![Big Cranes in Boston](https://4db5c81d1b84afd66014-6ecb39ce880ce1ce8c8b23076b063f40.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/48-5d1a6968043e8.jpg)
For the folks that are receiving my email blog for the first time; I'm Tim Becker, a commercial photographer based in Connecticut. About once a month I share an interesting photo assignment or my thoughts about photography.
![](https://72d237d5e64e00a80d17-1fd4c45cfabd65bf5d2d1576af435248.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/48/5d555051d0ad6.jpg)
Last July I was asked by a long term client: Fred Smith and Associates, to photograph cranes in operation lifting steel sections of a Massachusetts Turnpike overpass, for the Empire Crane Company https://www.empirecrane.com/. I asked how long I would be photographing; I was told to stay until I got a good variety of shots.
![](https://72d237d5e64e00a80d17-1fd4c45cfabd65bf5d2d1576af435248.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/48/5d1a691352b49.jpg)
I have been on many construction sites over the years including a summer job as a plumber’s assistant, right after I graduated from High School. I was excited about this assignment. I got my hard hat, steel toed boots and Day-Glo safety vest out. One thing I learned working on construction sites, is that you need to look out for danger in all directions, including over your head. I drove for about an hour and a half to Boston and I was extremely lucky to find a parking space on the street. I found my way to the construction site and started photographing a large crane that was lifting steel sections of highway, that were then being bolted into place by iron workers. The fast pace and skill of the iron workers was amazing.
![](https://72d237d5e64e00a80d17-1fd4c45cfabd65bf5d2d1576af435248.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/48/5d1a69495646a.jpg)
I learned from one of the workers that the entire steel highway structure had been put together in a aircraft hanger over the winter, as a rehearsal to make sure that every component fit together perfectly. I made the mistake of standing inside the red taped area to take a photo, and got yelled at. I learned that was the area that the crane swings around in, and no one can stand there. I was also challenged by a representative of the general contractor. I had to give him my business card and show him the assignment e-mail from the Empire Crane Company on my phone, to avoid being kicked out. I imagine he was the safety officer just doing his job.
![](https://72d237d5e64e00a80d17-1fd4c45cfabd65bf5d2d1576af435248.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/48/5d1a67fbdcf26.jpg)
Below at the level of the Mass Pike, I photographed a crane that was lifting counterweights onto itself. In the distance on a flatbed trailer was an immense steel beam, that was to span four lanes of the Mass Pike. After a long wait, the crane lifted the beam into place, guided by one iron worker. As luck would have it, the Boston Prudential Center happened to be in the background.
![](https://72d237d5e64e00a80d17-1fd4c45cfabd65bf5d2d1576af435248.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/48/5d1a6879768e4.jpg)
This was the money shot that I had been waiting for. An entire crew of iron workers bolted the beam in place as I kept snapping away. By this time, it was late afternoon and my assignment was complete. I left Boston as the sky was becoming overcast. I welcome assignments where things happen, and value is created. Whether I’m on a ladder, in a crane bucket, or in a fork-lift aerial cage, I always want to photograph from the best angle to capture the action.
Timothy Becker
Creative Images Photography
901 Main St.
Manchester, CT 06040
860-528-7818
0 Comments