While casting molten metal is a very old (not to mention dangerous!) trade, I was amazed at how precise and intricate the castings were. My client also had a CNC machining facility which allowed them to add other components and drill holes and threads to create finished products. It was fascinating to see what could be done with a load of scrap iron - given the right handling.
This assignment was quite tricky as not only was I was working in a very hot, noisy and potentially dangerous environment, the lighting was challenging as it was very dark inside the foundry. I had to set up portable lighting equipment, but I had to be very careful not to cause a trip hazard, so all lights had to be battery-powered. This also enabled me to work at a faster pace as each shot was quicker to set up than it would have been using my studio flash units.
In addition to photographing the staff at work, I set up my mobile studio in a separate room with a white background and studio lighting in order to take some product photos. I also took some staff portraits while I was there, so many different photographic techniques were needed for this job.
Finally, I had to photograph a 1/5th scale bronze cast model of a Spitfire. It was an incredibly detailed model, which included the pilot and all the instruments on his instrument panel in the cockpit.
My client wanted a photograph of the Spitfire against a plain white background, but they also wanted to show the scale of the model. The model was situated in a busy office, surrounded by desks and it was too big and heavy to move into a separate room, so I had to set up my lights around people working at their desks. We still had to move the Spitfire slightly to get it in the right position to photograph it and it was so heavy that it took six men to move it! I put up a white background behind it and extended it right up to the ceiling, but as the Spitfire's right wing reached right up to the ceiling and being a couple of feet in front the background, the background paper was still too low even though it was physically impossible to raise it any higher. The only option was to extend the background in Photoshop after the shoot. Also, as the model was so heavy and awkward to lift, we couldn't lift it high enough to get my background paper underneath without tearing it, creasing it, or making it dirty, so the only option was to cut the paper around the base of its stand. Again, the cut edges had to be retouched after the shoot. Here is one of the shots before the retouching:
The photo below is the retouched shot of the Spitfire. I have also added the shadow of a man next to the model, to give it a sense of scale. All in a day's (or several days') work!
N.B. This blog covers just the PR, commercial, corporate editorial, architectural and aerial photography and videography side of my business. Please see my Reportage Wedding Photography Blog for up-to-date news about the wedding and portrait side of my business.
