Sunday, November 3, 2013

Gas Station Employees

Samantha hunts down a fly. She is a high school student who has won several student photography competitions. She worked the drive-thru window most of the night.
 Mckenzie stocks beer in the back cooler.
And carries out the recycling. She prefers doing the nightly chores over working at the drive-thru window or at the register.
 Dave, possibly drunk, talks to some teenagers about Blink-182 under a no loitering sign with the "beer cave" in view behind him. I listened for about  20 minutes before I felt like he was distracted enough for me to take this shot.
Chad studies an order. "You know those days where nothing is going right?" He asked me.
"At work? Or with everything else?" I asked.
"Family" he said.

It was really hard to choose just five. With the exception of the fourth shot, I chose to focus on the employees at the gas station instead of the customers or items.
Gas stations have their own culture. Employees come and go but are generally a mix of high school students, single moms, musicians, and immigrants. Customers vary more, but each gas station has regulars and loyal customers. I worked at this gas station for 3 years during high school, and wanted to show what goes on behind the scenes. After working at a gas station, I can no longer enter one, buy my drink and leave. I listen to how the employees and regulars talk, look at how the merchandise is stocked, and try to see what's really going on.

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