Samples of our Commercial Photography

One of my first commercial photography assignments was back in the mid 1970's. I was hired by the Athens Plow Company to photograph their paint process. What I did not know beforehand was that I was going to be suspended over a large vat of hot red paint by a forklift to shoot as the various metal parts were dipped. So, there I was, standing on one fork of a forklift, holding on with one hand and trying to shoot a twin lens 2 ¼ inch Yashica box camera with the other. No safety harness, no rope, no clue. Luckily, the shots came out and I got to do other, less dangerous jobs for them over the years.

Some time later, I got a call from Athens Stove Works to shoot the interior of their oven while it was down for maintenance. What I did not know was that the oven was only about four feet high but went almost the length of a football field. And, that it was lined with asbestos. So, here I go, duckwalking through this oven with my trusty 2 ¼ twin lens camera, with flash, taking shots every few feet. A lot of the shots had sparkles of a sort in them. This was from the asbestos particles I was stirring up with my very presence. Again, not a clue. I coughed for about two months after that and only learned what the oven was lined with years later.

I have shot group pictures from a bucket truck, real estate from an airplane, and underwater video of the jets of a hot tub using a ten gallon aquarium to protect the camera, which cost more than the hot tub. Stills were pulled from the video to use in advertising. Close ups of jewelry, mechanical components, and various small products have been especially challenging, but the results have been especially rewarding. I have found the best satisfaction comes from completing a challenging assignment. And, that anything you might think will "just take a minute" will last days, weeks, or months. At least it usually seems that way.

Here are a few examples of products we have had the pleasure to photograph over the last few years. By the way, I still ride the forks of a forklift to get a shot, but now OSHA wants me in a wire basket, or at least in a harness. Thinking back to the Athens Plow Company job, I would have paid good money for a harness that day.