Fast Food Worker by Sigurd Fandango
editors note:
this photograph was turned in during my class this morning by Sigurd who is doing a portrait essay on fast food workers for my weekend loft workshop….for those of you who live in New York, please come to my loft Sunday evening to see his entire essay (being shot right now) and the 3 day shoot of 5 other of my student photographers..8pm…475 Kent Avenue, buzz 607 (Brooklyn, near Wmsburg bridge, between Division and S.11th)….bringing your own refreshments really helps us out…many thanks…oh yes, surprise guests of course….
cool!
i hope to see more images from the essay!!
good luck!
Sigurd! Great to see your work here. Looking forward to your essay!
DAH – do you ever chill? another loft workshop going on. i wish i could be there tomorrow night. this is a nice teaser… lovely image.
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GINA…
do i ever chill?? my dear, you very well know i put a whole lot of “chill” into everything…i do not “go to work” as you well know…
however, in the sense of just totally nothing to do nothing going on, yes i do and yes i will soonest…i am heading next week for the beach where there is no culture no exhibitions no anything except dunes and water and shore birds and oh yes a few fishermen who never heard of Magnum…..i have a very hard time leaving the nothing going on…come on down when you can…
cheers, david
Awesome. I wish I could make it.
“few fishermen who never heard of Magnum” ….. lol
this guy gives a “mere” mop the metaphorical honor of a samurai sword. Look at those knuckles, tough as any brass ones i’ve ever seen. i wouldn’t want to see them coming at MY face! i can see this guy overturning a medieval monarchy with nothing but a pitchfork.
wow!
well done!
Fast Food workers, great topic…i’d love to see an essay (hint-hint)
best,
kathleen
umm…is the sky photoshop-ed??
and if it is then is that a good thing to do in documentary photography??
naveen.
sure – why not? darkroom practice used the same technique to darken and lighten..
photojournalism is the only use of photography which needs to be unaltered and i think even a little curves is allowed there, ethically speaking.
d
David B..
Exactly..
photoshopped, lightroomed, iphotoed, mushroomed etc.
Who cares…
Jee.
Naveen…
It would be much better if you explain a little regarding your question “is the sky photoshop-ed”? To me, not only the explanation is necessary for evebody’s benefit but also I think it would be fair to Sigurd Fandango who took this image. We seem to use the term ‘photoshopped’ very losely. The word ‘photoshopped’ could mean thousands of post-processing actions. The word ‘Photoshopped’ could mean simple actions of converting a colour image into a b&w image and a little ‘curves’ and ‘levels’ correction and it could also mean complex actions like the sky was not at all there and it has been put in afterwards from some other photo. So unless you clearly say what you want to know, it unnecessarily sends out a negative vibe about a perfectly good photo. To my eyes, I can’t see any composite image here and that’s why I am curious to know what you had apparently seen in this image.
Thanks for the kind words.
Is the sky photoshopped? The sky was originally in color. No composites.
Is photoshopping a “good thing” in documentary photography? I guess that depends on your intentions with your images.
it’s noteworthy that the darkened effect of the sky could also be achieved without photoshop by underexposing the background .. keeping the fill in flash ‘correct’.
the give away here is the halo around the subjects head and the lower left corner background detail, which would be darker if this in-camera technique had been used.
i like the idea of taking a fast-food worker and making them appear to be a miner.. farm hand.. whatever.. decontextualized in a completely diffrent way. if the service industry and call-centers are the new working class it’s nice to see it presented as such, without the glaring colours and plastic smiles we’d expect.
sigurd
i agree that it depends upon your intentions and also what parts of the photography game you enjoy the most…
some love working harder in photoshop and others work harder in camera.. previsualization is the key with set-up shots i think, and with portraits this can happen very quickly, shot to shot.
although i like the photo i would say it does look a little like a composite.
this is mainly due to the higher contrast on the subjects face compared to the sky and also the halo around the head and mop.
thats no biggie if it is intended, although it does make me wonder if you had this look in mind when the photo was shot?
david.
I spent 30 seconds on this image in photoshop to present it to david this morning, so the details are not perfect. It is certainly not a composite image, it looked like this right out of the camera.
Uhmmm…I don’t see this as a composite at all. It obviously seems to be used with flash, and maybe some curve work—nothing that in the darkroom couldn’t be achieved with dodging and burning. It doesn’t detract one bit (for me) from the power of the portrait. It reminds me of the Moroccan dock workers in Tanger.
