Technicians Make It Happen!
Technicians Make It Happen, was one of the biggest projects of the year and was shot over a three month period. It was commissioned by Sainsbury’s Charitable Foundation – Gatsby
Gatsby wanted to strengthen the awareness of technicians as a linchpin to the U.K economy via photographic images. So, I was invited to the head office to discuss how these images could be portrayed for website use and promotional material, here is a small selection…
RAL Space Technician Working In sealed stainless steel chamber…over 60ft tall and very James Bond!
RAL Space…total precision of some billet aluminium, incredible quality reserved for orbiting the Earth.
Toyota technician based in North Wales – engine assembly plant and responsible for the upkeep of the massive robot arms!
Close Up shot of Warning Lights on robot assembly machine at Toyota…this is where all the Cadillac taillights end up!
White Light, London – Portrait of Technician – Seb Hancock, surrounded by transport cases synonymous with the industry!
Portrait of Technician, Leo Hancock at Light Mixing Desk – White Light, London. Been to a London show, chances are White Light would have lit the production?
Hydram Engineering, County Durham. Sophy Bage, welding technician specialises in circular welds.
Copper Cutting Tips for CNC machines – Hydram Engineering
Technician at Sainsbury’s Laboratory Cambridge University
Brushed Stainless Steel Sign of Sainsbury Laboratory, University Cambridge
BT Openreach Technician, Leeds
BT Openreach Image of Analogue Dials in the Leeds exchange.
Portrait of Technician at Brompton Bikes, London – “FF” is for Front Forks!
That crucial hinge that makes the bike fold up, heated for precision fitting!
Royal Opera House, London. Technician – the fabulous Giuseppe Lubrano
Royal Opera House, London. Junior Stage Engineer, Tommy Judd – behind the scenes and the real nuts and bolts of it!
Technician outside Siemens Building, Manchester
Portrait of BBC Technician Jahangir Shah, Adjusting Camera in Radio 1 Studio London
Portrait of BBC Technician Jahangir Shah in Radio London Studio
Portrait of Technician at Jubilee Clips
Close Up Shot of “The Original”…Jubilee Clip – 20mm
Hutchinson Engineering, Widnes – Technician in Anechoic Chamber.
RAF Cosford AircraftTechnician
RAF Cosford Technician in charge of hydraulics – wings and wheels!
Microsoft, London – Portrait of Joshua Uwadiae – fits of laughter was pretty much order of the day at Microsoft!
Microsoft, London – Portrait of technician – alternative shot.
“Technicians play a crucial role in the growth of the businesses that employ them and will be integral to meeting the technological challenges faced by the world in the coming decades. They don’t always have technician in their job title, but there’s barely a business in the country that could function without them. They are a vital component of our economy and must be recognised as such if the UK is to remain competitive on the global stage in years to come. However, an aging workforce means that 50,000 of our best technicians are retiring every year and, due to our unbalanced economy, we are unable to replace them, let alone fill the additional technician roles that are becoming available as the economy expands. In fact, forecasts now show that the UK will need as many as 700,000 new technicians by 2020 simply to meet demand from employers like you.” Gatsby
Iconic names…
Some of the most iconic companies including: BBC, Royal Opera House, Loughborough University, RAF, Microsoft, Brompton Bikes, IBM, Toyota, Jubilee Clips, plus many more – this was of course a genuine privilege to have an access all areas.
Taking the images was to prove a little tricky, especially in the confines of some factories, where trailing wires would be a trip hazard, so battery powered flash units were used throughout for speed and portability.
A variety of shots were taken, including close ups, which create a flavour of the environment – as well as the traditional portraits of the technicians at work. This would ultimately culminate in an exhibition in the Mall Galleries in London and is now on on tour around the country.
Big thanks…
To all the companies involved for taking the time out of their working day to complete this project and of course Gatsby who commissioned this fabulous project!
Here’s a great editorial piece written by the Guardian…CLICK HERE
