Client: Hughes Safety Showers
Image context and usage
We were commissioned by the marketing professional at Hughes-Safety in Stockport to capture some unusual and creative product imagery. They had general product images which consisted of a mixture of studio and 3d renders but were keen to show the products on location and more importantly being deployed.
We met with the client prior to the shoot to understand their image objectives. We recc’ed the location and advised them on the suitability of each location, highlighting any areas that required additional consideration prior to the shoot.
We estimated that this work would take a day of photography, but some contingency would be required should the weather prove unsuitable for the shoot.
Execution:
On the day of the shoot we provided a 2 man team (photographer and assistant). Having an assistant on the shoot allows us to break down and reset the lighting smoothly and quickly, reducing the down time between set ups. This enables us to spend more time getting creating and less time focussing on gear.
Challenges:
All on-location photography projects have specific challenges, this project was no different.
Warehouse Interior: Poor lighting, fluorescents and ambient mixed
Products are glossy and direct lighting causes huge hot spots.
The weather was very variable with bright sun and heavy clouds. This causes big swings in exposure values.
The products design and purpose is to release copious amounts of water, rapidly soaking the immediate vicinity.
As professional location photographers we’ve many years of experience overcoming these difficulties. We used soft indirect lighting to create form and shape without sacrificing quality or producing unsightly hotspots from direct flash. Most of our equipment is weather sealed and resistant to some water. However, given the large quantity of water that was released at each activation we had to be very careful to keep batteries and flash units out of reach of any water.
Results:
Here's a small gallery of images from the final set provided to the client.
Client feedback:
"Loving the images, as is our designer who is working on the new catalogue! We've used them on social, in journals....so all is great! - Greg made what is essentially an unsexy, industrial product come to life. We've got some great product shots and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience." - Wendy - Marketing manager
Behind the scenes:
Here's a few images and video clips from the day of the shoot and post-production thoughts.
Update: Since photography Hughes have used the image assets to great effect on their website, at exhibitions and for their latest brochure. Here's a couple of screen shoots from the brochure.
