by Gary Gardiner | May 21, 2013
Roofers atop office building is My Final Photo for May 21, 2013
I understand how important it is that I be supportive for someone who goes to the doctor. I’m the parent, the patriarch, the navigator, and the person with a calming voice. I often accompany others in the family for their visits because it’s my duty. It’s also my way of helping them get through the emotion, fear, and pain of an illness or injury.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t have a camera with me.
Today’s visit to the doctor was more private than most and I doubt anyone would want photos of the brief procedure or injured body part. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t be using my camera.
Around the corner from the Dublin doctor’s office a roofing crew removed wooden shingles from a large office building. While the doctor examined and approved private parts, I took photos.
With the efficiency of a very small tornado, the crew of eight men ripped, rolled, and removed one half of the western slant of the roof before most of the workers arrived at the adjacent complex.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve shot roofers although it is one of the larger projects. Finding different angles and action is always the attempt at a better photo.
The western sky was clear, a sign that the day would be bright and warm. The roofers worked in shadow under the edge of a slowly moving bank of thick clouds beginning to dissipate as the sun rose higher in the sky. The cloud’s edge eventually dissolved into strips creating a new compositional element that would become a key element in My Final Photo for today.
Landscape crew poses for portrait before beginning their work day, man, woman, pick-ax
On the way back I stumbled upon a three-person landscape crew with two men in shorts and t-shirts carrying trays of petunias and a woman dressed in the company uniform shirt and shorts carrying a small pick-ax. Without going into all the discussions about the crew’s history, what their plans for the day were, and their individual stories, I convinced them to pose for a group portrait before beginning their work for the day. I hope you approve of the result.
by Gary Gardiner | May 7, 2013
Oldest worker and only beard on the asphalt crew – My Final Photo for May 7, 2013
He wasn’t the first man I saw working on the asphalt crew. But he was the one with the beard. The others were younger. Some so young they could have been his kids or perhaps a grandchild although that’s a stretch.
I knew right away I wanted a portrait of this man whose face and frame bore the burden of time and hard work at the end of the day.
At first, I received the normal glances and brief stares as everyone in the work crew wondered who is that man and why is he here with cameras? The best protocol is to stand offsite across the street for a few minutes. This gives the crew time to think about your presence and begin to think about how you might be received if approached.
It also gives me time to figure out who’s supervising, who is the newest member of the crew, what is their work flow, and who among them might make the best subject.
When I’ve discerned most of the series of studies the photo work begins.
I saved the portrait until the last moment after the heavy rain shower and until the crew finished most of the heavy work breaking away the old pavement and began to make repairs.
Earlier my subject briefly used the pick to begin the task of breaking up worn and cracked asphalt before turning it over to the youngest member of the group so I knew I had what the photo prop would be.
He retrieved it for me then stood in two different places as I found the best background with the walls of the Tai Chi house being the best. He is also facing the open parking lot where light from the overcast skies was brightest. Facing any other direction cast too dark a shadow on his eyes.
Shot for about three minutes standing on my tiptoes to get the best angle against the brick wall. I did use thePhotoshop Healing Brush to remove a sign from the background. This isn’t photojournalism and I’m fine with making a portrait look better using a myriad of tools. If I’d been on assignment for a publication it is unlikely I would have singled out a worker for a portrait unless it was part of the assignment. If it had been part of the assignment, the crew would have known and I would have brought a small lighting kit.
Like it so much I made it My Final Photo for the day. It was a tough choice between the asphalt crew worker and the two kids in the rain walking down the sidewalk in Uptown Westerville.
