In the 1980s I had the privilege to handle numerous photo assignments for Emhart Corporation in Farmington, Connecticut. As a fortune 200 corporation; Emhart had several divisions that included industrial operations. As a freelancer, I provided photos for the corporate newspaper, which was mailed to Emhart employees and shareholders. Handling those assignments is where I learned industrial photography. In those days I shot film: black and white negative, color transparency and slides. There were no automatic exposure or automatic focus cameras. I had to figure out manual settings for everything. There were even more ways to mess up. If time permitted, I would set up my roll film camera and use my polaroid back to check my lighting. Most often there was no time to set up lighting. I was never sure that my photos were good until the film processing was completed. It could be later that day or the next day. There was always a chance the the photo lab would mess up your film. A few times I got that dreaded call from the lab.

I was assigned to photograph the foundry at the Farrel Division in Ansonia, Connecticut. At the time, Farrel made 25 foot long iron rolls for the paper industry from scratch. The foundry was in an old brick building that was very dark. The process was called a double pour and lasted about two minutes. The molten metal had to swill through the molds evenly to get a good pour. I hadn't photographed anything like this before and I wasn't happy with my results. I didn't leave the shutter open long enough to get a nice spark pattern.

I asked if I could take this assignment again at my own expense. I got a second chance about a week later. This time, I brought my roll film camera loaded with color negative film which allows for a wider range of exposure. I also shot with my 35mm Nikon F; which now serves as a nice paperweight. The two images above have been in my portfolio ever since. There is something about molten metal, sparks, and fire that is visually compelling. Regrettably, a couple of weeks after I took the foundry photos, I was informed that the foundry was closing and the photos wouldn't be published.

Late last year I was thrilled to hear from the marketing director of Farrel Pomini asking for a quote to photograph a large piece of equipment. Wow, after 45 years I had an opportunity to do more photos at Farrel! I forwarded the foundry photo along with my quote and got the job. The old brick building downtown was sold years ago and Farrel Pomini built a new facility in a very nice industrial park in Ansonia. The machine I was to photograph was still being constructed and tested, so I needed to do some fancy Photoshop work to remove the background and photographically bolt on a cover plate and make wires and hoses disappear. 

I photographed this cover plate separately so that I could place it on the machine in Photoshop.

My good friend Tony helped me with the shoot. I used three large strobe lights with umbrellas on heavy twelve foot light stands, weighed down with sand bags, to evenly light the machine. I took three shots: straight on, at an angle and elevated on a ladder. I used my 45MP Nikon 850 that produces amazing quality 8256px X 5504px images. The tough part of the assignment was the photo retouching. It me took over a week to complete the cloning and tweaking of each image. I added a new background and a drop shadow.

After sending images back and forth to the client, the final images were approved. 

The marketing director told me that the images were "beautiful" and that she would send my invoice to accounting for payment. I was ecstatic!

I don't believe that there are many industrial photographers left in Connecticut; but I love being where metal is being heated, poured, cut, shaped, welded or formed and machines are being assembled and tested. That is my happy place. It is even better if I can get into an enclosed platform that is raised up by a forklift truck to get an overall view with my wide angle lens. That is how I like to get high!

Last May I was amped up to photograph the first day of the Connecticut Spring Boat Show in Essex, CT. I arrived early and I was thrilled to find a parking space on the street close to the entrance of the show. I couldn’t wait to see the exquisite yachts that can cost as much as a large mansion. Everyone attending the show had to take a short ferry ride to the docks. I got nervous when I found out that the docks are constantly moving up and down on the water; since I need to take the 360-degree images for a virtual tour from a stationary tripod. I checked in with the show owner, and we walked through the areas of the show where he wanted the Google virtual tour to go. I took a bunch of still shots around the show which had multiple walkways and boat slips. It was one of those perfect spring days.

I had only taken the two cameras and the tripod, since I didn't want to lug my big camera bag around. I set up my tripod to start taking the virtual tour images,  I turned my camera on and …. nothing. I have been a professional photographer for over fifty years; and I was furious at myself for making the classic rookie mistake.

