Nineteen Floors Underground!

October 19, 2011

One of my passions is industrial photography. I love the challenges they bring to every assignment, especially underground work.

Recently I was asked, “How do you pack gear for a location shoot hours from home?”  Well, the simple answer is I pack EVERYTHING because you just don’t know what you are walking into.

This shoot was just that. I was sent by a client two hours east of Whitehorse to photograph the construction of an addition onto their building. Once there I was told the crane had not arrived and was not expected for another six hours, at which time it would be parked for the night. My shoot looked like a bust! I asked the foreman what else was going on around the site and he said they were doing a “little digging” underground and did I want to see it? I grabbed my tripod and flashes not knowing I was actually heading 19 floors underground in an elevator to a granite cavern where a hydro power turbine would eventually be placed. I ended up calling my client with a “good news” “bad news” story. Bad news was no construction photos; good news was the amazing world underground I had the opportunity that day to shoot in!

This image was used as the wrap around cover for the Yukon Energy Annual Report.