Start small, think big. ~ Steve Jobs

We hit the road recently to photograph the manufacturing and fulfillment process for a client who creates bolts and other products that manufacturers use. This company creates bolts and other products that manufacturers use. 

With supply chain issues in the news, here’s a group of dedicated workers who are getting it done. Our photos tell that story for the company and the brand. 

Over two days, we captured images with motion, color, and authenticity. 

From workers spray-painting bolts and testing the bolt threads for accuracy to a wide shot of a warehouse, stocked with products ready for shipping.

Some people assume manufacturing photography or industrial product photography is always boring. We say…are you kidding?

We know it’s possible to bring artistry to a realm of dirty metal and messy paint. That artistry will help your clients connect with your brand and understand what you’re all about.

As Steve Jobs said, it’s all about focusing on the small things to make a big impact.

More Later…ML

“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….

or melted into barrels….

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.  

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….

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

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.

More later…

Michael

“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.

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…

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Stay Creative,

ML

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.

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.

Whether we’re up on a ladder or down in a ditch, on-site industrial photography captures the work that builds our world—and the work that keeps it running underground.