People at Work – Page 7 – Ruth E. Hendricks

The Beerman Cometh

New York City. Spring Break.

April 25, 2013April 25, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, People at Work, PhotographyTags: available light, men at work, New York City, photography, post no bills, postaday 7 Comments

NYC Locksmith and Metal Artist: Philip Mortillaro

Do you know how many times I have walked by this locksmith on 7th Avenue and it was always closed? The intricate collage of keys always caught my eye.

Wednesday morning, Mary and I were returning from the Post Office and the locksmith’s door was open.

Mr. Mortillaro was speaking with a customer. Mary walked on ahead but I signaled to her to wait. After the customer left, I entered and although I’d photographed the facade on other occasions, I asked the proprietor if I might photograph him. Mr. Mortillaro was totally welcoming and agreeable and here is the portrait I captured. He told me he has been a locksmith since age 14!

The links to his website and a trailer of a video are found at the end of the post.

Although he says he is not religious, he has actually made St. Peter (a gift) the Key to Heaven

Just like the New York Public Library- Patience and Fortitude guard the entrance.

You can see a trailer to Mr. Mortillaro’s video Do Not Duplicate

and visit his website to see his Metal Art

Do Not Duplicate Trailer

March 27, 2013March 27, 2013 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, PhotographyTags: art, available light, Do Not Duplicate, Greenwich Village, keys, locksmith, metal artist, New York City, people at work, Philip Mortillaro, portrait, postaday, sculptor, St. Peter, travel 16 Comments

Inspired by Christopher Boffoli Miniature Food Work

When I saw photographer, Christopher Boffoli’s work, I thought that this was something we could do in the digital photo classroom. He has really perfected the art in this department of miniature food scenes. And we tried to recreate one of his ideas at school. The miniatures are so appealing.

Only problem is 6 mini HO scale figures run almost 14 bucks at Esther’s Hobby Shop so that makes it pricey. They’re fragile too but oh so fun.

The Oreos were on sale at Giant Eagle. But they don’t last, either. I took in beans and rice and we had some Cheerios but it just wasn’t feasible for more than 120 students to get satisfactory results.

This is one of my practice shots. The students liked the little figures. I had some larger plastic dogs that they photographed, too.

Thanks Mr. Boffoli for the cool inspiration. It isn’t that easy to do it as successfully as you’ve done.

I’d photographed a model railroad mother hanging out the wash before but not the whole scene with props.

Be sure to check out his picture show at this link cause his creativity and imagination is endless.

February 19, 2013February 19, 2013 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, PhotographyTags: Christopher Boffoli, cookies, Esther's Hobby Shop, food, high school, humor, miniature, Miniature Food, miniature people, model railroad, photography, postaday 19 Comments

Incline Operator

Meet Chuck Wise. He says his job has its “ups and downs.” You can find him on youtube he told me! Thanks for the tour, Chuck. I was showing fellow blogger Vastly Curious around the Burgh Wednesday night, all the fine sights ( the city view on Grandview Avenue in Mount Washington)

Brrrr it was windy out on the platform.

Churck Wise (like the potato chip he reminded me so I’d spell his name right) has been operating the incline for about 15 years, just as his Great Grandfather did.

He graciously allowed me to photograph and blog him.. Thanks Chuck.

Facts from the Official Site of the Duquesne Incline.

Opened to Public: May 20, 1877

Cost to Build: $47,000
Length of Track: 794 feet

Elevation: 400 feet

Grade: 30.5 degrees

Speed: 6 miles per hour

Passenger: Capacity 18 per car

January 16, 2013January 16, 2013 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, PhotographyTags: architecture, city at night, city lights at night, city view, Duquesne Incline, night photography, people at work series, photography, Pittsburgh PA, transportation, travel, Vastly Curious 18 Comments

The Cigar Maker

We went to dinner at Havana Alma de Cuba on Christopher Street in the West Village. Mary ordered the Hemingway- mussels, shrimp, calamari, scallops in a green sauce. I had the green plantain crusted red snapper, avocado and sofrito sauce with black beans and yellow rice. Flan for dessert.

Right next to our table in the front of the restaurant, a man came with a wooden box, a press, some tools. Tools for cigar making.

He unfurled large leaves of tobacco and began to roll cigars and cut them. The insides were in the wooden molds.

His hands were a blur. I asked if I might photograph him and he agreed. He told us the leaves were from the Dominican Republic. The cigar pile grew. As we prepared to leave he gave us a few cigars and matches in a bag which I gave to my son for some celebration or occasion. Our grandfather smoked cigars on the front porch when I was a kid. The smell of cigar smoke is strong but nostalgic. One whiff and I can be in that memory. See him in a straw hat. No one was smoking cigars on Tuesday night but it was fascinating to watch the hands of a master roll and cut them.

