Sunday, January 20, 2019

Awkward Moment Of The Day

Yesterday did a run-visit to 3 second hand shops looking for useful, things for the darkroom. Picked up some items on the cheap that should help in darkroom #2.

- large 3 hole punch
- 3x large plastic hand carry container racks (plan on using 1 or 2 of them on my big wet plate project).
- large calculator
- 2 sets big rubber gloves
- Sony telephone
- double LP of Judy Garland greats
- two biographies of Nelson Mandela (a man I admire greatly).
- new plastic light fixture plug and switch covers
- 8lb and 12lb hand weights
- JVC radio-cassette-CD player
- large plastic hand carrying box (for negs?)

The most interesting and awkward moment came when I was paying for the 3 plastic hand carry container racks at the 3rd 2nd hand shop (Salvation Army Thrift Store).

Curious upper middle aged sales lady, adding up my total:

"What are you going to use these for?"

Gerry:

"A photography project."

Curious upper middle aged sales lady:

"Your a painter?"

Gerry:

"Photographer"

Curious upper middle aged sales lady:

"What type of photographs?"

Gerry (I think "What the heck, will tell her, she is curious!"):

"Social documentary photography!"

Curious upper middle aged sales lady, then looks confused. Most people here in Edmonton do not know what social documentary photography is. So I often need to explain.

Gerry:

"I am currently photographing Burmese refugees who live and work in a Thailand garbage dump. Have been doing the for 5 years now"

Curious upper middle aged sales lady, looks suprised very confused and not sure what to say:

"Oh"

Gerry (I go on):

"We also do donation work to help the people there, headlamps, rubber boots, food, medicine."

Curious upper middle aged sales lady:

"Ummmm, that's ahhh good." She then quickly finishes the sale.


Then I paid and left with my stuff. Think I shocked and frightened her a bit. Then I paid and left with my stuff. Think I shocked and frightened her a bit. Probably after she asked what type of photography I do she expected me to say something like, "puppies", "flowers" or "landscapes". The whole social documentary, headlamps, boots, medicine, refugee families in the dump thing, threw her for a loupe, a bit too much to process. She did not know where to go in our chit chat conversation after that :).

Well at least I gave her an answer she never expected or heard before!

Plastic hand carry container rack