This article was going to be a large article about the trials and tribulations of traveling for photographs. I changed my mind about how to approach the idea of writing articles on the art of being a traveling photographer. I am going to focus more on some of the important people and the services they provide for us who do travel. While travel sounds glamorous it is hard, tiring and sometimes means sleeping in a vehicle or camping outside just using a sleeping bag. It gets harder as you get older. There is no question about it and I speak from experience.
I have been in Denver for a while as many of you already know. Right now I have business in the Federal District Court here in Denver. Along with some shooting in the general area that means I stay close. For those who do not know I have filed and will be filing more copyright infringement and DMCA copyright violation lawsuits. Those are required to be filed in Federal District Court. If you are unaware and have not read my articles about copyright law and cases the first case involves real estate brokers, MLS and a homeowner. Yes the money can be huge but it should never be the point or become an income stream.
I was hungry one night about 1:00 AM. I knew Denny’s was near. While I do not eat a lot at Denny’s I will stop on an occasion. I do not eat out much if I can help it. I had been to this location about a year before so it was known to me. It is in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. That is a north side of Denver type of place next to Interstate 70.
When I walked in I was greeted by a person (server if you need to call them that) that was friendly and unique looking. She has blonde hair medium height and thin. I also noticed the tattoos. I do not particularly like tats but they were not intrusive. She was friendly so no problem. To each their own is my motto. I started to follow her. Now the guys and most women will think I watched her walk as they seem to think all the time. I was focused on her hair. It was up loosely and when she walked it bounced.
I have been back a few times and have had Kelley as my waitress, server or whatever. I see her as a person. We have talked as sometimes it is slower in the very early morning hours. The first night was just general customer type talk but I watched her and Bobby. A guy I will talk about in a few minutes work. They were a team. Whatever they could do to make things work they did. They were constantly on the move helping any customers in the place. They were removing dishes, restocking areas and constantly checking on customers with smiles, laughs and a great sense of humor. That last one is important to me. I made notes about them and the way they worked. I am sure others in the industry do the same but in my travels it is usually only one at a time. This was different.
I have gotten to know a little more about Kelley. She is friendly and knowledgeable. I was there a couple of nights ago and you could tell she was not feeling well. She was pushing to stay at work. I asked why she did not go home or had not called in sick. Her answer did not surprise me. Bobby was working a double and carrying the weight of the midnight shift manager. She said she would never leave her bubby when he needed her. I do not know how long she made it that night but the simple fact she went it and was fighting to stay says volumes about her character.
I will answer the question before you ask. Yes she is quite pretty. She is about 20 years younger than I am. I have no idea about her “status” as you have been known to ask. Every person is different and this woman is not an exception to being different. She has the added depth of being very unique. Her son mentioned that his friends had a name for her. I am not going to use it here but it is a very popular acronym concerning mothers. I think it would make a great headline. I could not believe she had no idea what it meant until her son got part way through the explanation. She seemed shocked, a little embarrassed and maybe a little proud. She should be but I hope people see her for what is on the inside as much as what is on the outside.
Bobby, what can I say? Along with Kelley he works his tail off. He keeps things hopping and moving around. He fills in as needed and is quite friendly if he gets the time. I have not spent much time getting to know him as he is not ever been my server or whatever you wish to call them. The exception to that was about a year ago when I went into this Denny’s and he seated me and waited on me. We got to talk a little about things. Many people ask questions when they find out I am a photographer. I tell some but most I do not. I have heard it all. I can take pictures with my cell phone as good as you can with that camera. Really? That says it all about that person. Bobby was different he wanted to know what I shot and how to become a photographer. I do not know how serious he was about it then or now but I do know he was really interested before.
He has been there every time I went there during the late shift. He has always had a smile. He laughs a lot and he is very quick to help the customers. He is part of a really good team on that midnight shift. He cashed me out on night and I mentioned the way the midnight shift seems so synched and how they worked so hard to make sure everything was done right. His response was simply, “That’s how we roll.” I think that sums up the story on the evening/midnight shift featuring Kelley and Bobby.
If Bobby really does have the same passion for photography as he shows for his work he could do very well as a photographer.
Now for the basic question, why did I write this article? I have always stated the work is the most important thing to a photographer. Sometimes that even applies to families for some. It should not be more important than family. These experiences I am going to write about show that we get so caught up sometimes on whom we are and what we are that we forget we are people first. That applies to the others we deal with on a daily basis. We want people to believe in our work. We want them to see our artistic ability but should we not recognize the people who help us do what we do? To be a street photographer, nature photographer or any photographer you need to see the world differently than most. Remember that but never forget the people that allow you to be you. Yes, this article is about some servers as you might call them. To me they are a couple of very good people doing hard work to make us happy and allow us to do what we do. They do it with grace, style and a smile.
Next article: Law Enforcement, the good the bad and whatever.