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Has anyone ever infiltrated an active steel mill? The ones I’ve looked at don’t seem to have much in terms of security past the front gate and the potential for amazing pictures is tempting. I know the dangers associated with steel making, I’m more so trying to figure out if it’s technically possible of if I’ve headed straight to crazy town.
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I feel like, besides slag sliding, the active photos on this site are actually taken on Doors Open day and passed off as edgy explores.
blindly ever onward |
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Just get permission for active spots. It's not hard. Explore the closed down ones.
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Posted by jakson106
Just get permission for active spots. It's not hard. Explore the closed down ones.
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How do you even start to go about getting permission? I sort of assumed I’d need to be a professional photographer with some sort of insurance and I’ve herd it’s hard to get permission, but I hope I’m wrong.
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Posted by Tamara
I feel like, besides slag sliding, the active photos on this site are actually taken on Doors Open day and passed off as edgy explores.
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That could be a real possibility, however I’m unaware of any of the local mills ever being open to the public. I don’t really care if I’m there legally or illegally I just think there’s some potentially amazing pictures waiting to be taken.
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Posted by Sebk
How do you even start to go about getting permission? I sort of assumed I’d need to be a professional photographer with some sort of insurance and I’ve herd it’s hard to get permission, but I hope I’m wrong.
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Just tell them that you are interested in becoming an engineer and that you want to see how it is done and take photos. It will help that you are young.
Edit: words are hard
[last edit 9/23/2020 2:14 AM by Tamara - edited 1 times]
blindly ever onward |
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You take the dog with you and together penetrate the steel plant ;) or local use, play with it, walk and you will not be driven away by anyone. The joke, of course, but it can work)
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Steel mills tend to have security on the front gate, and also are covered all over by both external and internal CCTV in the rolling mills and other associated buildings. So you may be able to sneak in but unless you know exactly where to position yourself you'll be a sitting duck caught on the internal CCTV cameras.
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Posted by mookster
Steel mills tend to have security on the front gate, and also are covered all over by both external and internal CCTV in the rolling mills and other associated buildings. So you may be able to sneak in but unless you know exactly where to position yourself you'll be a sitting duck caught on the internal CCTV cameras.
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That’s a good point. I didn’t think they would have cameras inside just because the shuttered mill I’ve been to doesn’t have any cameras inside the oxygen furnace shop.
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Posted by Tamara
Just tell them that you are interested in becoming an engineer and that you want to see how it is done and take photos. It will help that you are young.
Edit: words are hard
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That’s true. I was also thinking I could
Say I’m working on a Photography project for school. Not sure which is best. Guess I’ll start by trying to call the main office to plead my case.
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If you have experience with doing large places and active places then I would say consider it. You should try and find a disused portion of the site to do first and get a feel for it, then venture into more active areas. I would also never do it during working hours without permission.
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as i am someone who worked at the back end of a paper mill for 11 years, there are just some places you don't want to go wandering around unsupervised. Sorry if that seems against the ethos of this hobby, but a steel mill is a pretty dangerous place if you don't know what's going on around you.
honestly, if you really really really want to see what goes on in one of these places, call the front office of the mill. Ask for their public relations department or general manager. Introduce yourself, tell them exactly why you'd like a tour and go from there. Be polite, be honest, tell them that you'd like to get some pictures if possible. If they don't like that idea, well, how bad do you want to see the inside. Go with it.
the mill I worked at gave tours to the public all the time. If you use this method, you'll be reasonably safe, won't get burned/gassed/crushed looking at things.
just my two cents anyway...
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I work in an active steel mill in western pa as a maintenance tech. Each mill is different, but using mine as an example, getting permission to enter the site as a regular member of the public is out of the question, much less photograph it. Even employees risk termination for snapping pics. It's taken very seriously.
As for "infiltrating" the mill, good luck. You won't stand out at all, with no hardhat, no ppe, a big-ass camera, etc. Anything worth seeing is already being watched, whether it be guards or workers. There is literally a command center where >3 guards are watching the cameras 24/7, let alone the half dozen that are in patrol inside/outside. If caught, they'll most likely detain you & press trespassing charges.
Lastly, mills are no place for sightseeing. It is a very dangerous environment that takes lives every year. I'm not trying to sound dramatic, but you could very easily get yourself or someone else hurt by not knowing what you are doing or where you are going. Inside, There is lots and lots of very big, very heavy and very hot stuff that is constantly on the move.
Of course other places may be different. Use your head and don't be naive.
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Posted by KingKong
I work in an active steel mill in western pa as a maintenance tech. Each mill is different, but using mine as an example, getting permission to enter the site as a regular member of the public is out of the question, much less photograph it. Even employees risk termination for snapping pics. It's taken very seriously.
As for "infiltrating" the mill, good luck. You won't stand out at all, with no hardhat, no ppe, a big-ass camera, etc. Anything worth seeing is already being watched, whether it be guards or workers. There is literally a command center where >3 guards are watching the cameras 24/7, let alone the half dozen that are in patrol inside/outside. If caught, they'll most likely detain you & press trespassing charges.
Lastly, mills are no place for sightseeing. It is a very dangerous environment that takes lives every year. I'm not trying to sound dramatic, but you could very easily get yourself or someone else hurt by not knowing what you are doing or where you are going. Inside, There is lots and lots of very big, very heavy and very hot stuff that is constantly on the move.
Of course other places may be different. Use your head and don't be naive.
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yeah, i had to sign an NDA when i was hired with International Paper back in 2005 and that's just making paper.
one of my friends and co-workers got his tits in a bind when he snapped some pics of the new kiln upgrade that was installed... luckily, the department management came to his aid as well as the union and he kept his job, but there were a few days of '...you might be fired for this...'
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Junix did Nucor out here in Seattle before he died. It's in the database. He just walked right in and nobody stopped him, the key is wearing a hardhat and safety glasses.
"Aint nothin' to it but to do it"
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http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=24430
"Aint nothin' to it but to do it"
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Also the thing about UER is there are a shit ton of people here that only do abandoned houses and just make conjecture about everything else. There are steel mills that are wide fucking open and there are shitty little derp abandoned 10x10ft shacks with the best guard you've ever seen. Each spot needs to be scouted thoroughly IRL not asked about from idiots on the internet you don't really know.
"Aint nothin' to it but to do it"
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Posted by jakson106
Just get permission for active spots. It's not hard.
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Please share your techniques for mind control, because I don't know WTF you're talking about here.
Also a mutual friend is an international steel mill photographer full time, and he says the American mills are nearly impossible to get permission for, especially Arcelor Mittal. Like others have mentioned, your gonna catch more shit for bringing a camera than just for being there. There are industrial espionage and worker safety violation issues to consider with steel mills and they don't like people taking photos.
[last edit 10/29/2020 5:47 PM by uLiveAndYouBurn - edited 2 times]
"Aint nothin' to it but to do it"
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I have heard that AK Steel is not a fan of cameras by any means. Don't bother.
Oh good, my slow clap processor made it into this thing.
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I'll admit that I agonized a little over between what is the right* vs. the truthful thing to say.
* Do I even need to explain this?
Some people here are telling you the right* things for varying reasons. But uLiveAndYouBurn is telling you the truthful thing. You will not be granted access to a steel mill unless you have 1) a fortunate connection, 2) the relevant professional credentials, and 3) a fortunate opportunity that benefits them. The stars almost never align this way. They few times they do align is when the corporation wants an industrial photographer for their purposes, which does not involve what you want or possession of anything they hired you to shoot.
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Ethics
