twosummers wrote:
Wow! thank you all for your invaluable advice. As always I'm pointed in the right direction. The PMs are very helpful too for which I am especially grateful. I will head out before the designated date and have a chat with the project manager on-site and representatives of the sub-contractors who are to be included.
Clearly room for more creativity than the routine real-estate work and the rewards are potentially much improved. I will take some test shots with and without people and with a variety of lenses. The magazine has asked for TIFF files or RAW and they have specified that I assign the copyright to them which is understandable.
They have asked for sufficient definition for a double page A4 spread so I will just send them the maximum file size my camera can produce (35mp).
I have been contacted by a local UHH member who is an architect and he has offered to come along with me on the formal shoot.
Thanks again UHH for stepping up to the plate
Keep safe
Wow! thank you all for your invaluable advice. As ... (
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With this additional information, I would have these suggestions for you:
You have three top priorities:
1. Don't cause anyone other than you to get hurt.
2. Don't cause yourself to get hurt.
3. Don't cause any damage or delay to the construction process.
Ed Shapiro has previously shown and discussed his work doing exactly what you have been asked to do. I hope that he will come back and amplify and fine tune his earlier remarks. His words on this subject carry more weight than what anyone else here says. Period. And yes, that includes me. I've done a lot of industrial work documentation, but only a little heavy construction photography.
First...this is not primarily an artistic assignment. Forget worrying about perspective control lenses and similar amenities. You will not have time to mess with fanciness, and if you need a PC lens, you are probably too close to the action. While your photographs need to be attractive, their main job is to portray the work being done and, to the best extent possible, some of the results of that work. You want photographs that initially attract a viewer, then make him want to stay to look at the details. Your job is to stay out of the way and out of any danger zones. You are going to be in an elevated risk area just because you are there, and you are going to be a distraction. You need to minimize the distraction part.
Second...the importance of having a knowledgeable escort cannot be overstated. I doubt that you will be allowed on the site without one. That person will be a treasure to you by making sure you know what is going on and what about the goings-on are important. They will also serve as a spotter, to watch for danger while you are focused on the images that you want. Accept your escort. Listen to your escort. Do what your escort says to do.
Third...be prepared to work from a greater distance than you would like and from angles that may not be the ones you would choose. Select your lenses accordingly. You may be faced with poor or difficult lighting, you may be stuck with distracting backgrounds, and you may be confined to less than perfect viewing angles. Be prepared so that you can respond without getting frustrated. Be prepared to either do post processing or manage your picture controls to deal with either too much or too little contrast.
This assignment can really be fun. Just remember that you are not in control. Unless you are very fortunate, you will not be staging or posing photographs. Money is pouring out through a firehose while you are doing your work. Prepare to roll with the flow.