Industrial Photographer

As an architectural photographer, I have the habit of only featuring the "pretty" stuff that I think should be in my portfolio of "best work". Admittedly, by doing this, a lot of my work does not see the light of day. In fact, the SUBJECT of a lot of my work doesn't see the light of day. These subjects are the places that make our society run. Sometimes they are the things that often go unnoticed. Occasionally, it is documenting the framing of a structure as it is being put together. I am talking about industrial photography - which, to me, is absolutely fascinating.

I often know nothing about the subject matter, but I am mesmerized when I stop and study it. The amount of thought that goes into the design and the years of planning that take place are humbling when you think of the minds that put them together... they will never get the praise from the public that a facade will.

The bridges we drive over, the awnings that we walk under, the hidden and often ignored things that bring order to society... these subjects may not be the "prettiest" structures in the world to the average person, but they are the most important. Here are a few of my favorites that I photographed over the years.

Aerial view of a commercial building roof covered with organized rows of solar panels, surrounded by parking areas and landscaped grounds.

Aerial view of a commercial rooftop solar array, documenting the scale and precision of renewable energy infrastructure.

Drone view of a commercial construction site at sunset, showing partially built structures, roads, fields, and long evening shadows.

A commercial construction site at sunset, showing the early stages of a structure taking shape against a dramatic sky.

Exterior view of a modern stadium with a sweeping curved roof, exposed steel structure, tall white columns, and landscaping below.

Exterior view of SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, CA. featuring the sweeping curved roof, exposed steel structure, tall white columns, and landscaping below for scale.

Film photo of commercial farm buildings and a hay field in rural Minnesota

Commercial farm buildings in rural Minnesota, a reminder that agricultural infrastructure is its own form of industrial architecture.

Evening view of a busy airport terminal drop-off area with illuminated canopy structures, moving traffic, and glass pedestrian bridges.

The departure level canopy at BNA airport at dusk, where structural design and daily movement intersect. View more images from this photo shoot.

Interior of a clean industrial warehouse with yellow safety railings, a raised mezzanine, forklifts, palletized beverages, and polished concrete floors.

A distribution warehouse mezzanine with yellow safety rails, functional design that rarely gets a second look.

Large manufacturing facility with conveyor tables, industrial machinery, overhead utilities, and a worker moving through the production area.

A commercial laundry facility mid-operation, the humidity visible in the hazy overhead light.

Close view of a curved architectural canopy with framing and translucent polycarbonate panels against a clear blue sky.

A close study of a curved polycarbonate canopy, the kind of detail that disappears into the background of daily life.

Aerial view of a mountain construction site with concrete foundation walls, workers, a yellow crane, gravel roads, and layered Blue Ridge mountain views.

A crane installing steel beams on a remote construction site in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Exterior service area of a hospital building with white brick walls, rooftop mechanical equipment, vents, windows, and a covered drive-through lane.

A mechanical room addition on a VA Hospital in Nashville, the infrastructure behind the institution.

Industrial mechanical room with labeled cold glycol piping, red pumps, control panels, and exposed overhead utility systems.

A cold glycol mechanical room with labeled piping, pumps, and control panels keeping a building running behind the scenes at the FM Bank Arena.

Outdoor mechanical equipment area with a large cooling tower, metal access ladders, concrete service walls, and utility piping.

Rooftop cooling tower equipment, the kind of industrial system that operates invisibly above the spaces we occupy.

Modern hospital operating room with surgical lights, medical monitors, anesthesia equipment, stainless steel tables, and clinical workstations.

Surgical lighting and equipment in a hospital operating room, precision engineering in service of the most critical environments.

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Photographing architecture on film in California