My first industrial photoshoot (Part 1)
Taking on the challenge
Challenges come in many forms and even though I am not one to shy away from a challenge, this time I really thought I met my match. It was on my arrival at the Lucoma’s manufacturing site in Thun. Fresh from getting off the plane and then the train, I walked down the stairs to be greeted by a real factory floor. We had a brief meeting in the office and in my head I still had all the information from the email and whatsapp correspondence of the past weeks. I was so confident that I would be able to do this photoshoot until I was about half-way down the stairs. There it was: The factory floor. From this point on the stairs, I had an overall view of what a manufacturing workspace looks like. I thought to myself: “Just breathe, Petra. Breathe and be the actress you’ve always dreamt of being”. I was breathing all right, but not the slow and calm kind. The acting part, where I pretended not to be phased at all, was great, even if I have to say so myself. Surely my performance from halfway down the stairs to the last step was worth an award.(Just a note to Hollywood). Inside my head I was in flight mode but considering that I was wearing boots with heels, I realised I won’t make it over the Swiss Alps back to Vienna.
By the time I walked past the first few machines, I could make the switch in my head. The whole manufacturing floor now became bits and pieces of the puzzle. I began to see the beauty of all these machines and all the photo possibilities. From a state of sheer panic, I changed into a ball of excitement.
My interest in manufacturing, tools and machinery
I have always been fascinated by tools and machinery, construction, building and any kind of manufacturing. As a young girl I used to play in my grand father’s carpentry workshop at the back of the garden. In the very messy workshop were bottles of screws and bolts and any type off hand tool you could imagine. I would have spent hours there with my brother, and grandfather allowed us to use any tool that would have been safe for us to use at that age.
My father on the other hand was in the electrical business and there, I had the exposure to wiring, electrical components of radios and televisions. Those were the times when things still got repaired and this was part of my dad’s job in his business. I always thought the transistors, circuit boards and wires inside the radios and televisions were little pieces of art and for me something quite beautiful I grew up with these sorts of things and maybe therefore I could make the quick switch from panic to excitement.
A wonderful experience on the factory floor
The two days on the manufacturing floor, meeting the lovey people who work there and take so much pride in what they do was a real positive experience. I had to think on my feet and work around men at work. I saw the beauty in machines and tools and I leant how each person were connected very much with what they were doing.
Here are some of the pictures of my first industrial photoshoot:
Behind the scenes shot. (With mobile phone)
Behind the scenes
As I am a beginner when it comes to Industrial photography, I have mad a list of some of the more experiences and great photographers in this field.
Timo Lutz
Business and industrial photography - Germany
Patrick Zasada
Your personal Photographer for technical and creative images, company reports, brochures and marketing. Based in Germany and Europe wide photographic coverage of our industrial machinery, plant and architectural photography services, including commercial buildings, factories, offices and detail shoots of people and employed workers.
https://www.architekturfotografie-frankfurt.com/
Michael Molloy
Industrial photographer for technical and creative images. Located in East London and working throughout the UK, Mike's photographs are used for company reports, brochures and advertising
https://michaelmolloy.co.uk/industrial-photography.html
Chris Henderson
Chris Henderson is an industrial photographer creating image content for business. With a client roster of international banks, commodities, manufacturing and construction companies.
www.chrishenderson.photography
Studio 17
Studio 17 is a Commercial and Industrial Photography Services based in the West Midlands who provides a full photographic service to Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and the surrounding areas.