Nine pictures I made last week

I spent the week of September 6 to 10, 2010 shooting stills with a film crew around various industrial, manufacturing and transport businesses around the lower Hunter Valley as well as two locations in Sydney. We were commissioned by the Industry and Investment arm of the NSW Government.

In a way it was a return to my professional photography roots as my early career entailed lots of down and dirty days in steelworks, mines and shipyards. Much of my recent work has been in cleaner and more pleasant environs (I must be getting soft!). So it was a surprisingly enjoyable change to get back to the hotel room covered in grime, my gear (and I) dusty and tired. Each night, while I downloaded files, my head was a jumble of the sounds of metal, fire and the spare speech of hardworking men and women confident in their capabilities, diligence and professionalism.

I should point out that the work conditions at the wineries and the biscuit factory were far from dirty. The emphasis at these locations was on hygiene and cleanliness. The Arnotts plant had the entire crew in hair nets and white coats with hands surgically washed.


I&I Industry - Images by Paul Foley

Although only briefly, photographers get to experience other people's lives and work as we go about lighting and composing it to suit some design driven layout. Sometimes we think that our tinkering around the edges gives us an authentic understanding of the experience when it is only a glimpse of where stuff is made, repaired, dug up and otherwise worked over. It is a real privilege of my job that I get to meet and watch real workers employ skill, experience and teamwork. My photographic goal is to meet the challenges of their environments as I employ my own skills to adequately explain and celebrate what they do and where they do it.

Thanks and appreciation to:

Client: NSW Government, Industry & Investment

Client Liaison: Catriona Fraser

Production Company: Zspace
Producer/Director: Ken Smart
Producer: Angela Kargilis
Pre production: Jo Messina

Location Crew
Director: Ken Smart
DOP: Graeme Ross
Camera Assistant: Jordan Maddocks
Grip: Rob Birtles
Electrics: Brett Cooper