Unloading tuna.

For most people, work is a necessary evil. While everyone recognizes the need to go to work and earn a living, most people don’t really look forward to it. Yet photographs of people at work, particularly manual work, attract a lot of interest. Perhaps it’s because we can to relate to the idea of working or maybe we feel relieved that someone else has to do the dirty, dangerous jobs. Whatever the case, photographing people at work is challenging, rewarding and often fascinating.

This kind of photography is not one that works if you just dive straight in. Taking some time in advance to get a general idea about the nature of the work or industry, the environment, hazards and any lighting challenges is highly recommended. Photographing a fisherman in bad weather is going to be a lot different to photographing an office worker. Just to make things a little more difficult, the most brightly lit workplaces are often more visually boring than the dimly lit ones. Think of the difference between a 7-11 and a sheet metal factory. Unless you’re on assignment for a magazine or something similar and have pre-approval, you may find that you need to work with ambient light or on-camera bounce flash only. In some cases, trying to set up lights or tripods may constitute a safety hazard. In these cases, high ISO and fast lenses are your friends.

In terms of metering, the most important area is your subject and the light he is in. A plumber with his head under a kitchen sink is not going to be getting as much light on his face as he is on his legs whaich are in the open. Use your spot meter and meter off the most important area to ensure that it is correctly exposed.

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