What does detract, from this picture are:
– the dust specs in the sky (further proof this is not a composite).
– I think there is too much sky. Maybe most of the upper black cloud could be cropped without affecting the veracity of the picture while bringing more power to the subject.
Not knowing the time available or relationship with the subject (ie. ability to pose etc.) but perhaps a horizontal layout, that got both his hands on the broom would be stronger. It would play well to the strength of the subject as manifest by his shoulders and broad stance.
for clarity – i know it is not a composite… and did not exert that is was, only that it could appear to be.
As in last night? Really? shooot. Can’t believe I missed it!
Should ask..how did it go? Who was the surprise guest?
ERICA…
yes, i was surprised you did not come…we showed the weekend student work of course along with the work of several BURN photographers…Mike Brown and Chris Bickford both showed Sakalin and After the Storm respectively…both Patricia’s Falling Into Place and Panos’ Venice were up on the screen …..Chris Bradley showed his essay which is upcoming here (i will leave it a surprise)…Mike Courvoisier presented his Broadway ongoing project…Steve McCurry and James Nachtwey stopped in just to see the student essays which were shown several times in the course of the evening turned into morning…
as i look around my loft right this minute it appears everyone had fun….what a mess…..last guest out at about 4am which is a bit crazy for a Sunday night gathering…the interesting thing about the group was that it was an all BURN audience from people who only knew about this hours before it happened and all who live very near by…i mean the place was packed with mostly photographers i had not met before , but who read this small announcement here….i did not send out e-mails prior…everyone is now wanting another “jam” for all of us just to bring in something to show…a good idea…however, let me think about that one after i get this place back to “normal”..
sorry, we missed you Erica…
cheers, david
fantastic experience last night at the post-workshop party. Harvey, Nachtwey, McCurry (among many inspiring others) all in one room. it’s a beautiful thing that David makes himself and his world accessible…hope to meet more of you fine Burn folks next time.
the student work looked great, especially knowing it was all shot in a weekend…Sigurd’s fast food series stood out, to me, because of the interview audio of one of the workers juxtaposed with the images. the man’s language and pacing was eerily similar to the feel of the visuals, as if the guy knew how it would all come together. brings up a sort of chicken-and-egg question about the creative process when developing a project. it seems sometimes pieces come together even though the concept isn’t always initially present. maybe its just that we can’t escape ourselves and the way we see things.
Sounds like a very good time indeed! sorry too..but yes, another soonish? Must have been neat to see some new burn audience people for the first time, would have like to have met. I just had work in the palm springs fest slideshow, and tho i was not there I heard after that there was a burn audience there who recognized my name from here..burn keeps reaching out..
if you are around / have interest, just saw this is happening tomorrow..http://thehalfking.com/gallery/
Antonin Kratochvil is giving a talk slideshow at 7:30 at a bar on 23rd st and 10th ave.
VENICE???
up in Brooklyn..
On the screen!??,?!!!
Yheoooooooooo Hoooooooooouuu!!!
Mannnnnn I’m honored!!!!
Big hugs to all and everyone for today
and forever…
Thank you!
hi, I’m a participant to the grant. I done everything, the submission i mean, before the 15 of march. you can check, I sent to you also the pdf with the project presentation. yesterday, I don’t know why, I just resant thelightbox invite to you. I received now this communication from photoshelter (…Additional details below: sorry, the EPF submission deadline has passed) please can say me that nothing happen. I really love to be part of the grant.
.
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I was certainly there in spirit although in person I was arriving home in Detroit around that time. Thanks so much, dear David, for sharing my Falling Into Place project with the community. I am honored to have my work shown in your loft!
Looking forward to seeing you and lots of Burn folks in Charlottesville in June. It’s not long now.
By the way…GO MICHIGAN STATE!!!!!!! MSU is my Ed’s alma mater & Michigan’s hope for a Cinderella finish. If MSU can win tonight’s NCAA championship game against heavily-favored North Carolina, somehow we will believe our beleagured state with its tanking auto industry and 12% unemplyment rate will be able to pull it out too.
love
Patricia
I even love Patricia today!!
Wink
Wink
Wink..
( congrats Pat:)
I thought this was a portrait of David….just for a second or two….hehe.
