Automotive Parts

Detroit is synonymous with cars, Motor City, and Motown. What are cars made out of? Parts. So, what's a Detroit Photographer to do? Shoot parts. Some clients aren't asking much from photographs of their parts; others want good photography. They care about their parts, care about their image, and think good photography will help them sell more of their products. These are my kind of clients. Let me know what you think.

Handmade Car

Not long ago I had the pleasure of meeting Gerald and photographing his car. Gerald designed and built this car from scratch! It took 35 years. Just standing next to it is exciting; it's a beautiful car. Just getting it to the studio was a job! The car is so low that an ordinary flatbed truck or trailer would scrape the front end getting on or off the ramp. It took a while, but we got it to the studio for a day and a half of shooting. Let me know what you think.

Exploded View

Exploded views are often seen in assembly instructions, they serve as a visual representation of the relationship between the parts and the whole. In this case, some great clients that make automotive parts asked me to show the parts of their radiator assembly. We shot them individually in position and assembled them in post-production.

Drop Forged Parts

These parts are made for Harley motorcycles. They get machined in the next production step, which makes them shiny and more photogenic. Nonetheless, even at this stage they are way prettier than when they come out of the press. I like the perspective and texture. What do you think?

Old Tool

Back when this was made, a tool was something one used to get work done. Today it can have the same meaning, but it also has other meanings. I’m captivated to the shape, texture and color. It feels like it could have been in the hands of cranky old plumber with a magical connection to pipes. What do you think it’s story is?

A Wrench in the Works

That’s how I feel about plumbing. Is it really not leaking? Why is this thingie the wrong size? Rats, I’ve got to go back to the store again. No Fun! 

On the other hand low-key images with lots of texture make me smile. Either it’s a metaphor for midwest industry, or just a couple of old monkey wrenches. Regardless, I like the color and feel of the image. Let me know how you feel.

Carwash

Somebody has to make the brushes that clean your car at the carwash. We spent a day shooting a carwash door that moves up and down quickly to keep the heat in during the winter months, and some brushes. The door was beautiful, but I took a liking to the brushes. Red, graphic, and oddly organic looking, this one reminds me of a sea creature. All in all, it was a great day with a great client, excellent art direction and a stellar crew.

Robots!

We recently finished a project photographing the Litter-Robot 3 Connect in grey. It's always a pleasure to work with this company. It's a great crew and a great product – such a great product I gifted a Litter-Robot to my son and daughter-in-law for Christmas last year. The robot keeps their tiny Brooklyn apartment odor free. Their cats, Andie and Dosa, love to sit and watch it rotate!

Handmade

How to communicate hand-craftsmanship in a photograph? Hands! Specifically, the hands of the maker. I’ve been making photographs of Richard’s hands with his jewelry for over twenty years. I love the juxtaposition of his dirty working hands and the intricate shiny metal. The contrast between Richard’s dark hands and the bright jewelry makes the product pop. I’m always interested in your thoughts.

The Bottomless Toy Chest

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since the the last “No-Show Black Tie” fund raiser. The Bottomless Toy Chest delivers art projects, crafts and interactive games to hospitalized pediatric cancer patients. Toys are the subject again. It sorta fits. This is a Mr. Potato Head year. It was lots of fun playing toys and taking photos. We should all be heading over to The Bottomless Toy Chest do donate. Do it!

Shiny Tools

I love photographing shiny things. Kinda doesn't matter what it is. Cars, jewelry, industrial parts or tools, as long as it’s Shiny. I photographed this tap on a white background and put in the blue handmade paper in post production. I’m always interested in what you think.

Surgical Torque Wrench

Who knew surgeons used torque wrenches? I don’t think about it that much, but I guess it makes sense. Surgeons are sort of body mechanics. True, the stakes may be higher than a brake job on your car, but a bad brake job could be fatal too. Anyway, we spent the day working and collaborating with an excellent art director and ended up with a bunch of nice images and had a good time as well. Let me know what you think.

Medical Device Photography

Tall Order

They aren’t selling sandwiches, or bread, or meat. It’s just a photograph of a sandwich that has meat in it that uses their sausage casing. It’s been called a copy warmer. You can call it what you want, I call it Tasty! Let me know what you think.

Chicago Hot Dogs

Here in Detroit we have Coney dogs, Coney Island hot dogs. Like our neighbor to the North's dish of poutine, there is no pretense of health. I suppose you could argue hot dogs themselves are not all that healthy. But when you smother them in chili, mustard and onions you reach a new level. And, like doughnuts, bacon, and all unhealthy foods, they are delicious. Chicago Dogs on the other hand at least have the air of being healthy, with their vegetables, pickles, and the like. Lots of fun to shoot with a super client and crew.

Forktruck Industrial Photography

Without forktrucks, industry would grind to a halt. Since the early 20th century forktrucks have been the way things get moved around a warehouse, and trucks and railroad cars get loaded. Like everything else, technology has made them faster and safer. In my client’s case, industrial designers have made them easier to use and nicer to look at. My job is to find interesting angles and light that flatter the design. I am always interested in your thoughts and comments.

Sausage Photography

Go ahead, guess what this is. Stumped? It’s sausage casing! Really! I just love the things I shoot. I hope the affection comes through in the photographs. Photographers have been shooting circles for ages. Usually it’s pipe, maybe with a couple of people wearing hard hats in front. I was drawn to the the luminescence of the casing. Less and less light getting through to the lower tubes. I like finding beauty in unusual places.

Macro Industrial Photography

Photographing very small things can be challenging. The product in this photograph is an abrasive, but to be honest, I don’t know how it is used. I imagine that it’s similar to sand blasting. The largest of the stainless steel balls is about one millimeter in diameter. For comparison, a BB is about 4.5 millimeters in diameter. So these are pretty small. As always, I am interested in your thoughts and comments.

Detroit Commercial Photographer

Motown is a fantastic place to photograph the industrial truck. There are lots of names for this indispensable industrial workhorse: hi-lo, fork truck, forklift, lift truck. This is a relatively simple one. It was nonetheless a blast to shoot. Personally, I like the red and black together; it’s awesome! A great client and crew make it easier to take interesting pictures. I am interested in your thoughts and comments.

Artfully Ugly Industrial Parts

Detroit Industrial Photographer

Ugly might be a little harsh. They are a long way from beautiful. Unless perhaps you are looking exclusively from a practical point of view. They do what needs to be done. I had to make them look interesting; give them a little visual flair. I put them on the board we ordinarily put under the jack to protect the floor when we jack up a car. I added a little contrast, and a little  blue. What do you think?

Automotive Detail Photography

While the big picture is important, details are often more interesting. The 700 plus horsepower engine in this customized Dodge Challenger Hellcat is one of those details. Sometimes it’s a spoiler, or wheels. They are as much fun to shoot and arguably as important as the big picture. As always, I’m interested in your thoughts an comments.