Photographing Science

[Denton]

A couple of days ago Thomas Struth was in my lab photographing. One of my guys found him and chased him out, but only in jest, and invited him back in. Funny, but I've been doing (free) publicity shots for Yale lately, and it got me thinking about how best to photograph technology. I'm a scientist and seeing it from "outside" can be an issue. Go for techno-glitz or focus on the human element?
I've generally tried to blend interesting lighting with portraiture. But photographing for an editor is different than expressing oneself!
Thots?
Denton

 

[bojanfurst]

Go for techno-glitz 🙂 Seriously, in my work I occasionally photograph scientists doing their thing and it is in some ways getting to be difficult because so much of science happens in front of a computer which than invariably ends up looking like somebody in front of a computer and the only way to tell a business prof from a physicist is the way they dress. Occasionally, I luck out and shoot in an engineering lab with a scientist testing composters for cold climates or massive marine simulators or giant flume tanks, but most of the time I find that I actually have to work on creating an environmental portrait out of bits and pieces around them. I guess I am not providing much advice. Sorry...

 

[daveleo]

Depends on who the target audience is. If it's high school kids that you want to stimulate to study science, go techno-glitz (fisheye lens, weird angles, edgy poses).
If it's to stimulate stuffy, rich alumni to donate money to the science dept., do it straight up, pleasant lighting, serious faces, enthralled students in the background.

 

[Richard G]

I saw a marvelous portrait of a newly appointed judge in our local newspaper. No clichéd rows of legal books as the backdrop. Brilliant. An architectural composition, wonderful colour and character revelation. The modern architecture reflected perhaps the order and authority and responsiveness of the modern court.


Science is about passion. The requisite white coat and pipette above the test tube is so limiting. Your instinct for this sounds spot on to me.

 

[Denton]

Not sure Dirac was convinced!

Not sure Dirac was convinced!

But great feeling in that image, definitely what I'd like to capture!
Denton

 

[icebear]

As Dave already mentioned it depends largely on the target audience.
What the real world advantage of your science for products everybody uses? Your pictures need to answer that :
What's in it for me?
Does it make the new I-phone 6 300$ cheaper and the battery last for a week? Everybody will love your project.
Does it provide a potential clue for for the sub sub Higgs boson, everybody with a little bit of common sense will get the idea that your help wasting billions of dollars.

 

[rogue_designer]

I usually think of it in terms of the human element, either the researchers or the end result. But much depends on the intended audience and publication.

Someone sitting at a computer working, can easily be tweaked using a screen projector and a better location.