As i have not had chance to shoot any personal work for ages I thought I would post some shots of what I do in the day.

I really wanted to point out being a professional photographer isn't all glamor and red carpets!

These are a few shots for a regular client. They are valves that go on oil rigs to control the flow of oil and other liquids and they are about 2 meters in height.

Glamorous huh?

(not expecting many comments as they are just valves )

Cheers

Martyn

1

Martyn,
The first shot looks like a robot on two wheels.
The second looks like I-know-not-what, but has a nice artsy-fartsy look to it .
The third photo looks like the backside of a commode.
And don't look at me that way- YOU'RE the one who took the pictures .
Charlie

Thanks charlie, i knew I could rely on you for some honest feedback, although, im not sure what kind of commode your used to but if it looks like that is sure built for a tough life

All three are fascinating shots, Martyn. Getting paid real money to shoot photos is always good. The second shot is artistically my favorite. Obviously, the other two aren't meant to be works of art but they nevertheless have a lot of art in them. I think a teeny bit more contrast in #2 might help but that is really something only you can decide about. Does your client want artistic photos of the valves? Maybe you just can't help but be artistic? Good for you. Anyway, it's all very interesting and I wish I knew what all the gizmos on the valves do.

All the best,

Endre

Endre

I have acually cranked the contrast up quite a bit already in 2.

The client isn't really that fussed about the artistic stuff but I do often give them some as it often gets used for agm hand out cover etc

ass for all the bits adorning the valve I have no idea but they must be very expensive as the company pay well and have me there minimum of once a month even in this climate.

Thanks for looking

Martyn

Martyn

Looks like a very cool profession to me, I'm sure you are probably in different locations all the time and not stuck behind a desk 8 hours a day, and doing not only a job but a passion.

Ray Still

Neat, high-contrast shots.
The first one does look like a robot out of s Sci-Fi movie

Abiciriderback wrote:
Martyn

Looks like a very cool profession to me, I'm sure you are probably in different locations all the time and not stuck behind a desk 8 hours a day, and doing not only a job but a passion.

Ray Still

Ray,

You are 1000% correct, i left a job with a finance company to start up on my own while im not earning the same money as I was then my life is so much better. Its strange you can struggle to get into work for 9am when you work for a company but when I need to I'm up at 4am to travel the length of the country to work for a day, and that's for commercial work, not weddings.

The best move I ever made but boy is it hard sometimes ;-)

lazlo369 wrote:
Neat, high-contrast shots.
The first one does look like a robot out of s Sci-Fi movie

" L O S T I N S P A A A A A C E ! "

Cheers lazlo

This would be the other end of the spectrum. A nice bit of high-key artistry added. The very large thick flanges speak of pressure. Actually kind of cool abstractions if you let your imagination run wild.

Each is interesting and well-done in its own right.
1 and 2 are my favs, esp 2.
Neat to hear how your change of direction, change of career has worked out, Martyn.

Take care and keep enjoying your work. And sharing it as well.
Scott

An amazing looking machine. I wouldn't get my fingers near that thing. It looks like it would spontaneously break on me, and I'd have to sell my 5D and all my lenses to just pay half the cost. But cool geometric shapes in your subject.

eric

Tim ONeill wrote:
This would be the other end of the spectrum. A nice bit of high-key artistry added. The very large thick flanges speak of pressure. Actually kind of cool abstractions if you let your imagination run wild.

Your right about the pressure Tim, i dint understand all the tech jargon but these things are very serious bits of kit.

The ones I have shot so far range from as big as your shin (coming in at 90KG) to about 4 meters high, i forget how heavy that was but I'm very careful when I move them into place while they are suspended by a crane!

sbeme wrote:
Each is interesting and well-done in its own right.
1 and 2 are my favs, esp 2.
Neat to hear how your change of direction, change of career has worked out, Martyn.

Take care and keep enjoying your work. And sharing it as well.
Scott

Thanks Scott, it was a big decision to make but the company I was working for helped me make the decision by forcing me into making a moral decision on how they operated, 3 weeks later I was self employed!

eric kim wrote:
An amazing looking machine. I wouldn't get my fingers near that thing. It looks like it would spontaneously break on me, and I'd have to sell my 5D and all my lenses to just pay half the cost. But cool geometric shapes in your subject.

eric

Thats what indemnity insurance is for

I like seeing all image types here. These are no exception to that!

You know, you can state they're not exciting, but taking a subject like this and presenting it in the best fashion possible is not a small endeavor. I like seeing these subjects. You never know what ideas these images spark in other shooters!

-Tim