It's always suck to work during the holiday season, specially when there's not enough people working during this time and customers come like herds with variety of requests that overwhelm you. It would not be so much headache if it is something you feel passionate about. But when it's not then this will turn into your worst nightmare.
This is exactly what I was experiencing in the last two weeks - Photographing hundreds of potential grads from universities who decide to show up en masse with their family and friends and expecting me to take a good casual or group photo of them in 10 minutes. In the meantime we had very few people working through holidays but at the same time appointments were booked beyond the capacity of three photogs per shift. Yet, because this studio is having people crunch since October so they were having hard time even finding someone to relief us. I personally had to work through weekends without any day off for the past week. The amount of work in this studio during the holiday season was so enormous that some of photogs were murmuring about walkout during the job among themselves to prove their frustration.
But then just when we were about to reach the boiling point a miracle happened. On Saturday night while we were photographing customers some car 10-15 blocks away hit the power grid which caused a section of the city blacked out. The damage to the grid was so extensive that it took 2-3 hours for BC Hydro to put the power back on, which forced us to close down the studio early......very early. To the eye of the owner, which was there at the time, this blows because he lost revenue for a day(that's all he sees). But to me at least I'm more than happy to sacrifice profit just for one night for some good rest.....which I haven't had one for a long while.
By the way, I have to photograph all day on Dec. 31st......which in the way ruined my new year's eve plan....thanks a lot.
Labels: Notes and Thoughts
Construction Worker at South Beach, Miami, Florida
Labels: monochrome, photographs
I've been known among my circle of friends for my color photographs. And it is true that most of works I've done over the years are in color. However, between assignments and projects I often photograph my surroundings in black and white and kept as visual journal of some sort. Gradually, these images of monochrome became a collection significant enough for me not to ignore and yet does not hold any editorial or commercial values. So after some thoughts I decide to share them here and let you see the other side of the world I see when I "off assignment"
Interesting enough though I tell you images were captured off assignment but when you're not leaving your camera behind are you really "off assignment"?
Labels: Notes and Thoughts
It has been little more than two years since I've been in Vancouver and though for the most part I've somewhat adopted the life here, there is still aspects of life which I still having hard time to cope with. Of all things I can't cope with living in Vancouver winter is perhaps on the top of the list......although its not the physical environment of the winter I despised.
Being lived in many part of the world from tropics to temperate climate I could say I'm very good at adopting weathers regardless of hot humid sun or snow(though my preferable weather has always been ones similar to San Francisco). To prove my point I spent last two winters under the snow both in Canada and South Korea and though its troublesome when it comes to commuting and shelving but I absolutely love the scenery. But I guess it's all the warm clothes wrapped around me or the cozy room temperature or something I always felt as if I entered into "hybernation mode" when winter hits. It gets worse further up north I go(well...duh....) even being busy working would not make my sleepy lazy head go away.
Anyway, according to weather tomorrow's going to snow........hope I'll be conscious enough to realize I wrote post this blog tonight.
Labels: Notes and Thoughts, winter
Bus Commuter at Broadway, Vancouver
Labels: photographs, Vancouver, wandering
