[jawsy]

Whilst I am strictly an amateur photographer, from time to time my skills (and those of others) come in handy in my chosen trade in heavy industry. The definition of a quality image is different to those slanted towards the creative arts and this definition in of itself can vary within the field. Examples of industrial photography in my field include but are not limited to: -

• Training package development;
• Incident investigation;
• Equipment strip down reporting;
• Equipment failure analysis.

Whilst there are threads within topics that touch on these issues from time-to-time, I've wondered if there would be any benefit in a dedicated forum topic to attract contributions from like minded individuals? It's very difficult to achieve the desired outcome in heavy industry as the environment is constrained (you can't manipulate your subject matter), the photographic equipment available for use is constrained, the ambient lighting is usually poor, and the subject matter itself can be challenging.

Does anyone else see any value in this suggestion?

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Last edited by jawsy; 11-06-2014 at 01:29 AM.

[LensBeginner]

Whilst I am strictly an amateur photographer, from time to time my skills (and those of others) come in handy in my chosen trade in heavy industry. The definition of a quality image is different to those slanted towards the creative arts and this definition in of itself can vary within the field. Examples of industrial photography in my field include but are not limited to: -

• Training package development;
• Incident investigation;
• Equipment strip down reporting;
• Equipment failure analysis.

Whilst there are threads within topics that touch on these issues from time-to-time, I've wondered if there would be any benefit in a dedicated forum topic to attract contributions from like minded individuals? It's very difficult to achieve the desired outcome in heavy industry as the environment is constrained (you can't manipulate your subject matter), the photographic equipment available for use is constrained, the ambient lighting is usually poor, and the subject matter itself can be challenging.

Does anyone else see any value in this suggestion?

I believe it's an interesting field, only I wonder how many are actually dedicated to its pursuit...
Maybe a forum for "specialistic photography", "specialty photography" or somesuch and threads for industrial, musical instruments, dental (!) etc..?

[jawsy]

I'd be surprised if there weren't more than a few members who would be able to add value to such a forum. My field happens to be heavy industry, but as you've suggested medical, manufacturing, etc all have unique challenges. I can tell people how to safely clean high viscosity graphite grease from a lens, but who would care?

How do you shoot a high speed shaft?

How do you photograph polished steel in low light without the flash burning the surface detail?

What's the safest way to photograph welding?

Do NOx gases damage lens internals?

How do you get a sharp image when there's nowhere to set up a tripod (vibrating factory floors and buildings.)

How do you set a flash when the atmosphere is full of reflective dust?

Like I said, they're not creative arts questions, they're unique and more often than not people just do the best with what they're got and get substandard results.

[LensBeginner]

I'd be surprised if there weren't more than a few members who would be able to add value to such a forum. My field happens to be heavy industry, but as you've suggested medical, manufacturing, etc all have unique challenges. I can tell people how to safely clean high viscosity graphite grease from a lens, but who would care?

How do you shoot a high speed shaft?

How do you photograph polished steel in low light without the flash burning the surface detail?

What's the safest way to photograph welding?

Do NOx gases damage lens internals?

How do you get a sharp image when there's nowhere to set up a tripod (vibrating factory floors and buildings.)

How do you set a flash when the atmosphere is full of reflective dust?

Like I said, they're not creative arts questions, they're unique and more often than not people just do the best with what they're got and get substandard results.

Mmmh... those all look like interesting challenges!
I'll try to guess, looks like fun!

1. no idea... you mean like a turbine?
2. with a tripod if you can place it? otherwise a diffusor (but they are bulky)?
3. for me... with welding glasses... for the sensor... not sure, perhaps a heavy ND? I sometimes shoot the sun at sunset by unscrewing the lens a little bit, so that it stops to the aperture on the ring, but I would do nothing for the intensity on the sensor...
4. no idea
5. ...a steadycam rig?
6. no idea... you don't?

As I said, it's interesting, but I doubt I'll ever get in a situation like the ones you mentioned... I like photographing machinery though, it's one of the few cases where I allow myself to indulge in a wee bit amount of "HDR look", because it's effective without being kitsch...

[jawsy]

... to remove graphite based grease, gently rub the grease off using an outwards rolling motion, then remove the smear with whiteboard cleaner. Always use a UV filter.

[LensBeginner]

... to remove graphite based grease, gently rub the grease off using an outwards rolling motion, then remove the smear with whiteboard cleaner. Always use a UV filter.

Hehe... I'd suspect a UV would be a nice filter to have a lens in an industrial environment...
...something is telling me that this has happened to you, and you didn't have a filter on...
I remember seing a thread somewhere about a guy who wanted to photograph oil puddles and went a little too far... :-S

[jawsy]

Almost. Grease on the filter and lens body was bad enough.

[LensBeginner]

Almost. Grease on the filter and lens body was bad enough.

Ouch!
...but you get bonus points because at least you were well-prepared!