Industrial Photography – Behind the Scenes with Polymers

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio - Worker inspecting clear polymer pump cover

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.Vincent Van Gogh

They’re everywhere. And they’re often invisible.

We’re talking about polymers. Manufacturers use these natural or synthetic substances to create  thousands of products, including small parts essential to the function of big products. Polymers are in everything from cars to artificial joints to pool pumps. 

Clients often call us when they need to show their polymer capabilities to potential buyers. As experienced industrial photographers, we’re often shooting on the manufacturing floor and these assignments never fail to fascinate.

Our goal?  Create visually exciting photos that help build our clients’ businesses.  

Our images reveal the expertise of the people doing the work.  From the beginning stage of polymers in pellet form, ready to be shipped in 1,000-pound bags….

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio - Worker inspecting polymer pellets

or melted into barrels….

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio - Worker watching melted polymer in barrel

or to be manufactured into something new.

We’ve captured every step of the process, from production of polymers themselves, to products made with polymers, to tests on the results.  

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio - Worker in quality control of paper coating lab
Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio – Worker in quality control of paper coating lab

Though we aren’t manufacturers, we appreciate the complexity of what manufacturers do.  Our curiosity can help us see visual opportunities that others might miss.

On any industrial shoot, we take time to understand the process we’re witnessing. That deep interest is essential to capturing meaningful photos. It’s the difference between grabbing a snapshot versus crafting an image. 

We’ve photographed everything from sweeping panoramas of manufacturing floors to workers with sharp eyes on the inspection line.  

From checking coated paper to be used in brochures, stickers and other applications….

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio - Worker inspecting coating in paper plant

to studying a sheet for any imperfections, as no detail goes unnoticed.

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography Portfolio - Worker checking paper roll in paper plant

Our process begins with conversations about a client’s goals and creating a preferred shot list.  On site, we make discoveries and capture unexpected images to fulfill the client’s vision.

We’re grateful to have received referrals from industrial clients. Every manufacturing job deepens our knowledge and respect for the field.  It’s fascinating to learn how clients are solving problems for their customers.

Click here to see more of our commercial industrial photography portfolio. And give a little thanks today for polymers that make our lives easier.

More later…

Michael

From Brand Confusion to Organized Photo Library

“It’s not about creating an object. It’s about creating a perspective.”  Albert Paley, American Metal Sculptor, (1944-)

Every marketing director and ad agency has been there. 

Michael LoBiondo Photography - Yard supervisor reviewing in-house equipment

You’ve got a great opportunity to promote your brand. You need the right image, right away. But it just isn’t in your photo files.

That’s one reason why clients ask us to create a photo library for their brand.

Michael LoBiondo Photography Industrial Photography: Setting of safety cone - checking equipment

A photo library expresses, image after image, what your brand is all about.  Having a photo library makes your life easier because it conveys your message in a consistent way. Having your media shot by a professional photographer means that the images are high-resolution and thoughtfully composed, allowing them the versatility of both print and digital.

The custom images belong together and feel right in every marketing application. You can quickly find a great shot for any need.

Corporate photography of security expert with branded car on location

Ads. Company website. Social media posts. Marketing collateral. Banners and trade show booths. Catalogs. Even photos on the sides of trucks.

Corporate photography of security company operation call center with employees on location

It takes organization and care to shoot a great photo library, with scouting to identify and plan the most visual shots.

We fulfill the shot list and also suggest fresh possibilities in the moment. 

Our goal is to translate your brand message into a cohesive set of images depicting your products, services and people. 

To show what you can’t say in words alone.

Corporate photography of security expert on location at a construction site with crane

Forget frantic hours searching through a mishmash of old photos that are dated or just…meh.  There’s a better way. 

See our examples of an industrial photo librarycorporate photo library, and healthcare photo library or contact us for inspiration.

We can see your gears turning!  Ours are, too. 

Stay creative….

ML

In The Factory & On The Rooftop

“The cause is hidden. The effect is visible to all” Ovid

An in-house corporate marketing team for a major manufacturer called us with exactly the kind of challenge we relish as industrial photographers.

This company manufactures and installs air handling systems for huge enterprises, from pharmaceutical and car manufacturers to warehouses, universities, and hospitals. But their photo gallery was dated and didn’t portray the diversity of their modern workforce.

Michael LoBiondo Photography - Environmental portrait of worker on location

The client also needed to show the complex processes involved in creating HVAC systems that keep everyone comfortable and productive in a building that might be a million square feet. 

We aimed to reveal all the capabilities of this dynamic company in compelling industrial images of welding, manufacturing, installation and more.  From a pump installation in a unit before it arrives at the customer’s building…

Michael LoBiondo Industrial Photography - Worker connecting pump

…to positioning water piping on site at a customer’s location.

Michael LoBiondo Photography - Worker installing cooling pipe for HVAC

From shots that make you feel as if you’re immersed in the action – in this case, grinding raw metal…

Michael LoBiondo Photography - welding metal for rooftop unit

to portraits that convey their professionals’ authority, knowledge and experience.

Michael LoBiondo Photography - Environmental portrait of worker on location

After discussing goals for this shoot with our client and scouting various locations, we developed an advance shot list. But we also observed what was happening at their location over two days to identify how to represent the client’s work in the most visual way.

There was careful planning and improvisation. Thinking through composition, lighting, and color, while keeping safety a focus. A lot of thoughtfulness and, we hope, a little magic in the results.

