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Real Men Need Reliable Tools that Don’t Let Them Down

You’ll remember a couple of months back I made a visit to the North Sea, a visit that was not to be taken lightly. (See here). I trained intensively to be allowed into this harsh environment where waves would crash with a double decker force and the wind chill would freeze the sweat on your nose.

It’s no secret that I was inspired and in genuine admiration of what the men on the rigs endured day to day. It took only a few hours for me to crave static ground and dry clothes but these men face the elements to work in these conditions every single day.

The Men Behind the Machines

Those who follow me know I’m quite obsessed with capturing the men behind the machines. My snaps of farmers and drivers show the real driving force behind the industrial machinery. This trip to the North Sea was no different.

I was here for a shoot and the brief was intense as I had to capture the cold, the harsh wind, the freezing sea spray and the danger in one shoot. Amidst all of this, I also needed my very own Bruce Willis in action, doing what he does best, repairing the rigs.

My last blog will show that I considered it adventure enough taking a camera and phone into these conditions, I was even prepared for them to face damage while out on the sea.

These men carry power tools with them, negotiating slippy skinny walkways to maintain the rigs, to carry out their everyday work. If their tools break in the stormy weather, it can affect the safety of the whole crew, while wasting a lot of time.

Helicopter on the ships helipad in the North Sea – our only means of transport on & off!

Tools Don’t Get Tougher than This

Few brands wanted to be put to the test by what I consider the toughest men in the North East. DeWalt, however, chose this location for their shoot, they wanted to show just what their tools could do.

Partnering these solid power tools with rugged men made shooting easy. The perfect pair they just looked right together in the harshest of weathers. The run time on the rechargeable was also impressive as no matter how many snaps I took the tool would still work at maximum power.

I seriously couldn’t imagine a flimsy home DIY drill to last two minutes in this environment when strength is not only needed but force is exerted by men that expect a tool be tough enough as standard.

The pipes being fed into the sea off the back of the pipe-laying ship.

Are you Tough Enough?

Although I might not be going back anytime soon, I still won’t stop raving about the intense work these men do and it’s quite reassuring knowing they have the toughest tools to hand. This weekend when putting up curtain poles I felt enough danger standing on top of a step ladder with a hammer drill in the safety of the bedroom., that’s without the crashing waves and blasting wind.

Luckily I don’t think they have much call for curtains on oil rigs so I’ll pocket my DIY skills and stick to my day job!

Final ad image from the dam shoot in the Cairngorms Scotland

Final ad image from the dam shoot in the Cairngorms Scotland

And above are a couple of the final ad images from the subsequent shoot in the Cairngorms Scotland.

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