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06/28/2007 11:19:44 PM · #1 |
As many of you know, I have been published many times over. And some of you know that I also do Underground Photography. Well, just recently one of the mining magazines 'Australian Longwall' (they are also responsible for 'American Longwall'), flew their editor over from Perth (opposite side of Australia) to meet up with me and together we covered a story at a mine about 150 kms away.
Today I received a couple of copies in the mail for my records and whilst I have done plenty of covers and inside story publishing with both major and minor magazines and newspapers...never, have I had this many in one issue. Not only did I get the cover, but also 16 images throughout the magazine, including full page and double page per image. I was stoked. No matter how many times you are published...I think the thrill is just as exciting as the first.
Anyways...here are a few of the images from this issue. Please excuse the quick snapshot of the cover...the magazine shows beautiful details with absolutely no blowouts. For the record it is pitch black under there...my lighting lit the place up like a christmas tree and blinded many a miner..lol!!
Current Cover
A Previous Cover
   
  
Some other images from underground that are yet to be used. In the fourth image you can see the man on the right is actually carrying my studio lighting that I take underground.
   
Just to show I do get dirty down there. (The man with me is my work partner who also works underground. He is also the man in the Previous Cover above.)
  
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06/28/2007 11:26:50 PM · #2 |
| Wow...!!! Very, very cool. |
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06/29/2007 12:28:02 AM · #3 |
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06/29/2007 12:39:09 AM · #4 |
Congrats Judi! Those are great, thx for sharing them :)
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06/29/2007 12:43:08 AM · #5 |
| Grats Judi thats AWESOME :) |
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06/29/2007 12:43:19 AM · #6 |
| awesome Judi !!!!! I can only imagine the feeling of being published as it's super exciting to just hear you talk about it.. Wonderful images.. |
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06/29/2007 12:43:46 AM · #7 |
| That is pretty awesome. I wish I could get published in more than just my Base newspaper. LOL |
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06/29/2007 12:45:25 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by Judi:
Thanks Brad. |
You're welcome.
:P
So when is the room addition going in for all your memorabilia, and awards, and real ribbons, and magazines, and and and...
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06/29/2007 12:48:37 AM · #9 |
Cool Judy!
So when you go down under, down under, is that like being up above?
:)
Congratulations! |
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06/29/2007 12:52:31 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by nshapiro:
Cool Judy!
So when you go down under, down under, is that like being up above?
:)
Congratulations! |
Hahaha...no, when we go down...we do it properly...you lot only pretend..lmao!!
Thanks heaps everyone...I am still buzzing over it.
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06/29/2007 12:58:29 AM · #11 |
You sure do like to slap yourself on the back, but I guess I would as well if I had that much exposure.
Congrats.
Message edited by author 2007-06-29 01:01:17. |
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06/29/2007 01:02:20 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by LanceW:
You sure do like to self-congratulate yourself, but I guess I would as well if I had that much exposure.
Congrats. |
Sometimes one needs a pat on the back every now and again...and I only ask for it when I think I may have deserved it.
Yes it is a lot of exposure...that is what blew me away. I have not bothered mentioning the awards and trophies that are sitting in the cupboards...so please....don't see it as an attention thing...that is the last thing I want. Maybe I should just ignore this thread now.
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06/29/2007 01:08:00 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by Judi:
I have not bothered mentioning the awards and trophies that are sitting in the cupboards...so please....don't see it as an attention thing...that is the last thing I want. Maybe I should just ignore this thread now. |
Actually, you have... ;-)
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06/29/2007 01:08:49 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by Judi:
Originally posted by LanceW:
You sure do like to self-congratulate yourself, but I guess I would as well if I had that much exposure.
Congrats. |
Sometimes one needs a pat on the back every now and again...and I only ask for it when I think I may have deserved it.
Yes it is a lot of exposure...that is what blew me away. I have not bothered mentioning the awards and trophies that are sitting in the cupboards...so please....don't see it as an attention thing...that is the last thing I want. Maybe I should just ignore this thread now. |
No way girl, you deserve the attention. Milk it for all its worth :) |
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06/29/2007 01:09:20 AM · #15 |
Actually, you have... ;-) [/quote]
Nope.....that is only the tip of the iceberg....but I am not going to go there.
Just forget it.
Message edited by author 2007-06-29 01:09:48.
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06/29/2007 01:09:55 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by dknourek:
No way girl, you deserve the attention. Milk it for all its worth :) |
I agree and I certainly wasn't coming down on ya Judi. |
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06/29/2007 01:12:03 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by LanceW:
Originally posted by dknourek:
No way girl, you deserve the attention. Milk it for all its worth :) |
I agree and I certainly wasn't coming down on ya Judi. |
Then I apologize if I thought you were. Thankyou Lance.
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06/29/2007 01:14:14 AM · #18 |
| These photos are very moving to me for a variety of reasons... they are so done well... photographed excellently... my grandfather died in the mines... he was a brusher, one of the most dangerous jobs in the mines in the 1950's ... he had a heart attack. Age 71. He was a Scott, a man who believed in hard work. He had been a blacksmith before going to the mines... so there he was, 4 miles out in a shaft that ran under the Atlantic when he had a heart attack. The shaft he was in didn't have the trip carts that would take you back to the tunnel leading up to the ground... his fellow miners passed him man to man, forming a human chain... when they got him to the surface he was able to say "tell my sons to work above the ground so they won't die like meâ Thank you Judi.... so very much. Maggie |
