Potash Mine in Saskatoon

Just got back from shooting in an underground Potash mine in Saskatchewan. I thought I would do a little post on my Prep before I delve too deep into the experience of working 1.5kms underground in a salty potash mine with sensitive camera gear.
For an industrial shoot my prep routine is somewhat different than a cozy commercial gig. I tend to travel light, and with all my own gear because I hate to wear things they give you on a jobsite.
So here is my industrial prep. I lay everything out and repack it so I know im not forgetting anything. Here is what you will see in these pics.



1. Warm clothing (It ended up being +30 in the mine, so the fleece jacket, pants and toque were not needed)


2. Steel toe boots. You can shoot anything industrial unless you have these.



3. Safety glasses. I use a set of Oakley's that the US snipers in Iraq use. I met a guy in the US army who sent me a pair. I use them because one they don't distort your vision at all, and two because they don't look like silly "blue blocker" clear safety glasses you get for free when you arrive on any jobsite.


4. My hard hat. Yep, and Im really proud of it. Its old school NACG colors, and its covered in stickers from companies who have hired me in the past. I get instant "street cred" with workers on a site now. The stickers say I have "been around"...



5. Cameras x2... Canon 1dsMK3's.. You should always have a back up, but especially when shooting industrial projects. The money that's involved with you holding up a production to take photos is mindboggling at the best of times. Having to reschedule because of faulty gear would be unthinkable.

6. Lighting of some sort. I brought with me the ultra compact Elinchrom Quadra heads. They are super light and insanely powerful for their size. I have never shot underground before so I needed something with a punch of power just in case but wanted to keep my weight real light. The Quadra did it.


With everything packed the most important thing. Reading material. For this trip I bought "The Authority" graphic novel. When I got to the airport I realized my graphic novel sucked so bad that I had to by another book.
So it came down to the "80/20Rule" or "Shit My Dad Says"... hmmmm oh the dilemma.



What book did I end up buying? Well here a little quote from the book I choose - "A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."