Magna Lift & Bridge Installation

Overnight documentation of a multi-stage lift and pedestrian bridge installation at a new rail station site near Rotherham.

The brief

The contractor needed a clear visual record of a significant overnight installation as it happened, for use in project documentation, marketing, and design-led applications. The new station is being built to improve public access to a science and heritage attraction, so the imagery also had a wider communications role beyond the engineering record.

The challenge

This was a live, rail-adjacent site, worked overnight with multiple cranes, cherry pickers and large prefabricated structures. Movement was only permitted when cleared by site operatives, and persistent rain on arrival made the earliest and most critical lift of the night difficult to shoot — particularly for keeping lenses clear and equipment protected.

The approach

The priority was sequential coverage of every stage of the install, wide shots that showed the scale and coordination between cranes, closer detail once access allowed it, and aerial imagery to give spatial context to the whole site. Alongside the standard documentary set, a second, more stylised edit of the stills was produced with a dramatic, cinematic finish for creative and design-led use.

How the shoot ran

Work began in the early evening following site induction and safety briefings. The first and longest stage — lowering the main lift shaft into place using two cranes — was covered from ground level only, due to rain. Once conditions improved, drone coverage was introduced for the later stages: positioning the unit connecting the lift, bridge and stairs, then the stair sections themselves. The final lift, the pedestrian bridge deck, went in during the early hours under clearer skies, allowing more cinematic aerial coverage to close out the night.

What was delivered

• Professionally edited stills from ground and aerial perspectives
• A separate, stylised creative edit of the stills
• Four short-form videos covering key stages of the installation
• A curated set of drone images for technical and marketing use

The result

The final set gives the contractor a clear record of a complex overnight installation, useful for future bids, stakeholder communications and internal documentation, while the stylised edit adds further value for promotional use. For the wider project, the imagery helps communicate the scale and ambition of the new station.

“We can’t wait to use these – you nailed it.” Communications manager

Little Haywood Embankment Stabilisation

Before-and-after documentation of a week-long rail embankment stabilisation job in Staffordshire, combining drone, ground and 360° coverage.

The brief

The contractor was stabilising a rail embankment over the course of a week and wanted clear before-and-after documentation: drone coverage while the work was underway, then a return visit once the ballast had settled to show the finished result.

The challenge

The first visit fell before a trackside access permit was in place, so coverage was limited to the compound and drone work from a safe distance, with wind speeds checked throughout to stay within safe flying limits. The return visit, arranged with a Track Visitor Permit, brought its own weather to work around — watching the sky between dry windows for both drone and ground shots.

The approach

The first visit focused on establishing the "before" condition of the embankment from the air, including an overhead sequence of aggregate being placed into a geotextile pocket during the works. The second visit, with proper track access arranged, allowed ground-level coverage with a longer lens to capture detail — anchors, grout rods and fixings — that a wide aerial frame alone would have missed, along with low-level drone passes and a set of 360° panoramas.

What was delivered

• Graded before-and-after drone stills
• Ground-level detail shots on a long lens
• A set of stitched panoramas for wide context
• Full drone video clips, from short sequences to longer continuous footage
• A short highlights reel and a longer, detailed compilation for technical review

The result

Combined, the drone, ground and 360° material tells the full story of the embankment job — the scale of the slope, the equipment involved, and the condition of the site before and after — giving the contractor ready-made visuals for bids and presentations.

High Level Bridge Maintenance

Documenting scaffolding and restoration work on a Grade I listed double-deck rail and road bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The brief

The bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson and opened in 1849, carries both rail and road traffic on two decks. The contractor needed the maintenance effort documented — the scaffolding and engineering involved, and the workers carrying out the restoration — for project records and promotional use.

The challenge

Capturing an intricate scaffolding setup and workers' activity from difficult viewpoints needed careful planning and safety precautions throughout, while still conveying the true scale and complexity of the engineering work.

The approach

Following an initial consultation with the project managers to confirm the key elements to document, the scaffolding was photographed from multiple angles: close-up, deck-level detail showing the precision of the setup, and wide riverside shots from the quayside showing the full structure against the archways. Work-in-progress coverage focused on the careful restoration of existing metalwork and on engineers conducting inspections.

What was delivered

• Detailed deck-level images of the scaffolding setup
• Wide riverside shots showing the bridge and structure at scale
• Work-in-progress images of restoration and inspection activity

The result

The finished set gave the contractor a comprehensive visual record of the maintenance project — useful for documentation and promotional purposes alike — and captured both the historical significance of the bridge and the modern engineering effort going into preserving it.