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06/29/2007 01:16:21 AM · #19 |
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06/29/2007 01:27:48 AM · #20 |
Maggie.....you just gave me chills. Whenever I go to the mines...I have to adorn huge clothes (they cannot find clothes to fit me) and I have to carry another 20kg in safety equipment that is strapped onto me. I then have to load up my photographic equipment on my back and my studio lighting case and tripod. I cannot change batteries of any sort down there...so everything goes through major inspection and tagging. I even had to wait 2 months to get a breakdown of my tripod material from Manfrotto in Italy.
I then walk out amongst the miners...they have to wait for me. They generally can't go down until I have as I have to be escorted and driven everywhere. The men hold their hand out for me to get up and down off vehicles and they lift me up onto the machines. I struggle to walk through the mud up to my knees...all the while holding my equipment up. The only light is from my cap lamp...and that I have to face away so it doesn't interfere with the photos. I use my lightsphere and that means I have to almost crawl under pipes and such to avoid knocking my equipment. It is pitch black. If I turn my light off...I cannot even see my hand.
I become filthy black within minutes. The wind from the tunnels rush through my hair and tangle it into a bit knot....the black dirt flies up around me. My muscles tire from trying to walk through the sludge with all the weight on me. And yet I try to keep my mind clear and my ears peeled for shots. I try to organize the crews so I can get the shots. At times I cannot hear the men due to the machines and their blades flying past my face at only 5 feet away. I lean over precariously to get the shot. The men, tired and dirty, manage to smile the whole time and always treat me like a lady. They don't swear around me, even though I tell them to. I want them to relax and be themselves...that is what I want to show in my photos. The miners...and how dirty their work area truly is.
People on the surface complain about no airconditioning...late lunches...their coffee cup not washed up. These guys have to carry their lunches for a 12 hour shift. There is no corner store...no coke machine...no one to call if they forgot their food. They even have to carry their 5litre containers of water with them. If they run out...there is no where to refill...they have to go without or hope they can get some from the other men. Some of them may have a crib box full of ice in which they store their milk for their thermos coffee....but the sandwiches are soggy. Their lunch boxes black and their mueslie bar packets filthy from their surrounds.
They are incredible men...and they need to be portrayed that way. As wives we have accepted the fact that we may never see our men return home. But many wives never see what they go through.
When we get back to the surface...we must shower and leave our clothes there. And then I pick up my camera and my hands are black....again...the coating over my camera stays there for weeks...regardless of the cleaning.
The black stays in the mens eyes, hands and soul...for a lifetime!
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06/29/2007 02:02:20 AM · #21 |
Originally posted by Judi:
Thanks Brad. |
Eeekkk! You spoke my real name. Oh well, the artist formerly known as BradP can still be 'The Brad'! ;) |
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06/29/2007 02:10:25 AM · #22 |
| good for you judi! that's awesome. it's good for all of us to get a glimpse into the unknown worlds around us. your respect for these hard working folks shows in the images... you have done them justice! |
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06/29/2007 04:49:59 AM · #23 |
A wonderful tribute to group of very hard working individuals.
When I was much younger I worked in an underground hard rock mine one and a half miles down, and remember only too well the harsh conditions you refer to.
A truly masterful job of depicting the mining conditions... and thanks for the memories.
Ray
Message edited by author 2007-06-29 04:51:58. |
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06/29/2007 05:14:32 AM · #24 |
Congratulations Judi. You have every right to brag about this fantastic tribute to your quality work. That is an amazing achievement. Not only all of the photographs included in the publication, but the fact that they flew some guy all the way across the country and chose you to snap away for them.
Hope this brings more opportunities and awards. Some great photos.
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06/29/2007 05:42:22 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by Judi:
Maggie.....you just gave me chills. Whenever I go to the mines...I have to adorn huge clothes (they cannot find clothes to fit me) and I have to carry another 20kg in safety equipment that is strapped onto me........ |
I have managed to wiggle my way into a long wall mine too. The mine head electrician keeps his horses at my family's stable. Everything Judi says is true! The clothing is all man-sized and I am not, not even close! I had to wear steel-toe rubber boots that were men's size 6.... 1.5 sizes too big. I had to wear a disposable jump suit that the sleeves were rolled up many times and the legs too then stuffed into the boots. Over that was the safety reflector vest that came down waaaayy past my hips and kept sliding off my shoulders. Then the safety gear including a really heavy battery for the lamp and an external breathing unit and methane detector. I had to go through safety classes so I understood what to do, not do and if there was an emergency like the air system failing or a fire (the biggest danger) I didn't get the luxury of being able to have a flash with me. All time exposures with very little light. The longwall unit itself had some dim lights and the mining cars at the other end of the mine had dim headlights. the mud is the worst..... My mine is in a desert but was pretty darned wet! Now I know where all the water is! The mud was deep and sticky and I had the camera gear as well as the above mentioned stuff in boots that were too big. The time exposures were hard due to the machines shaking the earth. Overall it was a pretty cool experience, I want to go back. At least all my safety training is good for a year. (but I think I'd take it again anyway)
BTW, Judi, the mine I went into is run by an Aussie Company, BHP. Congrats on the nice mag cover and huge spread! I remember the first time I got a spread like that it was so thrilling! (my shooting partner and I got 14 PAGES in a big horse mag)
Message edited by author 2007-06-29 05:43:25. |
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