March 15, 2008

Not too much about photography in this blog

By In Photography, Thoughts

So there, I admit it. But what the heck? Can’t stick to one subject your whole life, can you? So this post will be about photography.

I am hella busy right now at work. If you want to know what it’s like as a staff photographer at a major corporation, it’s probably great because you have a staff of people who help out and you have projects and scope documents and firm deadlines and junk! But I’m the only one for a billion dollar a year corporation, and I’m doing video productions too. So there’s a firehose of work being pointed in my direction. I keep hearing the same thing from people. “I’m so busy, well, not busy like you, Jon. You’re really busy. But I’m pretty busy.” The guys in my room don’t talk to me when I’m intensely working I think out of fear that I might go Medusa on em.

Anyway, because I’ve had a chalkboard on the wall next to me sitting uselessly for years, I erased the small cartoon photographer I drew on there a year ago and replaced it with a chart of every photo requestor I could think of. And in the middle, a sad stick figure with a little stick figure camera in his hands. And surrounding this small pathetic creature was the force of dozens of main buildings, 30 or so smaller offices, several internal and external websites, outside media outlets, magazines, books, blogs, hundreds of departments, blah blah blah. And I drew all of these things with lines to me in varying thickness depending on the severity of the requests made over the years. It was like the sun exploding. If I had been in possession of any colored chalk, people would have run for their lives at the horror of it all.

Some sweet old lady came in today asking me which camera she should buy for her department. That’s it. No other details. She said she had bought a nice camera once for her daughter at Best Buy. It was pink. Really great camera. The pink camera. It was great. She loved it. It was pink. Should I get that one?

I referred her to a website in order for her to do her own research and she just wanted me to tell her which one to get. Then she proceeded to tell me how she had to shoot 200 photos for a project she was doing and what a pain in the ass it was for her. I leaned back and pointed behind me at the Chalk Chart of Horror on the board and she dismissed it and turned away. I wanted to punch her in the face. So I turned back to my editing and let her blend into the background like so many other out of focus people that litter my life. Does that sound mean?

I feel like the surly captain in Blade Runner. “If you’re not cop, you’re little people.” I’m totally like that now. If you’re not a requestor or a subject, you’re little people. Please step over here behind me. I have work to do.

Written by Jon Hillenbrand

Jon Hillenbrand is a Chicago-based artist working in photography and filmmaking. He has over 15 years of professional award-winning experience working both locally and nationally in television, print and web advertising. He currently calls Evanston, IL home.
3 Comments
  1. crysOakleee March 16, 2008

    I want to see this chalk-board! Maybe they should hire you an assistant.

  2. jonnyfilmboy March 18, 2008

    Never happen. The assistant I mean. You can see the chalkboard.

  3. jonnyfilmboy November 9, 2008

    I just re-read this post. hahahaha!! I sound like a jerk. But everything I wrote is still true. But I’ve since replace the exploding sun drawing with a chart of number of projects per year, number of photos on file, amount of data in the database, etc.