Industrial Photography of Drilling Operation
Drone flythrough of industrial photography assignment for drilling company.
A regular client of mine, ABC Drilling, asks me to make industrial photographs of their drilling operations all over Southern California. These industrial assignments are the most meaningful jobs for me because the job is always about the people who toil for their families. The Drilling operators often work under extreme weather conditions when it is hot and shitty cold cold and wet. The work is physically demanding, dangerous, and unforgiving, yet they endure. Their labor is noble.
Originally, I would just shoot still pictures but I started using these assignments to do drone fly-through videos close to my subjects to create dynamic visualizations of the operations. I realized that I had something with great potential here.
This would allow me to fly through workspaces and structures and see specific industrial operations in progress my client was interested in showing. Eventually, the workers did not even notice that the drone was in operation allowing me to get industrial footage without choreographing anything.
As an industrial photographer in Los Angeles, I need to stay on the cutting edge of technology to remain ahead of my competition, so the drone is a great addition to my camera gear. I bring production lighting only inside factories where I can control the environment and have assistants to help with the lighting; otherwise, for these outdoor gigs, I always have a finite time to get the photographs I need, so I need to be self-contained and work quickly. I bring just two Nikon Z9s, two lenses, speed lights, and drones because I need to be nimble and responsive to moving machinery typical of construction projects.
Safety is always in the back of my mind in industrial settings, so I wear steel-toed boots, gloves, a safety vest, glasses, and a hat for the sun. It can be hot and shitty so having water and electrolytes is important to stay healthy.
If I photograph someone without the proper safety clothing, the images are not usable. My clients know that I will be mindful of OSHA regulations and ask people to add safety gear when I am photographing them.
