Monday, September 4, 2017: Labor Day
by ag
Back in the days of film, before workers were called “associates,” before unions fell into disrepute, before income inequality became obscene, and before my career as a freelance photographer came to an end, a number of large corporations sent me out on editorial assignments to document their facilities, employees, and manufacturing processes. In celebration of workers worldwide, here are some portraits of the men and women I encountered on those jobs, plus several done for other clients, that I happen to have as digital files on my computer. (Click on images to enlarge.)
Pixetera 
Your carnival ride mechanic is priceless!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Linda. That picture is probably close to 50 years old and was taken on the north shore of Boston before I ever started doing freelance work.
LikeLike
Ah, the world of work, how ambivalent we feel…this was a great idea! There are some wonderful portraits here.
LikeLike
Thanks Lynn. Wanted to do something for Labor Day and initially thought I’d use a photo I had taken earlier this year. Then I remembered I had these sitting on my hard drive. Sebastião Salgado they’re definitely not :)
LikeLike
What a great set of shots from your archive. I’ve no idea what film stock you used but the colours from film days cannot be replicated with digital.
Interesting to see the work you did as a freelance and I’m pleased you have chosen to share them. Maybe it could be an occasional series? :-)
Some great portrait shots with some convincing composition elements (no you don’t need me to say this but there is lots to enjoy – and to learn from).
Some lovely touches of humour but sympathetic rather than demeaning. The ‘Frolic’ shot is a nice moment.
I really like the tattooed worker with the worn out dymo tape labels on the machine behind him. The label at the top presumably should say “Warm water pumps” but because it is old and worn reads “Arm water pumps” and he looks like the man to do it! Brilliant.
The timber yard shot is inspired. Eyes closed and don’t look at the camera – genius :-)
A diverse and timely set of shots brought together for labour day.
Cheers
Mr C :-)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Mr C. Greatly impressed that you noticed the “Warm water pumps” label I’ve totally missed all these years. (I was aware of the “Frolic” sign in the first picture though :)
I’m always amazed at how carefully some people, e.g., yourself, look at photographs, what eagle eyes they have, and how that impacts their experience of an image. Even though it’s embarrassing to acknowledge what I haven’t seen in my own photographs, it makes me realize that once a picture is posted for others to see, it no longer belongs to the artist.
LikeLike
We all assimilate information in different ways. Often we assume that what we see is what someone else sees. Exploring subjects through photography is a great way to prove our assumptions wrong. Photography is among about communication and I find it fascinating that it can challenge perception and even our own perspective. Photography allows us to explore things using a visual language which we assume is universal but may actually be far more personal. With it we can begin to understand and celebrate our differences both cultural and personal.
I tend to agree with you when you say that once a photograph is published it no longer belongs to the artist. A photographer can copyright an image but they cannot copyright how it is seen. I think of a photograph as part of or the start of a conversation and that conversation can be more important than the image. In just the same way the process and experience of taking photographs is as important or sometimes more important than the image we end up with.
There is a film which I saw recently called the Secret Life of Walter Mitty about a man who catalogues and manages photographic negatives for Time magazine. It is a beautifully shot film and is a joy to watch. The most memorable scene in the film for me was when Walter Mitty meets the photojournalist called Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) high in the mountains where he has set up his camera to shoot the rare snow leopard. The leopard appears and Sean O’Connell shares the moment with Walter Mitty through the viewfinder of his camera. Sean O’Connell does not take a photograph and Walter is anxious that he hasn’t taken the picture and asks him if he is going to capture this rare and special creature. Sean O’Connell replies, “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, me personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to take in the moment.”
At a time when everyone feels the need to photograph absolutely everything with their phones. When people appear to be losing the ability to live in the moment that line in the film seems like a small reminder that whatever photography is it is about being in the world and not simply trying to take pictures. It was a moment Sean O’Connell shared with Walter in real time and not as a photograph. He didn’t need to use his camera to witness something so beautiful. That scene in the film carries great weight and is about far more than I shall write here.
The point is that the images we make as photographers are only ever part of the picture. It is what happens before and after the photograph is taken that matters as much, if not more.
I don’t think you would have been able to capture these labour day photographs without making some connections to the people you are photographing. In taking the timber yard photograph you also orchestrated a moment for the people involved. The ripples of joy that image has generated and the smiles and conversations are something which live and carry on way beyond the moment. With care and great skill photography can be a powerful catalyst for good. It can build bridges and can travel through time…!
I think your labour day images are a wonderful celebration of all the above (even if I’ve gone on a bit!).
I think I and others care to take a close look at the photographs you share is because you cared enough in the first place to take photographs that matter.
OK, I’ve rattled on for long enough so perhaps I should stop there.
Sending best wishes
Mr C
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great set of images, especially the last – 12 tired men.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ken. This was a fun shot: When confronted with a standard group portrait, I thought there’s got to be something better and this is what popped into my head. Everyone was such a good sport. One thing I particularly like about it is that each man, without any prompting from me, adopted his own very individualistic pose.
The seeds of a sequel to “Twelve Angry Men”?
LikeLike
these are really great, i like them all and the warm water pump, the girl with the ‘dec’ coat and the radiohead man leave me speechless! big fan!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Peter. The young women were photographed at a DEC facility in the Taiwanese countryside. They lived in dorms on site, and spent the day threading three wires through rows of minuscule ferrite “cores” — work that couldn’t be done by machines. My strongest memory of the assignment was the 90-minute harrowing, white-knuckled ride to and from the factory each day, a function of “who will chicken out first” Taiwanese road rules that prevented foreigners from driving rental cars for their own protection.
LikeLike
wow, that sounds like a tough and interesting assignment!
LikeLike
I like this set a lot. It is a nice tribute to workers. I am having a hard time condensing my comment on this…suffice it to say that over my own 50+ years of work I have developed a great respect for people doing all kinds of work in this world. Thanks for jogging those memories, ag.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad these pictures had meaning for you. It’s a shame, isn’t it, that politics in this country, have polarized so many workers..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is. Workers and all of us…
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing these: a stirring testimony to your eye. So glad you’ve archived this work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks John. Unfortunately, the vast majority of my professional work is still in the form of slides and tear sheets.
LikeLike
They are great. Messages from another century … #8 made me laugh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Karl. Your comment makes me wonder if maybe the holiday’s name should be changed to “Serf’s Day.”
LikeLike
But they don’t look unfree. There is e certain self-confidence in their eyes and humor in their gestures.
LikeLike
True, but don’t forget these were taken 40 or more years ago, and much has happened in the interim with regard to the demise of unions and rising economic inequality. Not sure what things are like these days, given diminished job security, and the outsourcing of many jobs to outside contractors who provide little in the way of benefits. The young women in Taiwan, btw, led a very restricted life, living in dorms on site in the middle of nowhere — with bedding provided by DEC — and hours away from their families. I think they spent six days a week at the factory doing this monotonous, incredibly detailed work.
“Serf’s Day” may be a bit of an exaggeration, but is “associates” any closer to the truth? I’d say it’s even more insulting.
LikeLiked by 1 person