Posts Tagged ‘photography’
Does being in some minority pressure people out their profession? In an office of whites, would lone Hispanic gentlemen feel out of place? Popular opinion would affirm that he would. Given my work environment, however, I feel as if I should have the similar reaction, even though I don’t.
Nearly every other active photographer in our office is a little different than I, although to say that is a little backwards — I’m the newcomer, here. To be sure, I’m a little different than most of the active photographers in our office.
Simply put, I’m a dude. Most everyone else isn’t.
Though my company is an equal opportunity employer, and ignoring for a moment that the office staff is pretty evenly split, the bulk of our field photogs are female. Of about 25 photographers, there were six guys when I started. Four of us were hired just this year, and one of us had the initiative to get himself fired before training ended.
Although there was nothing improper about his firing — he didn’t think twice about calling in sick whenever he didn’t feel like showing up, and this during training — I liked him well enough, chronic absence and all. Had he showed up, he might have been an ideal employee. Probably not, though.
Among the photographers, now, there are five guys. On one of our so-far rare reprieves, I asked why there were so many more gals driving to schools every day. Basically, she said:
Guys just don’t tend to last that long. Maybe they just say, “I have enough girl problems, already.”
After a pause and a bit of a chuckle, she noted:
Those guys who do stick usually don’t have girl problems.
Even as an adult heterosexual white male, I’m perfectly comfortable with the mostly female staff I see every day — my year or two in a sorority steels my nerves in that regard — and I can’t help but be amused.
In America, adult heterosexual white males are supposed to crowd out everyone else in from the adult heterosexual while male professions in construction, politics, journalism, high finance and the military. After a year in education and the beginning of what may be many years in school photography, I’ve managed to choose two fields where adult heterosexual white males are in the minority.
I’m either open minded or I really want to seem that way.
I cribbed the title from a worthwhile essay in a similar vein, so credit there where due.
Every day of the Camera Guy’s job is like a new teacher’s first day of school set at a high speed. He meets between 120 and 350 students every day. Unlike a new teacher, he must within two minutes establish a rapport with student, along the way convincing each to stop squirming, to refrain from giggling, to look at the camera and to crack a smile. Half of your student body does their darndest to avoid smiling, and not just because they have braces.
Depending on how far away from a big city your school is, he probably had to wake up before you did. He arrives with the janitors or, if he’s late, the head secretary.
Your gymnasium, multipurpose room and that place where they keep the wrestling mats are rarely pleasant. On any picture day earlier than October, they double as noisy, crowded saunas. Even the library’s air conditioning is little comfort when the exterior doors are open.
The exterior doors are always open; the sun always blazes.
Like teachers, he’ll work long hours, ending the day with physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion, but teachers can avoid most heavy lifting. Camera Guy can’t. Exacerbating matters, it’s against the rules for him to sit down while on company time. He might cheat this rule. He might not.
Though the bell rings in the early afternoon, the lucky Camera Guys leave at about the same time as a lingering teacher. He will get home later than most teachers, much later in case he needs to drop off equipment at the office, or fill out his timesheets, his mileage forms and his TPS reports.
Three years of this earns him a company ring. Most Camera Guys don’t last that long.
As seasonal work paid through wages and timesheets, there’s no chance in hell Camera Guy can feel self-righteous or spiritually fullfilled about school photography the way some feel about their work. In short, his job isn’t any easier and, in the short run, is much less rewarding than yours.
