Thursday, August 7, 2008

It's good to be employed.

Why is it that when people hear you have a professional (or even, in my case, a semi-professional) camera, they automatically assume that you are a professional photographer?

Fact: I am not a photographer. I don't even like using the word "photographer" because the truth is there are REAL LIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS out there in the world and they're fantastic and I can only hope to be a fraction as good one day. Using words like "photography" and "camera" make me feel like an impostor and I offend even myself! (Kidding. Sorta.)

My boss's boss came to me yesterday and said, "I hear you have a fancy camera."

I didn't know what to say. It is a pretty fancy camera, if you're used to the everyday "point-and-shoot" variety. However, there are fancier cameras and why the hell are we using the word "fancy" anyway? Is my camera dressed up to go dancing?

But I digress. Here at The Hotel, we are currently knee deep in the middle of a huge rooms renovation and he wants someone to take pictures of one our "new" rooms to e-mail to the company's President of Operations or some such person. Would I be willing to bring in my camera and take a few pictures?

Fact: I do not know how to say "no." I squirmed in my chair a bit, kinda smiled and contorted my face in a way that should have told him how uncomfortable I was with the request, but okay, I'll do it if I absolutely have to, but please don't make me.

Today I came to work with my camera. I told them, "I'll give it a shot (haha, get it?), but I can't guarantee anything! I'm still learning!" and then we proceeded up to the seventeenth floor and took some pictures.

And after all was said and done, the photos came out all right. The wannabe photographer in me wishes I could have taken them on my terms, in better light, with a tripod, ALONE, but the administrative peon doesn't care enough to be bothered.

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