant where they build these, which, funnily enough, included another crane to move this one into position for a photograph. I love variety of my photographic life!
As I said before, I mostly shoot products and things. When I had the opportunity to shoot the Renaissance Center security officers, I jumped it. Location Photography requires thinking on your feet, and going with the flow. Working around the things that you cannot change, and working with the things that you can. I had phenomenal cooperation from everyone on the shoot day. As always, I’m interested in your thoughts.
Unexpected things are a constant when shooting on location. Some of those things are good, or great, but, there are also the unwelcome surprises too. The trick is to roll with the moment. Accept the positive, and roll the not so positive things over to the positive side. As it happens, this shoot went quite smoothly. I am always interested in your thoughts.
Model-7500
Dave and I recently finished a shoot for Raymond. The project included shooting in the studio (Tom) and on location in a warehouse (Dave). The project included video as well, so we had to coordinate closely with the video crew to make everything work smoothly. We had two excellent models from Productions Plus. Thanks to terrific clients, organized pre-production and teamwork, the shoot came off smoothly!