How to tell if they use a model for photo shoots,

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

Just imagine the advertising copywriters...

"Our skilled and attentive workforce is ready for your prototype and production work" Now we just need a couple of pictures, yeah, they should do.

Ought to increase business no end.

David

Well yes, some of them. I worked in the electronics marketing communications (PR and advertising) arena for 30 years (still do, part time) and in any company that I worked for, be it in-house or agency, anything like that would NOT have got past first base, let alone into production. In any case, most of the time I would have been directing the photography, and as a former white coated test engineer I would have made sure that the shot was a good one from all standpoints, including technical accuracy. Not all agencies and copywriters are dummies David. I think the origin of most of those 'incorrect' photos is likely to be image bank companies who are kinda jack of all trades and master of none. "You wanna photo of a bloke building a wall, a car mechanic, or a person soldering a PCB? We'll provide you with it!" And that's the result. Spend the money and go to a bona fide electronics focused PR agency with copywriters who grew up and qualified in electronics, and you'll get the real deal. Just defending my profession!

[Radio Wrangler]

No, you're perfectly right, Steve. The proper specialist people with a reasonable working knowledge of the industry they serve would never make or use such an image. THey'd be laughing with the rest of us if they saw these.

As a fairly keen photographer I see magazine articles on how to get photos taken on 'spec placed with photo agencies so the photographer can just wait hoping for some money to come rolling in. But this shows the sort of gaffe that can happen with no knowledge of the field being photographed.

Maybe AP and the RPS need to run how-not-to articles.

David

Just thinking about this, i think that perhaps they are "Terminators" with iron hands living between us.

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

No, you're perfectly right, Steve. The proper specialist people with a reasonable working knowledge of the industry they serve would never make or use such an image. THey'd be laughing with the rest of us if they saw these.

As a fairly keen photographer I see magazine articles on how to get photos taken on 'spec placed with photo agencies so the photographer can just wait hoping for some money to come rolling in. But this shows the sort of gaffe that can happen with no knowledge of the field being photographed.

Maybe AP and the RPS need to run how-not-to articles.

David

The worst was when cheap digital cameras came in. As soon as the subject of a photo came up, my clients (electronics companies) would refer to the recently purchased office camera and they would get 'someone in the office' to take a shot of the new IC, whatever, rather than pay around £300 for a pro shot. On the odd occasions that that happened the result was a pathetic, awful photo that was not taken up by the electronics press. So they 'saved' £300 and got no publicity for their latest amazing IC. Technically brilliant engineers are often lacking in their knowledge of marketing communications.

[AC/HL]

Originally Posted by stevehertz

And how to tell if the photographer and/or photo shoot director has ever used a soldering iron..

From our perspective, the answer seems obvious, QED. On the other hand, the resulting images are more balanced and natural to people who only hold a pen. They can't possibly have been used in a technical environment, or if they were, only once!

[FrankB]

This is obviously why the electronics manufacturing has left the U.S. and gone to Asia.

Darwinism at its best.

[suebutcher]

Once upon a time nearly all the people doing the soldering on electronic production lines were women; we have better colour vision, smaller fingers, and we didn't cost as much. The photographer could just pick the most photogenic worker and put her in the foreground.

[Diabolical Artificer]

Re post #6, well spotted Electronpusher. I watched several video's on the Banksy picture incident by electronic tech's who missed that.

"Once upon a time nearly all the people doing the soldering on electronic production lines were women" I think this is still the case Sue, in the far east and elsewhere. Watch any vintage Tektronix video and all the fiddly jobs were done by women and most of the worlds guitar amps with P-P wiring were built by women, though they did know how to use an iron.

This reminds me of the women in a couple of factories I worked in when I left school. There were a few hundred women doing the repetitive intricate jobs, who were a formidable bunch and scared the life out of a young naive boy. They often grabbed a young lad, relieved him of his trousers, covered him in black grease and tied him to a machine to relieve the monotony, didn't catch me though, fortunately. That aside, they were a great laugh.

Andy.

[regentone001]

unfortunately they aren't always models. When I worked as an "organ pipe voicer" a guy who was writing a book about organ building wanted some photos of the production of organ pipes. He was sent into my workshop to take some photos of the voicing procedure. He asked me to use the proportional dividers and handed them to me. I went to use them the correct way up and was told to use them the other way as it looked more impressive. I have a copy of one of the photos somewhere around I will have to dig it out
Steve

[Dave Moll]

I hope you told hime that, although it might look more impressive to those not in the know, anyone who knew anything the procedure would be quite the oppposite of impressed.

