Author: Lorentz Gullachsen

Industrial photography seems like an old fashioned term, a remnant of the days when the UK was a manufacturing powerhouse, places like Birmingham with its 1000s trades and the motor city of Coventry, Crewe and Derby were the bases for the aeronautical and rail industries, but times change and specialist industries can be anywhere, not just heavy industry but nano technology and research & development for all businesses. The M40 corridor has most of the worlds Formula 1 teams based there as well as Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.

Any industry shall need to market and communicate what it produces, even if it is just a service to an industry in a very narrow niche.

So today’s Industrial photographer needs to be able to produce, stills and video of products, services and applications for todays media hungry times, an engineering company may well have social media as well as a presence on Linkedin and a dedicated website, trade shows shall need images that will grace and enhance a stand, where sales meet buyers.

A few headshots on a website and some stock shots is not a professional look for a company, a website is working 24/7 for a company, and even if its a specialist engineering company, you have to showcase your work as well as possible.

Quality industrial images are especially needed in these competitive times, great images of your products or processes, real portraits of the management and senior staff should be the minimum , but in these days of image hungry media, maybe an image bank is created to serve any communication that goes out to the local chamber, federation or international trade press.

Visual communication may require infographics and video’s but strong photographic images that represent the company are always useful, but they have to be strong and relevant. A great shot of your HQ with a dramatic sky, a sign and maybe a liveried truck can help reassure potential clients that your company is stable and shall deliver! A iPhone pic of the outside with out of date signage or just leafless winter trees.

A good commercial photographer can probably deliver the images you require, but if you have a industrial process that requires specialist lighting or macro lens, maybe more appropriate, a background working at a variety of work environments shall give additional insight and should be able to suggest ways to best capture the work you do.

Creative photography can help communicate to potential clients what you deliver.

Back even before the Pandemic, there have been certain people who have given business advise and insights, not just as marketing strategy but with genuine generosity.

The Pandemic arrived and business’s were decimated , however some people set up on line networking and support groups. These were a life line to many and at the time I thought it was worthy of acknowledging .

Move on to opening up and I met my friend and fellow photographer Charlie Budd who stood out as one of those who facilitated many zooms with creatives and was always a positive fellow!

I was setting up for a shoot and asked him to step in so I could check the lighting, and I managed to get a strong portrait of Mr Budd and that began the project that is Network Hero’s.

 

I have gone on to take portraits of many that I consider Network hero’s, its an ongoing project and I hope to share some portraits of those who have been and continue to be stars of the Networking universe.

I am actively seeking new subjects and am happy to receive nominations.

I do have a list, so it would be great to hear if your ideas coincide?

See the collection grow here – Network Hero’s