I'm not sure if there is already a photography thread for cranes, but if there is I missed it and I apologize for the redundancy of this post. However, I went craning about a month ago for my first time I must say that I was very impressed. It was a complete blast!
Anyway, post your crane pictures, I want to see and hear about your craning experiences.

I like the use of symmetry.

Very nice pics. This may be a newb question, but how hard is it to get up cranes? do you use ladders/staircases or climb the diagonal supports? Climbing harnesses or ropes? Take very long? I probably won't be climbing any cranes in the near future, but i'm curious

Posted by Herm Very nice pics. This may be a newb question, but how hard is it to get up cranes? do you use ladders/staircases or climb the diagonal supports? Climbing harnesses or ropes? Take very long? I probably won't be climbing any cranes in the near future, but i'm curious

They generally have separate short little ladders with landings at each section going all the way up. And yes, for the taller ones, it can require some patience. Tallest crane I've ever climbed was just over 700 feet and it took almost an hour to get to the top...

Here are some good rookie forum threads on the topic:

Cranes:
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=107377
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=85070
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=23261
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=88968 (fear of heights, cranes)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=81593 (construction sites)

About 80 stories up in NYC. It was a building under construction. It had about 76 completed floors with a crane about 4-5 more stories above that. Climbed the 76 stories in the building, then climbed the crane to get even higher.

Big Apple by Rinzler., on Flickr

Times Square by Rinzler., on Flickr


Went to DC for the weekend and it just happens that the hotel i was staying at was right next to this construction site. So i had to climb it. Since nothing in a certain area can be higher than the Capitol Building, i was able to see the entire area since the crane reached about the buildings.

D.C. - Washington Monument by Rinzler., on Flickr

Posted by macgruder I like the use of symmetry.

I do as well, the yellow paint + lighting against the night sky is great as well. Appreciate the photos as I'm someone who tends to shy away from narrow heights!

Next week I should be pulling one up over you all. I'm going to climb an abandoned crane.

Posted by Steed Next week I should be pulling one up over you all. I'm going to climb an abandoned crane.

Double whammy!

Beautiful shots, but I am NOPE-ing so hard right now.

I enjoy industrial reds, whites and blacks.

***picture removed***

I have yet to try craning but everytime I see peoples images from it I want to do it more and more!

I love those crane photos, my favorite has got to be the second one on the first post. It looks awesome in black and white. I gotta hit one of these bad boys up sometime.
What kind of security measures are put in place at the bottom of tower cranes, in general?

Posted by Dominus I love those crane photos, my favorite has got to be the second one on the first post. It looks awesome in black and white. I gotta hit one of these bad boys up sometime. What kind of security measures are put in place at the bottom of tower cranes, in general?

It depends. Could be one guard, could be none. I've climbed cranes and buildings under construction. Only one time I saw a guard and when I did, I was already up at the top. Hell, the one in dc had the gates wide open and no guard so I waltzed right in. Best bet is to locate a trailer or a vehicle on the property. That will give you an idea as to if anybody is inside. If no vehicles are there, I doubt anybody is, even if the trailer lights are on. the trailers usually also have a bar that goes across the door to them, try and scope that out too.

Posted by Dominus What kind of security measures are put in place at the bottom of tower cranes, in general?

In this one in particular, there was a only a fence around the construction site. I've heard that some sites hire security guards to patrol around the area, so be cautious of this. Once at the top however, the operating booth was locked with a padlock. But! In our case, and I'm assuming in most cases, the key was left up there hidden. The construction site members would lose/forget the key if they had to bring the key to unlock the hatch to get inside if they had to bring it up every day. So it seems that they just leave the key "hidden" up there all the time.
The biggest concern we had about this crane was that we would be spotted by someone and then reported. But this crane was on a college campus and we went at a time when there is hardly anyone out so that wasn't much of an issue.
The crane we really wanted to climb was right in the heart of downtown in the busiest area and it was very well lit. If we would've climbed that, we would've been spotted for sure. So just be wise about where and when you climb.

So! To summarize. Hardly any security on this location. But be careful anyway.

I will happily and joyfully jump into a hole in the ground to explore without a second thought, but when it comes to going up, that isn't my cup of tea. Incredible shots!

Posted by Salty Trees In this one in particular, there was a only a fence around the construction site. I've heard that some sites hire security guards to patrol around the area, so be cautious of this. Once at the top however, the operating booth was locked with a padlock. But! In our case, and I'm assuming in most cases, the key was left up there hidden. The construction site members would lose/forget the key if they had to bring the key to unlock the hatch to get inside if they had to bring it up every day. So it seems that they just leave the key "hidden" up there all the time. The biggest concern we had about this crane was that we would be spotted by someone and then reported. But this crane was on a college campus and we went at a time when there is hardly anyone out so that wasn't much of an issue. The crane we really wanted to climb was right in the heart of downtown in the busiest area and it was very well lit. If we would've climbed that, we would've been spotted for sure. So just be wise about where and when you climb. So! To summarize. Hardly any security on this location. But be careful anyway.

Cool, so there are no security measures at ground level besides guards, you can walk up to the ladder?

Salty Tree's your third shot is fantastic!

I've only done a handful of cranes and they are not even worth posting. I did a crane in Vancouver in 2013 and dropped my tripod when I was half way up, I did one in my city on a foggy night and then a big one in Toronto one night last year. I've really got to up my crane game!

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Posted by macgruder I like the use of symmetry.

Especially that last one!