Art direction at 700 meters (nearly half a mile) below the Earth’s surface.

Founded in 1554, the Fresnillo silver mine in Zacatecas, Mexico is an otherworldly experience. Located at more than 2,200 m (7,200 ft) elevation, the mine is the world’s largest producer of silver from ore.

Our team traveled to the site in 2020 to document a new type of mechanical mining equipment being used to reach deep ore bodies 700 m (2,300 ft) below the surface. I worked with an experienced photographer and videographer to capture the equipment and the people in action.

For the visit, I prepared a video storyboard, shot lists, and interview questions. I conducted on-camera interviews with jobsite and mine personnel to tell the story of the novel equipment in use.

This project is still in progress, and while I am not able to post photos of the equipment for proprietary reasons, I can share with you some images that visually describe what we encountered on our journey.

Photos: Ken Shepard, www.azzuraphotography.com