I was recently commissioned by a design agency in Cornwall to create a series of images to suit a promotional brochure for DHL, who are a worldwide distribution and logistics organisation.

After doing a site recce, and agreeing terms with the agency, I set to work in the DHL warehouse, a hub for initial collection, sorting and re-distribution of all manner of packages from letters to large crates going worldwide. It’s busy, busy, busy!

Challenge? – bring it on!

I love a challenge and this was no exception!

The agency brief was to capture the constant flow and stream of activity in the warehouse space and to make the image balanced and interesting. This could be tricky from a standing viewpoint even though I’m over 6′, so I suggested that we shoot from a medium level gantry looking across and slightly over the scene.

This opened up the entire area visually and enabled me to create the vista in sections.

The panoramic image suited the brief perfectly as you can see in the finished brochure.

Sometimes a photographer needs to break the accepted technical conventions and rules to achieve the right image to fit a brief, producing something creative and technically exciting but also a successful interpretation of the designers idea.

Furthermore the final shot should give the recipient of the brochure a new perspective on what could be deemed to be an ordinary daily work scene. This defines a working image.

A question of balance

An artist just knows when all of the elements and angles, juxtapositions of objects, space and colour all work together to create a balanced composition.

My engineering background helped me to view the warehouse space with an analytical eye, where I could easily see the challenges ahead. With 25 years of photographic experience behind me and my in-depth knowledge of industrial environments and settings, I could assess and calculate what was required to achieve a striking and useful image.

Post-production brings it all to life

The warehouse staff obviously couldn’t be asked to stop working and clear the site while I was shooting (time and tide waits for no man, and never more so in distribution and logistics!), so I decided to use my post-production skills to compose the individuals into the scene as a secondary tranche of work. See the results here.

I also used some advanced stitching techniques to achieve the agency specified panoramic dimensions.

 

Project summary:

Day 1: Site recce and planning. Technical and artistic proposal submitted and agreed with commissioning agency.

Day 2 and 3: On site shooting scene. Liaise with design agency.

Day 4 and 5: From selected scenes, post production work to achieve final result and supply high res images to agency via ftp for design and artwork.

Result: Panoramic image plus set of supporting images.

Happy client? – Yes

‘We chose Working Images for this challenging project as we needed a technical and creative expert to bring our idea to life.

Chris Honeywell’s proposal was compelling. We were delighted with the service we received and end-product alike.

If you’ve got an idea but you’re not sure how to achieve it, commission Chris Honeywell.’

       

Chris has recently carried out a commission for the renowned ceramicist Gilles Le Corre.

For more information click here

Another year, another Maze at Millets Farm Centre, Abingdon. Chris with his aerial hat on and

the Maze with an Alice in Wonderland theme. For more click here.

On a recent assignment at the Building Research Establishment I discovered that there was a concrete scaled down version of the Mohne Dam, famous as one of the targets of the Damdusters raid by 617 squadron during the second world war. Apparently Barnes Wallis had it built in order to test explosives to be used in the raid. Some damage can be seen. A result of those tests? It was surprising to find it still in existence after so long.

Chris was commissioned by Gateway Publishing Ltd to cover the launch of a magnificent tribute to David Shepherd on his 80th birthday. Over 120 of David’s best loved works, including some never before published, have been printed on hand made paper, bound in leather and gold blocked by hand. This publication is truly worthy of David’s art. An archive to be treasured for many years to come.

It all took place in the impressive portals of Stationers Hall, London.

Click here to find out more.

In the process of preparing the ground for a new building a pit containing 20 or so 2000 year old saxon skeletons of

young men was unearthed in Oxford. They were thought to have been killed in fighting with rival groups.

Chris was recently commissioned for aerial photography at Millets Farm Centre, near Oxford.

The new Amazing Maize Maze was photographed from the air to show the new ‘Clowning About’  layout.

As a break from industrial photography, Oxford based publishers asked Chris to star in a video to go with a children’s book on career choice. This is the first of a series shot for that project. Watch this space, there may be more.