GLOBAL MANUFACTURING // Milliken & Company

– In on the action –

When I chose to pursue a career in photography as a teen, I felt driven by creativity. Now, after more than 20 years of running my own business, I know what drives me more than anything—curiosity. Having a regular client like Milliken & Company, which manufactures textiles and other materials on a global scale at their sister plants in South Carolina, raises the curtain to processes, equipment, labs, and the people who run them for a rare glimpse inside.

Since large-scale manufacturing is something you have to see to believe, I appreciate that Milliken’s internal marketing team values the level of production needed to capture beautiful visual representations of all the manufacturing services they provide. We got a crash course in what goes on in the plants, Magnolia and Allen, starting with a collaborative tech scout to select eight locations for shooting across two days. The team trusted my art direction and we utilized both employees and professional talent in order to minimize disruptions to operations.

Once our plans were set, we worked with our in-house production team, Cowboy Collective, to select a right-size crew to set up and shoot within a small footprint. We’d be working among the professionals in the warehouse, machine shop, lab, control room, range and spool areas–all around the plants, so we needed to respect their time and space. We donned our safety gear and set up supplemental lighting and styling to elevate the aesthetic as the plant managers and employees assisted in ensuring we captured processes accurately. The resulting photos, intended for internal use and business to business marketing efforts, are the result of a true team effort. Jobs like this that allow me to consult with and learn from the people who do the work on a day to day basis are ultimately what feeds my curiosity and keeps me excited for what tomorrow will bring.