As a commercial photographer, I get the opportunity to photograph all kinds of fascinating places. But I have to admit, photographing the Southport Mulberry Wastewater Treatment Plant in Shallotte, North Carolina for Harper General Contractors was definitely one of the more… aromatic subjects on my portfolio list. The good news is that from a visual standpoint, it was fantastic. And fortunately, photography is one profession where you can’t smell the final product.

This was actually the third wastewater treatment plant I’ve photographed for Harper General Contractors, and I’ve really enjoyed documenting these impressive facilities. There’s a lot more going on at a treatment plant than most people realize. Massive tanks, miles of piping, interesting industrial textures, and perfectly symmetrical infrastructure all combine to create surprisingly cool compositions. Who knew wastewater could be so photogenic?

For this project I used my trusty Nikon Z9 paired with the Nikkor Z 14–30mm f/4 and the Nikkor Z 24–120mm f/4 lenses. The wide angle lens was perfect for capturing the scale of the tanks and filtration systems, while the 24–120mm helped isolate some of the interesting details throughout the facility. I also launched the DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone to capture aerial views of the entire plant, which really helped showcase the impressive layout and engineering.

Let’s be honest—wastewater treatment isn’t the most glamorous subject in the world. But these facilities play an incredibly important role in keeping communities clean and healthy. And from a photographer’s perspective, they offer some truly unique visuals.

So yes, I spent the day photographing where everything eventually goes. Thankfully, the photos came out much cleaner than the job description might suggest.