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by regentone001

unfortunately they aren't always models. When I worked as an "organ pipe voicer" a guy who was writing a book about organ building wanted some photos of the production of organ pipes. He was sent into my workshop to take some photos of the voicing procedure. He asked me to use the proportional dividers and handed them to me. I went to use them the correct way up and was told to use them the other way as it looked more impressive. I have a copy of one of the photos somewhere around I will have to dig it out
Steve

Indeed, it happens. Well, like I say, whenever I was directing a shot it was done how I wanted it as an engineer and a marcoms man, so it would be technically accurate and have a visual 'wow factor'. It can be done, it's when people who understand the technicalities of the shot are either not present or don't point out the error, that these 'silly shots' happen. It's a pretty stupid photographer who takes no notice of being informed of a technical faux pas in order to get what he/she thinks is a 'good shot'.

[Brigham]

Originally Posted by stevehertz

it's a pretty stupid photographer who takes no notice of being informed of a technical faux pas in order to get what he/she thinks is a 'good shot'.

A stupid one or an arrogant one.
On a TV-related forum, there was talk of a 'wrong' TV set appearing in a period drama on television.
A working TV director said "If I liked the look of a particular TV, or other prop, I would use it, irrespective of whether or not it was available in that period".
Not all anachronisms are down to ignorance!

[sabaman]

I wonder if her super power skills also translate to E.H.T. probes?

Seth

[regentone001]

I did indeed inform him but he wanted that shot so took it. It would have been ok if he had let me use them that way measuring the width of the mouth instead of marking the cut up. But hey ho he got what he wanted.
I found the photo I have but in this one it is accurate as I am cutting a tuning slot in a principal pipe so they can get it right if they want to

[high_vacuum_house]

I remember a company did a photo shoot at the Glos Warwickshire railway a number of years ago. they wanted pictures of someone driving a diesel locomotive and operating the controls. I saw the pictures afterwards, Not bad but all of the gauges in the cab including the speedo were showing zero!!

When I was looking to go to university I had a prospectus from one university for their electronic engineering courses. The literature had been put on the pages with a background (or border) of a through hole PCB. I commented to my dad that all of the resistors were either all crooked or the paint chipped off the edges!

Christopher Capener

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by Brigham

A stupid one or an arrogant one.
On a TV-related forum, there was talk of a 'wrong' TV set appearing in a period drama on television.
A working TV director said "If I liked the look of a particular TV, or other prop, I would use it, irrespective of whether or not it was available in that period".
Not all anachronisms are down to ignorance!

Sometimes it's down to "style".
This was shot in 1983
https://youtu.be/mCRy4QJrQ4g?t=145
The director asked me to provide a 1970s era TV even though everything else in the scene was contemporary.

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by Diabolical Artificer

"Once upon a time nearly all the people doing the soldering on electronic production lines were women" I think this is still the case Sue, in the far east and elsewhere. Watch any vintage Tektronix video and all the fiddly jobs were done by women and most of the worlds guitar amps with P-P wiring were built by women, though they did know how to use an iron.

This reminds me of the women in a couple of factories I worked in when I left school. There were a few hundred women doing the repetitive intricate jobs, who were a formidable bunch and scared the life out of a young naive boy. They often grabbed a young lad, relieved him of his trousers, covered him in black grease and tied him to a machine to relieve the monotony, didn't catch me though, fortunately. That aside, they were a great laugh.

Andy.

There was a BBC series about such women in 1989/91 called "Making Out"
I didn't see much of it, but one detail I remember, which was slightly overdone, each worker has a washing-up liquid bottle filled with water, presumably to keep her sponge wet.

And here it is on Youtube!
https://youtu.be/RlrXrs_YGB8?t=744

[Damien VK3RX]

each worker has a washing-up liquid bottle filled with water, presumably to keep her sponge wet.

Exactly right, in the factory I worked in for a couple of years after leaving school.

The women never tied me up and covered me with grease though

[G8UWM-MildMartin]

I vaguely remember being horrified around 30 years ago by an Argos or Index catalogue with a similar picture, though I can't remember whether it was for a soldering- or pyrography- iron.
At work, I'll do the soldering on batches of under 5 and reach a standard at least equal to the ladies' in my previous job, but more slowly even with my best prescription safety glasses. Larger batches are subcontracted to a local company where the owner, his wife, and an employee, all with decades of experience, consistently do an absolutely amazingly perfect job!

[TonyDuell]

Originally Posted by high_vacuum_house

I remember a company did a photo shoot at the Glos Warwickshire railway a number of years ago. they wanted pictures of someone driving a diesel locomotive and operating the controls. I saw the pictures afterwards, Not bad but all of the gauges in the cab including the speedo were showing zero!!

Some time ago I took a photo of turning some part or other as a stage in a restoration. Of course I had the workpiece stationary when taking the photo, but when looking at said photo I realised you could clearly see the lathe's spindle clutch lever -- in the 'disengaged' position. Me being me, I stopped the lathe motor, engaged the clutch and took the photo again.

I also remember an article in Practical Electronics in the late 1970's/early 1980's on electronics in cars. The cover picture showed a (then very unusual) electronic dashboard display. This was (hopefully) in some kind of demo mode as readers quickly pointed out it showed that the car was travelling at 70mph with the bonnet open.