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August 23, 2012August 22, 2012 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, PhotographyTags: Christopher Strret, cigar, cigar making, cigar making tools, food, New York City, postaday, restaurant, tobacco 15 Comments

Mannequin Feet Require Upsize Shoes

We popped in to the local Old Navy store so my DIL could return something. My DIL’s mother Marlene was the spotter for this shot for the blog today. Thanks to Tim who didn’t mind that I snagged his putting the shoes onto the uncooperative mannequin. He is the one who told me you need larger shoes for the feet.

July 6, 2012July 6, 2012 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, PhotographyTags: fashion, mannequin, Old Navy, people at work, photography, postaday, shoes, shopping, travel 6 Comments

Water Tower Message Completed

It was a wonderful milestone birthday celebration and there are photos of sparklers and candles and fireworks seen from the backyard. They are still in the camera.

The cake Laura baked, Erika’s garden eggplant, Mark grilling shrimp, the kids enjoying Grandma’s birthday party, the card they made for me- waiting on the flash card til tomorrow. Below is the breakfast of a special raisin loaf (avert your eyes, Greg) that Marlene (Erika’s mom) brought up from Roanoke. You might remember we were supposed to go to VA for the fourth celebration but they lost power in the violent storm almost a week ago and still don’t’ have it back.

And a crazy couple of shots from a sweltering parade July 4th AM. They are in the camera on the flash card and not uploaded tonight. But I wanted to return to this scene on Tuesday to photograph the sign on the water tower I had photographed on Monday..

No longer just d-e-l-a-w . You might have seen the partially painted message on Tuesday’s post d-e-l-a-w-

I offered to return the library items and took Murphy for a ride, cranked up the AC and left the rear window open a crack for that rush of air he likes to feel on his nose.

Pulled over right after the railroad track and got out and took three shots. How those men were able to paint in this extreme heat I can’t imagine.

I didn’t know this area was considered a playground but it is complete and here is the photo of it.

And isn’t this handy? A drive through library return? I ‘ve never seen one where you drive through. In the city they have large metal depositories outside the library but nothing this convenient. A smart design.

July 5, 2012 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, Photography, SignageTags: An, birthday celebration, Columbus OH, Delaware County, design, drive-through, garden eggplant, Library, milestone birthday, ohio, Orange Road, playground, postaday, raisin bread, signage, travel, vacation, water tower 8 Comments

Men at Work on a Water Tower along Orange Road

We were driving back from the store and I was in the third seat of the van with two of the grandchildren.

My DIL said, quick get your camera. There are men painting the water tower. d-e-l-a-w (a- r -e) I think.

Talk about fleeting moment, she was about to fly by and I was stuck in the back of the van.

She said, I’ll slow down ( going about 45mph) Ha. Somehow I shot through the back window’s glass. You can see the reflection of a white fence. I had the 24-70 lens on the camera.

The one we scraped the stickers off the window just recently. Good thing. I can’t imagine working that high off the ground.

July 3, 2012July 3, 2012 by Ruth Categories: Family, People at Work, SignageTags: Columbus OH, delaw, delaware, family, heights, occupations, Orange Road, painting, people at work, photography, postaday, sign painting, signage, travel, vacation, water tower 10 Comments

Steel Making- Braddock PA

Edgar Thomson Plant United States Steel Mon Valley Works in Braddock, PA Shot less than two weeks ago

How does color or lack of it affect a photograph? What about cropping?

The five photos below are all from one master image.

Discovered the folklore of Joe Magarac, a legendary steel worker from Croatia tried to find online if that statue of a steelworker is supposed to be legendary Joe Magarac. Check out the article Folklore or Fakelore?

And I found a cool driving tour of the mills video from 1988

or see the Steel making process in this video

May 21, 2012May 20, 2012 by Ruth Categories: People at Work, Pittsburgh Photos, Pittsburgh RiversTags: architecture, Braddock, Croatia, Edgar Thomson Plant, Joe Magarac, Mon Valley Works, Pittsburgh, sculpture, Steel Industry, steelworker, travel, United States Steel 8 Comments

Bedford, PA- Home of the National Museum of the American Coverlet

Laszlo Zongor explains the system of Jacquard Loom(see below) and the punched holed cards, each card a single line of weaving.

A two hour drive from Pittsburgh. My book club had a fun and memorable getaway weekend trip. We stayed at the Historic Bedford Resort.

Sunday, Joan and I went to see the National Museum of the American Coverlet– housed in a beautiful Historic Common School. A coverlet is a woven bed cover, although there were some floor coverings, too. The coverlets display changes every four months. We learned a lot about the history of the coverlets with our knowledgeable guide explaining the differences. The last photos are of the gift shop where you can purchase reproductions of the antique designs and fabric for quilters.

from the National Museum of the American Coverlet

The Museum and Museum Shop are open daily, year round.
Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Admission is $6 ($5 for age 60 and over). Kids under 12 are free. Group rates available.