Earlier this summer I went on a fun shoot for a stevedoring company (the guys who load and unload ships) and I had a chance to get a shot of one of Montreal’s iconic buildings from an angle rarely seen.
Shooting in the shipping yards was hectic and felt a bit like being in a war zone. Actually it felt like being an ant in a land of giants as mega-forklifts whizzed past hoisting up containers and stacking them one on top of the other in a life-sized game of Tetris.
I was wearing safety gear – a reflective vest and helmet and had to pass through strict security on the way in, accompanied by my client. Once on the ground, I realized how important it was to follow all the safety regulations and literally stay within the lines. My client is the only company in the Port of Montreal with a huge loading crane that looked to me like one of the spaceships in Tron. I was able to climb up to the main walkway, a few hundred feet above the ground and take aerial shots of all the activitiy in the facility, as well as grab this unique shot of the Five Roses building from an angle most Montreal photographers will never have a chance to get.
I like shooting onsite for clients with big industrial facilities. One of the advantages of being a professional freelance photographer in a great port city like Montreal is the chance to visit factories, plants and places where the GDP is actually being made. I’ve been lucky to have many such opportunities and having been in many industrial locations as a facilities photographer, I never take any chances with safety. I always keep safety foremost in mind when shooting on location and know that it is especially important in industrial sites where there is a lot of activity and you are an out of the ordinary appearance.
