The Proposals

The First: Coffee Shops

When you go to get your grande mocha frappuccino, do you ever stop to look around at what everyone else is doing at the coffee shop? Do you only go to name brand places for that special cup of joe? Coffee houses are fascinating, eclectic social hot spots. In the age of technology, these places offer a perfect ground for social interaction and productivity with their free wi-fi, constant supply of caffeinated beverages and tasty snacks. In an environment where you can interact as you see fit or disappear behind a book or laptop, we see more and more sociability in our otherwise technologically linked world of solitude. The purpose of the assignment would be to showcase the vast variety of social interactions that can be found in one small place. The quality of the images should portray that comfortable, enveloping warmth found in such places and connect the different subjects.

The idea is to photograph in several different coffee shops around town, focusing on both chain and locally owned houses, though the later may outweigh the other. There are several coffee shops with completely different environments located throughout town and to link them into a common theme would be both challenging and exciting. Being that I work until 10pm all but two nights a week, this leaves me with a more consistent night theme to work off, which is when I believe these places really start to come alive. I do plan on spending some of the few afternoons or mornings as well to break up the monotony and offer some softer and lighter tonalities to the photographs.

My concerns are socially grounded. In the past few years, I’ve become acutely aware of how socially connected we are through technology and yet how socially disconnected we are to the environments around us. Coffee shops, though, offer a merge of the two, which cannot be found in many other places. Bars are strictly social; libraries strictly productive. These two can be merged in one small place and that place is a coffee house.

Currently, I’ve been contemplating whether or not I would need a different lens for this project. As I’m still a bit unsure as to how I want to go about photographing this subject, I think I may be fine with my current gear. I have budgeted for drinks, which is a definite requirement if you’re going to sit in a coffee shop for very long.

The Second: The Hilton

Ever since I moved to Tucson (three years and a couple months ago), I've worked at The Hilton El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort. I started out in Housekeeping and moved on to Security as a Dispatcher and Administrative Assistant. In that span of time, I've gotten to know a ton of people--some stay and some go. The fascinating part to me is the amount of different cultures represented in one small spot in the world and the amount of time some of these employees have been working there. Everyone had stories. Everyone has quirks. In a hospitality enviornment, so few pay attention to the behind the scenes workers. Every housekeeper is a "Maria" who silently cleans their rooms while they're away. I want to give the world faces to remember. People not so different from you and I. Every person who works there has a reason, whether it be that the hospitality yearly schedule allows for an "off season" so that they can spend more time with an elderly mother or that they feel trapped in a world they cannot get out of. Being in Security has allowed me access to every department in the hotel and a chance to get to know much more about the individuals working here. I'm one of the first people they go to when injured or dealing with a problem. I'm one of them. The working class that makes just enough to afford working.

I intend to bring my camera with me to work and spend my 10 minute breaks and lunch breaks photographing those around me. I can also devote my Friday-Sunday mornings to the project. The idea is to include a close up portraits as well as distance shots. With the portraits, I'd like to include their first names, dates of hire and origin so that the viewer can get a sense of how long some of these people have been working here as well as where they are from--Iran, Samolia, Bolivia, the US etc. In addition, for the multi-media aspect I'd like to include quips or parts of their stories. Some of these people have multiple degrees and spend their days unplugging toilets. Some of these people have come to the US as war refugees. Their backgrounds are so diverse and yet they all work in the same area and encounter the same struggles daily. I'd like to capture that commeradrie and diversity.

I've already cleared the project with my Director. He inturn took it to our Director of Sales (also incharge of PR) and the Director of HR as well as the General Manager. All I have left to do is discuss the project with the GM personally for final approval and go over company brand and logo policies. In exchange for the access, I may be required to photograph for the resort and have agreed to also budget that time into my schedule. I may also share rights to the photographs, if they choose to use them as well.