I recently had the opportunity to provide some shots for graphics on a large (20 foot-long) trailer. We were looking for photos that could be integrated in the graphics on the trailer that would not be stale or dated looking in 5 years. On the day that I did the shooting, I decided that I would go with shots of equipment and parts only -- no people -- and that I would focus on simplicity. After all, this rolling billboard will be driving down the road at 70 mph. The photos do not need to be 'busy' or have a lot going on.
Here are a couple of shots that I took for the project. The first one is of a bearing. When I say bearing, it is not like any bearing that I have ever seen. I'm talking big and heavy. Substantial. I liked the way the light was playing off the shiny parts and decided to limit light so that the outer housing tended to blend into the black background. It turned out very industrial looking, but a little artsy looking too.
The second photo is of a micrometer, or some related type of precision measuring equipment. In contrast to the bearing, I wanted it to be light so I used a combination of backlighting from a window and a slow shutter speed to get the effect I wanted. I also focused on the item that was being measured and purposefully allowed the instrument itself to blur into the background.
In a time that I haven't been doing much photography, this was a good exercise that required me to think about what I would photograph, previsualize the end product, and then use the principles learned in The Manual DSLR Project to bring my creative vision to fruition.
The graphic wrap should be installed in the next couple of weeks; I will share a photo of the trailer at that time.
All the best... Mike