Click here to see more of our commercial industrial photography portfolio, and learn more about our philosophy on using images to capture the attention of prospects and customers.

Michael LoBiondo Photography - Workers on rooftop installing HVAC unit

The public never sees this client’s work.  It’s behind the walls, in the ceiling, on the rooftop.

Stay Creative,

ML

Create Compelling Stories – Artistic Demolition

“Creativity doesn’t wait for the perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”

Bruce Garrabrandt

Demolishing a building might seem like a straightforward process. Give a structure some good blows with the right equipment and it will succumb, right?

But the real story is more intriguing and complex. The demolition team plans its moves carefully, because first, last, and in between comes safety.

Industrial Photography - Worker cutting metal tank

Some steps, outsiders wouldn’t expect. Check out the spray of sparks as a welder cuts a metal tank into manageable chunks, ready for recycling, before any walls come down.

There’s a certain artistry required to get the job done right. And people who take pride in their ability to do what they do, such as taking apart what needs to be taken apart.

As photographers, we help clients reveal the compelling hidden stories of the workplace. We help you tell your story, anywhere and everywhere.

An industrial site. A factory. A hospital. A corporate boardroom.

What’s your story that no one knows?

Industrial Photography - Worker on demolition site

To Build Up, You Have To Dig A Ditch First

Some jobs build up. They start with concrete, steel girders, plans in pencil and ink. Pieces get put together slowly, brick by brick, bolt by bolt. Then they reach up to the sky.

A guy digging a ditch - industrial location photography
Michael LoBiondo Photography – A guy digging a ditch – industrial location photography

Some jobs dig down, through the red clay. They move water and material. Things get put in the ground then covered up like they were never there, doing their work as an afterthought. After a while, no one notices there ever was a hole in the ground.

Sometimes we’re up on a ladder, sometimes, down in a ditch. Isn’t there a joke “A guy was digging a ditch…”

More later…

Up and Running

Up and running is a thing again and safety protocols for photo production are more important than ever right now.

Getting back to work on location means careful planning, careful timing, careful everything. 

Manufacturing worker pushing metal piece across floor in plant

We’re open and on the road again in companies, in manufacturing sites, and even in healthcare settings and pharmaceutical labs that are ready for photography on location.

Traveling in a small, tight crew to keep everyone safe and our footprint nimble is making this possible.

Healthcare Photography - Portrait of doctor in clinical treatment center

What’s it look like?  PPE on crew, of course, and distancing. Lots of sanitizer.  And extra care with planning and adjusting shot lists to meet each client’s current safety protocols, each state’s guidelines, and every client’s current visual message. 

And GPS, of course.

Let us know how we can help get your plans up and running again.

More later.

ML

Here’s To The Women Who Work Through Lunch!

You might think that our industrial and manufacturing photography is dominated by men, and largely it is. But there are many women working in the blue collar arena, gettin’ dirty just like the guys…

women-industrial-manufacturing-lobiondophotography

 

Rosie the Riveter comes in many forms.

 

More Later…ML

Through The Looking Glass

The problem with shooting glass is the glass can act like a mirror; it  sees everything in the background, plus all of my production lights and sometimes me, behind the camera.

The cool thing about shooting glass is it can create fabulous reflections of your subject. It’s all a matter of angle or “perspective,” as I like to say.

industrial | North Carolina plant | glass | LoBiondo Photography| reflections

industrial | North Carolina plant | glass | LoBiondo Photography| reflections

 

This client makes glass windshields for trucks and huge window panels for skyscrapers.  Both production locations afforded the opportunity to play off of the reflections of the surroundings and of the people working in the plant.

industrial | North Carolina plant | glass | LoBiondo Photography| reflections

industrial | North Carolina plant | glass | LoBiondo Photography| reflections

 

We also got to photograph glass processes in a large plant in Texas where, as you know, everything is bigger (big plant, big sky, etc, etc!!)

industrial | texas plant | glass | LoBiondo Photography| reflections

More later…

ML

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Adding Dynamic Color – Industrial Location Photography

industrial-location-photography-technical-measurement_blue

Blue filter added to background light during shooting

When I get to a location, I like to look around where I am and get a “feel” for the space and the people working there.  Then the question becomes, how can I enhance it?  On this location shoot, I wanted to add interest to a shot that was…ok, but needed a little a punch.  All right, a lot of punch.  Blue was a logical choice because of the company shirts.  I added a blue gel to the lights I was using.  This can’t be done after in post.

The color you add has to make sense, can’t conflict with the subject, and above all, can’t send the wrong message.  Red for instance, would have been like an emergency room!!  The original, more traditional lighting is below and it’s not bad, but the top one with the gels makes a much more emotional impact.  What do you think?

industrial-location-technical-measurement

Photography by Michael LoBiondo specializing in people, corporate, industrial and advertising.

More later…ML

Chemical Industrial Shoot

industrial-portrait-location-lab-worker-environment

This project involved mixed lighting and both interiors and exteriors. They had just finished a major upgrade so all the spaces were very clean.  This helps because you don’t spend a lot of time trying to hide backgrounds, trash, and other things.

industrial-portrait-location-technical-worker-environment

We also had both hands on work and lots of technical items to punctuate the high-tech lab environment.

industrial-portrait-location-electric-worker-environment

 

industrial-portrait-location-welding-worker-environment

 

industrial-portrait-location-pump-worker-environment

So we ended with some great imagery accentuated with lots of color.

More later…ML