PATRICIA…
ok, i will cheer for you for Michigan State but i do now have my beach house in North Carolina..hmmmm,.in any case, i always just hope for a good game…
ANDREW…
laughing…yes, it is a picture of me!! well, sort of….i now am mopping the floor after last night and as i was walking to my trash bin with a mop over my shoulder, i certainly thought of Sigurd’s photograph…
ALESSIO…
your entry is intact…do not worry
cheers, david
Gosh, David, I forgot you’re now a North Carolinian. You better cheer for the Tarheels or your sons might disown you! As you say, a good game will be best for everyone. And guess what Detroit is giving the NCAA fans who are in town for the championship game? An all-day snowstorm!!!
Patricia
Hi Patricia/David;
Speaking of sport, I just arrived home from shooting the NZ Championship Shearing (sheep) finals for a magazine. As our Aussie cousins can attest, shearing has a real culture of its own.
I spend quite a bit of time shooting shearers at work in the shearing sheds, building up a body of work while I’m on other jobs in the area. The work they do make our rugby players look pretty lame!!! Just for interest here are a few stats…
“Research undertaken during a record breaking attempt by Australian shearer Dwayne Black in April 2005 demonstrated how demanding a day’s shearing is on the body.
In the first two hour period Black shore 112 sheep and his heart rate elevated to an average of 158 beats per minute. His body mass decreased by 3.0 kg and he consumed 2.5 litres of fluids, a total fluid loss (mostly from sweating), of 5.5 litres. This is similar to the fluid loss experienced by elite marathon runners.
Black then completed four more sessions that were practically identical in length and physical intensity. No elite marathon runner would attempt completing a second marathon in a day
Over a 12-hour period his body mass was reduced from 94.0 to 90.0 kg and he ingested 12 litres of fluids, a total fluid loss of 16 litres during the day. Ultra-marathon athletes are one of the few athletic groups who exercise for similar periods of time, yet this rate of fluid loss is more than three times greater what they experience (rarely lose more than 0.5 litres of fluids per hour).
The mean heart rate while sheep shearing can be as high as 155 beats per minute which classifies the activity as ‘extremely heavy work
A fully fleeced adult sheep can weigh 65 kg, and the average daily shearing tally can easily be 200 sheep. So a shearer must drag about 13 tonnes of struggling weight onto the shearing board each work day.
A shearer expends well over 5000 kilocalories daily. An average professional AFL (Australian Football League) or rugby player might expend about 5000, 5500 kilo-calories during a match. A shearer does that every day while it’s fine, with no rotation policy”
Now that is what I call hard work!!!
Hellllllo. All..
We are In a Bar. Andrew b. Bob black. Mike b. We are sucking upon words and coversation and booze.
Photographs and stories are the same as the way your hair covers your eyes or the way you order a drink. What matters is that you not cover your hair, but that you meet and share and expirence and that you break all fucking things.
Photography is touching and holding eachother in song…
Andrew b. Mike b. You beautiful fuck singers, burn alive
:)
Bob…Mike….made it back to the hostel without getting lost or confused….
“photography is touching and holding each other in song”. Indeed.
so all know, the above post was made several hours ago in a busy bar on a small keyboard on a phone that kept wanting to make up words….but bobs words were what we wished to send…
do not cover your eyes with your hair, order a drink, and touch all with a photograph.
good light, indeed.
a.
Hey little bobbyB, andyB and MikeyB
have fun, take care, shoot up the place!
*pulling my hair back off my face, proud to be on the front Burn-er..*
g’night, best
kat~
David and all,
I miss you all and slide-show party!
Actully i’ve entered the graduate school of art… I must study and work at clinic together and also take pictures :))) ..so I couldn’t leave much comments at Burn… sorry…
Congratulations on slideshows of Patritia, Panos, Mike Brown and Chris Bickford!
David, are you going to go to the Seattle for workshop on thos weekend?
My daughter lives Seattle …she is a student of graduate school.
She really wants to see you . :)))
Is it possible to visit slide show party or workshop place ?
But the link is not open.
“Master Class Workshop Seattle, Washington… April 11-15, 2009 please contact Art Wolfe workshops http://store.artwolfe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=175
I wish you all enjoy Spring! :)))
K.Lee…
Thank you..
All right..!
That was it!
I’m done!
See you next life!
Over!
:)