These images are from a shoot which I undertook for a major manufacturer of concrete piping, culverts, precast bridges and railway sleepers at the very end of last year. Rocla is a part of the Fletcher building group, and has offices and operations all over Australia; as such the lovely Erin from Rocla and I spent more than a few hours in the car and on planes visiting the manufacturing plants, as well as installations in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland over a two week period.

Naturally this is just a selection of the images that I took, and predominately of the actual manufacturing process and storage plants, as opposed to the many installed products (bridges, walkways etc.) that I photographed. I have mentioned before that this is really the type of photography that I enjoy; I have always loved trying to creatively document the industrial workplace. It is quite demanding in that it is not always possible to set up the shots or interrupt the manufacturing process, while also often working in dark, hot, noisy and potentially hazardous locations. Of course I am always accompanied by the client on site to ensure my safety, and it really just becomes an exercise in quickly reading the available light for each shot and deciding how, or indeed if, I need to supplement it.

This shoot was so much fun, with a really great client! As usual I used most of my favourite lenses (17mm TSE, 70-200 2.8 L IS, 85 1.2) as well as pushing the Canon ST-E3-RT transmitter to it’s limits in triggering my flashes. On one occasion I simply could not get the flash to fire, and resorted to my trusty Pocket Wizards to get the job done. It turned out to be a faulty battery in the flash, but it also reminded me of the value of having back-up gear.

My thanks again Erin, and Rocla!