P#42: Natural Gas Tanks: Climbing Above the Ordinary

Very, Very Explosive

David Tejada: That was shot for El Paso Energy. I think I'm in Savannah, Georgia and I'm at an L&G Plant, liquid natural gas plant. These two large tanks hold liquid natural gas -- very, very explosive.

You get onto a plant like this and you have to check in your hair comb, cigarette lighters if you have it, anything that can cause a friction or a spark is removed. People move around the plant on bicycles because they have rubber tires, very explosive place.

I was commissioned to produce a brochure for them. We call it a green piece. It was an environmental piece that talked about all the concerns that El Paso has about the environment and what they're doing to protect it.

In this particular location, these large L&G tankers that come in to deliver these goods built a new dock facility at the plant. In order to do so, they had to "destroy" a green area, a cattail swamp area so they built another on. I was there to photograph the new wetlands area that they developed. (click the image for a larger version)

This was at the plant. It was raining at the time and I'm standing underneath the eaves of the doorway going into the cafeteria at the plant. I have a walkie talkie on this gentleman. Normally I put my assistant up there but they have very strict rules in this plant.

I gave the walkie talkie to an employee and asked him to walk up the spiral staircase. I captured him coming up, going down, stopping, looking, pointing. I composed him in all sorts of different types of manners using the walkie talkie again to make the shot.

Audri Lanford: I can see why walkie talkies are such an important part of your photographic equipment.

David Tejada: Big time, very much so. I use a lot of long lenses and I'm not a sports photographer, how about that!

In Summary

As David demonstrates, creating a powerful shot is all about using what you have -- such as the employee's yellow slicker in this shot of natural gas tanks.