People at work make great subjects. They’re involved in what they’re doing so the photographer often goes unnoticed. The result is pictures that are real with no cheesy smiles or hamming it up for the camera. Subjects go about their daily routine and in no time, forget about your presence. Depending on the person’s job, the setting can be dramatic, the environment may be appealing, natural light may aid in getting shots with impact, or flash can be added to augment the lighting conditions. Rather than take someone’s job for granted, document the work day of someone you know. You may find yourself doing it again and again.

A good shot of a person at work should tell a story. What it is that he or she does should be evident in the image. If you’re documenting the day, be sure to move in for close ups and go wide to include the environment. For instance, if the person is a window washer, zoom in on the hands and soap patterns as it’s applied to the glass. Go wide to show scale of the building to the washer on the scaffold. Gain access to an office and make some shots of him from the inside for a different perspective. In that you’re indoors, do the same zooming in for a tight shot and go wide to include the interior along with the worker on the outside.

©Russ Burden

One of the most critical aspects that determines the success of any photograph is the light. Chances are you’ll need to augment it if you’re working outside during the middle of the day or if you’re working in dimly lit interiors. Flash works well in both instances. Fill flash will help fill in shadows for contrasty mid day outdoor images. Flash can be used as a main light or fill for interior shots. In the accompanying photo of the blacksmith, I incorporated three light sources - the light from the fire, two flashes, and daylight that was coming in from an open door. I based the 1/4 sec shutter speed of the exposure on the light from the fire that corresponded to the aperture of f9 that I wanted for the flashes. I set up one flash to the subject’s left and one to his right. The light from the door helped fill in the shadows on the right side of the photo. In that the shutter speed was slow, I had the blacksmith move the hammer as I knew it would create a streak of motion in the image. Of course, the camera was on a tripod.

©Russ Burden

Concentrate on telling a story as to what the person does. This is often accomplished in the wider angle shot. Use foreground elements as props that add to the story telling aspect. Get in close with a wide angle to emphasize the foreground element. Look for interesting poses or expressions and press the shutter when they happen. Keep the camera glued to your eye as you never know when the decisive moment will occur and you don’t want to miss it. Turn your capture into a B&W to eliminate distractions of color.  If you’re truly documenting a person’s day, a few black and whites interspersed among the color captures will stand out.

©Russ Burden

Work different angles to add diversity to the portfolio of the worker. If every shot is made from ground level with you simply pointing the camera at your subject, they will gel into one. Get down low and shoot up toward your subject. Use a wide angle lens to exaggerate perspective. Get up high and shoot down on the people. Zoom in tight but also go wide to include some of the environment. Go around the subject to create backlighting. Use flash if you want to add some light to the shadow side. As you can see from the above, documenting a person’s day of work can provide some very interesting and dramatic photos. Give it a whirl, add as much diversity to the images as possible, and present a nice portfolio to the  person who gave you their day.  

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Nature Photo Tours. Visit russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, email me to be placed on my Tip of the Week list and to receive announcements about upcoming tours specials or to pick up a copy of my book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.