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.