I always fully charge my batteries after each assignment before I place my camera back in my camera bag. Apparently, this battery was at the end of it's useful life and did not hold a charge, and I failed to check my camera before leaving my car. I had made the classic rookie mistake! How embarrassing. Being a photographer can keep you humble because there are so many things that can go wrong. I had to tell the show owner that I had made a rookie mistake and that I would be back. 

Fortunately, I keep many charged batteries in the trunk of my car. I had to take the short ferry ride back to land and then take a walk to my car. By this time the crowds were starting to arrive making the virtual tour photography a bit more difficult. You will see many blurred people walking around me in the virtual tour images.  At least the weather and the yachts were beautiful. I keep my fingers crossed that the moving dock would not be a problem with the panorama photos. The next day I stitched up the panoramas on my computer and they looked great. What a relief! Then I ordered more camera batteries. You can’t ever have too many batteries in your camera bag, and you need to bring extra batteries with you! The Google tour is here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/bTHREpZ4TvqgngBq6

With the cold and snow we have experienced on the east coast this winter, I thought it would be pleasant to take a late summer virtual visit to the Catskills. I photographed this tour in September of 2024. Spring will be with us soon since players report this week to many major league spring training camps. I can't wait for baseball to start again!   The Foxfire Mountain House https://www.foxfiremountainhouse.com/ in Mount Tremper, NY is a restored inn on ten private acres in the Catskills. The inn offers guestrooms, cottages and a cabin with a pond on their grounds. The inn hosts weddings as well as offering fine dinning and a bar. 

Enjoy a relaxing Google virtual tour through the inn and around the grounds and the lily pod here:

 

I always enjoy photographing unusual businesses. That was the case when I was assigned to produce a Google virtual tour and still photos for American Flat Bread in Sommerville, Massachusetts https://americanflatbread.com/locations/somerville-ma/ . The pizza there is handmade and baked in a stone fireplace with glowing embers.

What makes the location unique is the pizza restaurant also has lanes for candlestick bowling.

You will find candlestick bowling only in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and the Maritime Providences of Canada.  The ball used in candlestick bowling is only 4.5 inches in diameter and weighs two pounds seven ounces. Unlike ten pin bowling, no one has ever scored a perfect game of 300. The highest score recorded was 245 in 2014.

The bowling costs $39 / hour per lane and shoe rental is $4.

You can take the Google tour here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/a9wh5JezQwZtwm3p9

According to the manager Melissa Merrill, the bowling alley is the last of 19 originally opened in 1939 by the famous Sacco’s Bowling family who allowed American Flatbread to take over the building and the bowling. “So now it’s not condos, it’s candlepins. It’s not a parking lot, it’s pepperoni.”

This was one of many unique businesses that I had the privledge to photograph this year, So far, 2025 has been an amazing year for me!

Timothy Becker

Creative Images Photography

901 Main St.

Manchester, CY 06040

tim@2cimages.com

 

Victoria Gardens

 

From time to time, I have a photo assignment that is so colorful; there are beautiful photos to be taken everywhere I point my camera. Last year I produced a Google virtual tour and still photos for Victoria Gardens in Rosendale New York https://www.victoriagardens.biz/  Victoria Gardens has a nursery, garden center, and gift shop. According to their website Victoria Gardens has a landscaping division that “has been designing, installing, and maintaining gardens in Ulster county for over 30 years." This was another fun photo assignment.

The gift shop offers house plants, jewelry, garden ornaments, wind chimes, pottery, and cards.

The garden center has a wide variety of plants, soils, seeds, arbors, trellises, outdoor rugs and garden tools.

Seeing these flowers, I am so glad that Spring has arrived. You can take the Google tour here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EAWaQRDzweTXCvYB9

Timothy Becker

Creative Images Photography

901 Main St.

Manchester, CT 06040

tim@2cimages.com