We just wanted to give everyone a sneak preview of our new Deep Zoom feature we’ve added to our service. This thing is just too cool not to share. This new feature will make it easy to drill down into your construction photos. This feature is scheduled to be rolled out with our new Administration Section at the end of May.

Deep Zoom Demo

Not only is this feature really cool it’s also going to save you a bunch of time when it comes to taking a closer look at something while reviewing your progress photos. Don’t forget to check out the FULL SCREEN button (it’s the square button on the right).

Let us know what you think of this new feature.

Note:  This feature is currently only activated for Project Administrators. The Photo URL feature allows users to get the URL address of any photo that has been uploaded. With the address users can insert these images into websites and or blogs without having to locate the original photo.

Step #1 – Find the photo you’re interested in using the Weekly Viewer

Step #2 – Click on the button that reads “Photo URL”

Step #3 – Copy the URL you’re interested in:
FYI, the Large Photo is approximately 1080×1620 and the Medium is (367×550)

The service is pretty straight forward, as always if you have any questions or concerns just contact us.

Below is an example of an inserted Medium Photo that is linked to the Large Photo.

There is a wonderful book out there called “Building the Empire State” by Carol Willis & Donald Friedman. It’s about the construction of The Empire State Building. I liked this book because it focuses on the construction of the building and the project’s general contractor, Starret Brothers and Eken. It’s a great book that anyone involved with the construction industry should read at some point in their carrier, preferably near the beginning.

When you look back on this project relative to today’s standards it was truly incredible what they were able to accomplish. They built the project in 1year 45days (410 days) and had as many as 3,500 workers on site during its busiest time. The book has a lot of information on the developers, architects and engineers however my favorite part is when they talk about the general contractor. I also liked looking back on their daily reports and company notes. Even back then they were practicing what we like to call CYA (cover your ass).  These guys were experts in their field, even by today’s standards. After 80-years of innovation, projects of this size and scope still take much longer to complete. Not sure what that means…

Anyway, check this book out, you’ll be glad you did.

Lewis Hine is probably best known for his photograph of a group of iron workers eating lunch atop The Empire State Building.

Hine started out as a New York school teacher, then in 1904 his wife got him involved with a program documenting immigrants coming through Ellis Island.  His passion for photography lead him to become an investigative reporter/photographer for the National Child Labor Committee. Millions of immigrants from Europe and Asia were building new cities from the ground up. And mass production was making the United States the richest economy the world had ever seen. Much of his work consisted of documenting human labor issues in America during this time.

In 1930, during the Great Depression, Lewis Hine was commissioned to document the construction of The Empire State Building.  Hine’s background and passion for photographing labor provided a wonderful perspective on the American construction worker. These photos are truly amazing, especially when you consider the photography equipment and risks he must of encountered.

Unfortunately Lewis Hine struggled later in his carrier and ended up experiencing the same level of poverty that he spent his earlier years photographing. His son even had trouble finding a home for his father’s photographs. Luckily for all of us nearly 10,000 of his prints and negatives ended up in the hands of the George Eastman House an International Museum of Photography & Film.

The Modernism of Julius Shulman

Visual Acoustics is a great film about one of my favorite architectural photographers who really put modernism on the map from a visual perspective. Julius Shulman created one of the most famous signature images of Los Angeles when he photographed Case Study House #22, shown above. He spent his life photographing more than 8,000 projects designed by architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Nuetra, and Frank Gehry. I saw the movie when it came through Denver, and basically if you’re into architecture, building, and or photography it’s a film you shouldn’t miss. You can get it now on DVD through the Visual Acoustics Store along with some other great items.

I should also mention that the Director Eric Bricker did an outstanding job on this film. His story and relationship with Julius was really unique and it comes out in the film.