Thursday, November 03, 2005
Where's the Bus
The strike really screwed up my shooting schedule, so I spent the week before leaving indoors. I had a nice time making homemade pizza for my dear friends and getting to know them more.
About the Photo:
I had an eventful 5 weeks in various mid-Atlantic U.S. cities (and Toronto). The last week in Philadelphia came fully equipped with 3 strange models and a citywide public transportation strike. I got stranded at my friend's house who like most city dwellers did not own a car. I researched this Philadelphia based state regulated 
company and learned that this was their 6th strike in 9 years. I also learned that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania makes its residents pay the highest public transit fares in the world. A one way trip is nearly 3 dollars! The drivers aren't too friendly either, plus the subways are dirty. It makes one wonder what all those high fares are paying for. I spoke a few SEPTA (South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) riders and the concensus was angrily simple: they were pissed at being ignored as non-players in this strike. Basically SEPTA employees don't want to pay for a portion of their health insurance, like most people do. From my outsider's point of view, I could see where the riders were coming from, but I could also understand the anger of the unionized workers. My solution to this bad situation is that no major city should have just one public transportation company. That's a monopoly!
company and learned that this was their 6th strike in 9 years. I also learned that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania makes its residents pay the highest public transit fares in the world. A one way trip is nearly 3 dollars! The drivers aren't too friendly either, plus the subways are dirty. It makes one wonder what all those high fares are paying for. I spoke a few SEPTA (South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) riders and the concensus was angrily simple: they were pissed at being ignored as non-players in this strike. Basically SEPTA employees don't want to pay for a portion of their health insurance, like most people do. From my outsider's point of view, I could see where the riders were coming from, but I could also understand the anger of the unionized workers. My solution to this bad situation is that no major city should have just one public transportation company. That's a monopoly! The strike really screwed up my shooting schedule, so I spent the week before leaving indoors. I had a nice time making homemade pizza for my dear friends and getting to know them more.
About the Photo:
The model's name is Alec. I discovered him when shooting in Miami. We shot this particular session behind Universal Studios! Outdoor nude shoots can be somewhat dull, so we decided to make good use of the chain fence. The photo while sensual was actually meant to be funny and one of protest. It says the natural human body is chained and repressed by the powers that be. Photographer: Jose Faro
¶ 11:22 PM
