Mining Photography In Northern Ontario

I recently did a mining photography shoot in Northern Ontario. We wanted to create a lot of images that showed the operations of the company, it’s employees on a daily basis. Additionally aerial photographs to show the sites from above. Below are a few of my favorite images from the day.

Mining Photography Images:

An aerial photograph of the drilling platform in the forest of Northern Ontario. I used aerial images to show the scale of the drilling rig in relation to the massive forest. The red of the rig forms a sharp contrast in comparison to the dark greens of the pine trees in this example mining photography.

A geologist poses for the camera at the drilling site. I used a shallow depth of field to create separation from the background. The trees lend nicely to being blurred in this image.

Looking for gold within the granite sample. Prior to mining the gold must be located by drilling for core samples. Geologists inspect the gold to determine where it is. This was a candid photograph showing the daily activities of the drill operation.

In this photograph a geologist and a drill operator discuss the results of the samples being drilled.

A drill operator poses at the side of a drilling rig.

Inspecting the dill operation. The drill operator watches over the drill to inspect the operation

A worker poses outside of the drill. I shot this into the sun to create a flare for dramatic effect in this mining photograph.

The drilling operation is located deep in the forest on road that aren’t always suitable for walking.

Spraying the core samples to inspect for gold deposits. I am using an off camera flash to left to increase the drama of the image.

Geologists inspect each core sample looking for mineral deposits.

Using a microscope to inspect the deposits.

An overhead view of two geologist reviewing a drilling map.

Geologists follow plans of drilling locations, relative to mineral yield.

Core samples are cataloged to asses potential mining sites.

An employee poses in front of a saw used for cutting the core samples. The samples are cut lengthwise to expose the inside of the core.

About The Shoot

This mining photo shoot was conducted for Great Bear Resources located in Red Lake, Ontario. The purpose was to create advertising and editorial photography which could be used by the client to market there business to potential investors. As an industrial photographer, I always want to create valuable image assets that can be utilized by our clients for years to come.

Mining for gold has multiple steps before a mine is put into full operation. I personally, followed several staff members throughout their daily activities. We did editorial photos at the drilling sites in Northern Ontario. We photographed the process in which core samples are inspected and cataloged.

We photographed staff in every aspect of early mine exploration. Besides all of this, I also was able to utilize a drone to take aerial images of the various different sites.

These types of mining photography shoots are always a great experience. Flying in to remote locations I get the pleasure of documenting work processes that few people get to see or experience.

Related: The Different Types of Industrial Photography

Placing the core samples for storage.

A close up image of a core sample with gold deposits