One of my services is photographing businesses, so I was excited with the opportunity to help out a company near me, that made countertops. Upon meeting the manager, we discussed where to start. I try to be as discreet as possible, so I asked if anyone was on a time constraint. It turned out several employees were, mostly because lunch was nearing, so I suggested we start with the group and individual shots. The group shots were photographed outside, with the company trucks as the background. Then, we moved inside to shoot headshots or 3/4 length portraits, many of which featured upper management.


Much of the planning had occurred before I arrived, so many of the employees were prepared for their photos. Inside, we photographed several members working, such as the photo above where the two are discussing the blueprints of a customers kitchen. When these were finished, I was allowed to move into the shop, which was a thrill for me. You see, before photography, I had a background in custom welding and fabrication. I owned a welding shop for 18 years. This company had a really interesting 5-axis milling machine, that was used to cut intricate components for the counters they were building. The rightmost picture shows just a piece of it.


The shop was large enough to have several employee stations, for different stages of each product. At the start were the table saws. The pieces cut from the saws moved to the sanding station. Then, to the assembly and gluing station and down the line. It was an fascinating process to photograph, especially knowing that my work would help them succeed in their industry. Helping people is one of my gifts and a great way to use the talents I've been given.


For those with a technical interest in my work, most of the photos were made with a Nikon D850, a Tamron 24-70 G2, and a Nikkor 105 f/2.8 macro lens.