"Still Done by Hand": Lundin Construction, Ogilvie

kieferart

Scheduling the photo shoot with Fred for this was quite a challenge. After having agreed to participate in the show, every job he and his crew took on for nearly the whole year was commercial. Liability issues would have prevented me from being present on the sites. But, in the late summer of 2013, Fred called with the great news that he finally had a residential job: a lake cabin restoration near Stanchfield, MN. Lundin Construction is constantly at work, even in the dead of winter. The geographical range of work they accept is vast. Recently, they commuted to Ramsey, MN for a new home construction. I felt as though I was lucky that the cabin job was only about a half hour away.

Once on site, I began taking a variety of shots, some of which included the lake. The scene would have been very interesting to paint, but I soon discovered that most of the work they were doing required the use of power tools which didn't lend itself to interesting hand positions. Later, studying the photos in my studio, I realized that they just weren't going to work very well. I told Fred that I'd go ahead and use them, but that they weren't exactly what I was looking for. Without skipping a beat, Fred offered to have me show up at yet another residential job he had scheduled in early September. This time it was only about 5 miles from my house! They were to build a large pole barn, requiring lots of hammering. What luck!

That morning, the sky was beautiful. Mackerel clouds and deep blue, clean sky were the backdrop for Fred and Chris as they worked atop a hydraulic lift which enabled them to reach the upper tiers of cross bracing. The lighting was very interesting, but created quite a technical challenge for me. The sun was mostly behind them only outlining the edges of their figures which left the majority of their bodies in relative shadow, only receiving reflected, fainter light bouncing off the clouds. I think it turned out nicely, though. Thanks, Fred, for that second shot at it! I think it made all the difference.

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