Mine Site Photography,
Queensland
Portraits of people who are actually working. Not stock. Not a model in clean PPE.
You can tell.
Everyone can tell. The hard hat is too clean, the hi-vis has creases in it, nobody's hands look like that. You put it in the annual report and every person on site knows it was shot in a studio in Newstead.
The alternative is harder and it's the only thing worth doing. Go out there. Work around the operation instead of stopping it. Photograph the people doing the job, in the light that's actually there, in the time you're given.
Image libraries, built properly.
Most of what we shoot in resources isn't one hero image. It's a library. Hundreds of frames covering operations, workforce, plant, safety, community and leadership, shot to a brief, keyworded, and handed over so your comms, HR, media and brand teams stop buying stock.
We built one for Santos across Roma, Fairview and Arcadia Valley. Two lighting rigs, multiple locations, and a helicopter when the roads went under.
And we built one for BHP across the entire country. Four weeks of flights. Iron ore in the Pilbara at Newman, Jimblebar and Area C. Underground at Olympic Dam and Carrapateena. Metallurgical coal at Broadmeadow. The export terminal at Hay Point. Every site a different induction, a different permit system, a different set of rules about where you can put a light.
It's a specific discipline and very few people market it, which is strange, because it's the thing that saves you the most money over five years.
What we shoot
- Workforce and portrait libraries, on shift, in situ
- Operations, plant and process documentation
- Safety and critical risk imagery for campaigns and training
- Annual report and board photography, see our Gladstone Ports Corporation work
- Recruitment and employer brand
- Community, landholder and environmental work
- Shutdowns and turnarounds
The access part.
Industry Safety Induction through Safer Together. Confined space entry. Gas detection. Working at heights. Site induction done on your site, to your standard, every time. Public liability cover of $20 million, professional indemnity of $10 million, workers compensation in place. Certificates on request.
We spent four weeks photographing every BHP site in Australia. Newman, Jimblebar and Area C in the Pilbara. Underground at Olympic Dam and Carrapateena. Metallurgical coal at Broadmeadow. The export terminal at Hay Point. Then the gas fields at Roma, Fairview, Arcadia Valley, Moranbah and Dalby, and port and bulk handling at Gladstone.
Twenty five years, and we've never had a site stop a shoot.
Questions people ask
Will a photography crew slow down our mine site operation?
No. We plan around the shift, not the other way around. If a task can't be paused, we shoot it as it happens.
How many images do we get from an image library build?
For a library build, hundreds. Edited, colour graded, keyworded and delivered in a structure your team can actually search. We agree the shot list before we go.
Can you photograph underground or in low light?
Yes. We carry lighting rigs and know how to use them without creating a hazard. Every setup goes through your permit process.
Do the people in the photos need to give consent?
Yes, and we manage it. Releases are collected on site, tracked, and handed over with the files.
Who owns the images after the shoot?
You do. Full rights, no licensing, no renewal invoices in three years.
Planning a shoot? Read what it actually takes to film on a Queensland mine or gas site →