A familiar client, a different assignment
Pall-Ex has been a client of mine for years, although most of our work together has involved events. I’ve photographed their annual awards dinner for around six years now, as well as a conference and a PR shoot at their headquarters. The awards dinner is always a brilliant occasion, so it was good to spend some time photographing another side of the business.
This was my first dedicated commercial shoot for them. We had half a day at their Leicestershire HQ to cover the site, its people and everyday operations, alongside some arranged meeting photographs and staff portraits.
Pall-Ex specialises in palletised freight distribution across the UK and Europe, and reports moving more than four million pallets around the UK each year. An aerial view gives some perspective on the physical space involved, showing the warehouse, trailer yard and surrounding countryside together.
Inside the distribution hub
At ground level, the photographs become much more about individual people and tasks. Forklifts, lorries and loading areas provide plenty of subject matter, but including the people working with them gives a much better sense of the operation.
There’s also a place for closer photographs. Moving from a whole vehicle to someone handling a trailer fastening changes the scale and brings attention to the practical work happening around the site.
The vehicles worked well as settings for portraits too. I particularly like the reflection in this photograph: it adds something to the composition while keeping the person firmly within their working environment.
The people behind the operation
Inside the offices, the emphasis shifted to conversations, desks and colleagues working together. These photographs help connect the activity out in the hub with the people working elsewhere in the business.
We also set up some meeting photographs. Those were deliberately arranged, giving us an opportunity to show colleagues interacting around a table and looking through printed material.
Formal staff portraits were another part of the brief. The staircase provided a recognisable setting, with its red background and glass balustrade bringing some of the building into the photographs.
A broader picture of the business
There was room for smaller operational details as well, including the equipment behind the scenes. A close view of the server rack adds another part of the workplace to a set that ranges from aerial views to individual portraits.
It was a varied half-day shoot and good fun seeing a familiar client in a different setting. That variety is one of the things I enjoy about commercial photography: finding useful photographs across the people, spaces and activities that make up a business.
Please get in touch if you’d like photographs of your team, workplace or operations.
