There is no end to the variety of parts used to build machines. Cylinders are used in machines to build machines, and in consumer products. To be fair, I’ve no Idea what kind of cylinder this is. It could be an air cylinder, but I suspect that it is hydraulic. I photographed it on a white background, then outlined it, and put it on the green handmade paper. Let me know what you think.
Photographing anything shiny is a kick! Finely machined aerospace parts fit the bill. You wouldn’t think Detroit for aerospace, but in the last year I’ve done work for several aerospace companies. I’m guessing that there is a lot of talent here honed making automotive parts. It’s fun shooting them, wherever they end up.
They're not jewelry, they're far more functional. The only outward similarity is that they're shiny metal. They nonetheless, feel kinda like jewelry, or at least that’s one of my goals. Despite the need for rigorous functionality they are surprisingly beautiful objects. Whatever their purpose, they're fun to shoot. As always I am interested in your thoughts and comments.
Circles are delightful design elements. The fact that these are functional is a bonus. The trick to images like this one is to make it feel like you just grabbed a snapshot of some parts in a barrel. The reality is quite different: cleaning tiny parts, moving them around with tweezers and carefully adjusting the lighting takes hours.
Product photography is a ceaseless joy in my life. I just really enjoy doing it. You would think that photographing wine bottles would be more fun than industrial parts… It really depends on the industrial part. Still, shooting this project was fun as well as challenging and rewarding. Finessing the lighting and bringing life to all of the disparate textures and shapes. The most challenging part of the shot was the highlights – I had to play with them a little to get the contrast I wanted, but I think it turned out well. Let me know what you think.
I love shooting cars. Day-to-day I shoot everything from massive aerospace tools to tiny fasteners, but photographing this Ford GT was a treat. Using a light painting technique we walked around the car shining a light at it while the shutter was open. After seeing the results we would alter how fast we walked, where we held the light and where we pointed it until we had a dynamically lit image.Lighting is crucial for every photo and this car is no exception. These are the kind of jobs that get me excited forty years into this business. As always I look forward to your thoughts.
There are thousands of parts in every car. These photographs are of parts from a major automotive supplier. The immediate use of these of photographs is to decorate their offices, but I’m sure they’ll find other uses for them too. The parts have an intrinsic beauty that is undeniable. My goal was to keep it simple, and let the lines, shapes and textures speak for themselves.
Automotive parts are really important around Detroit. Statuesque is what I was going for. Big. Important. Grand. This part is cutaway so we can see inside. I like shooting industrial parts. You can see them for their functionality or you can see them as circles, rods or trapezoids; light and shadow giving them volume and shape. My job as a commercial photographer is to transform my client’s vision into a photograph, that is visually impressive and tells a story. As always let me know what you think.
Where would we be without filters! Filters are one of those hidden things without which nothing would work. Nearly everything is filtered, like gas, hydraulic fluid, water, oil, and that's only in a car. We were making a banner for a website, so the goal was to be about filters, but also to be a little dramatic to catch your eye.
I shot this Ford GT a couple of weeks ago using a technique called light painting. Basically, we just walk around the car shining a light at it. There is a lot of trial and error, as well as a fair bit of serendipity. Frankly, it would be difficult to get a really bad photograph of this amazing car. It has a tricked out 800 horse power engine, custom wheels, bumper kit and an awesome paint job. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Jet engines actually, not rockets, but rocket sounds better. I have no idea what these do, but it doesn’t really matter. Unless I’m riding in the plane. The important bit is in front, and in focus. My client was looking for an interesting image for their website. They cropped it differently, and it told the story they were after. I’m interested in your thoughts and comments.
Detroit Commercial Photographer Tom Kirby
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.
The science of automotive paint is stunningly complex. This car only has an “E coat”; it’s the initial coat of paint. It’s a process not unlike electroplating, where the paint is attracted to the metal by an electronic charge. The upshot is that the paint gets onto all of the surfaces of the body including all the inaccessible little nooks and crannies. This, among other things, is why our cars last longer than they used to. My job of course, is make an interesting and compelling photograph for use in an ad. Let me know what you think.
Telepresence, a concept from science fiction is here! Well, not a Princess Leia 3D hologram.This one is made by Suitable Technologies. It’s a beautiful product, making my job a little easier. We shot all day and ended up with some very nice photographs. (If I don’t say so myself!) There is another image on the Blue Sky Photography, Inc. blog and a little further down in this blog. Let me know what you think!
I really enjoy shooting in the studio. On this day, we had a great team. The client, models, stylist and I were all working well together. Fortunately the studio is large enough the there was no problem pulling in a large truck. Then it was a matter of staging the scenarios that told the client’s story. Working together we made photographs that pleased the client. As always your thoughts and comments are welcome.
This is another in the series I photographed of a Charger Hellcat. Black cars can be tricky to shoot because of the conflict between needing to be gray and needing to look black. And it needs to look shiny too! Too light, and it doesn't look black. Too dark and you cannot see the shape or detail. Let me know what you think.
This is another in the series of photographs of the Custom Charger Hellcat. My client wanted an extremely low angle from the front. It was necessary to raise the car onto apple boxes to get the camera low enough. The low angle and the flaring headlights add intensity. Let me know what you think.
I got to shoot a fully restored 1966 Shelby Mustang. Ok, it was a job, but it was a treat! This beautiful car had original tires, an original battery (it was just the case of course), tags from the dealership still on it. Let me know what you think.
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?
One of my favorite things about commercial photography is the peek I get into other worlds. In this case it’s the world of fasteners. Fasteners not only hold two things together, a complicated enough job by itself, but simplify, speed, and eliminate errors in production. Mostly I care about tonal values and textures, but as every photograph speaks, it’s important that it tells the right story. Let me know what you think!