When I thought "small trades" I saw the people in the background who don't get noticed. But I thought a few people probably thought that, so I went deeper and thought about how we do notice the people in back, but we don't see who they are, all we see is what they do. The tools they use.
Caretakers, be they doctors, dentists, nurses, or even geriatricians have something in common. We love what they do, but we don't know them. We see them when we are in pain, or because we have to; through that mask all we can see is the tools they use.
Where would our world be without the person on the other side of the computer or telephone? We dread calling tech support and expect secretaries to answer our every question. Sure it may seem like easy work talking on a phone all day, or sitting behind a desk answering questions; but do we even hear their voice half the time? Or do we look at just the tools they use?
Maybe one of the most thankless jobs beside parenting... cleaning. We might notice the spotless tile, or the crumb-less floor but we certainly don't get up at 3:30 in the morning to come thank the ones responsible, More noticeable are the few mistakes, a pile of crumbs the vacuum left, a spill the mop only swept the top off, or window streak left from a rag... the failures of the tools they use. 
The black and white effect is working well for the first few shots. It gives the office a sterile feeling.
ReplyDeleteI really like the concept of this project, but I don't really get what holding a telephone behind the back is supposed to mean. However, that is probably my favorite picture here.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting idea. If it were just like a photo of a mop it would be the most boring post ever, but I love the people interacting with their tools. The black and white also gives it great continuity. It has a professional feel to it.
ReplyDeleteThe cropping of their faces effectively bring our attention to the 'tools,' with a few exceptions. Some of the photos look candid, and some look really contrived, and i feel that the essay would've felt more cohesive if you would've gone with one or the other throughout the whole essay.
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