Tuck Does Trucks. Summer Photography. Swim Practice.
We were out at Manitex to make images that got used in an industry magazine about industrial trucks. I can only imagine that having one of these trucks from the top photograph would come in handy around the house for things like hanging Christmas lights, cleaning leaves out of gutters and pulling ball moss out of the high branches of our live oak trees. Or just going really high to get a better view of the downtown skyline. But I guess individual home owners are not really the target market for expensive machines like these... Oh, I thought of one more usage: as a diving platform for daring high dives at the swimming pool !!!
The second image was commissioned so a power company could show off their assorted repair vehicles.
The interesting thing about both images is that they were both commissioned and completed in the dead of a particularly hot Summer. For the top image (and the one we used for the mag. cover!) I arrived in the early afternoon of an August day and spent hours inside the plant that customizes these heavy duty trucks, but also some "quality time" in a heat bath of 105° with some added humidity tossed in to make things more exciting. I remember that day in particular because an ambitious art director wanted more and more variations. The only thing that stopped her in her tracks was a bit of heat exhaustion... (stay in better shape than your clients!).
The bottom image was done for a power company annual report. We scouted a location and the real impetus was to have a photo of the CEO as a possibility for the annual report cover. My assistant, Amy, and I arrived on site around seven thirty in the morning to start blocking out the shots. The client arrived at 8 to help visualize, the trucks got there at 9 --- running a bit late. We arranged the trucks just in time for the CEO's 9:30 arrival. I put a white, two stop scrim over the top of his head. It was positioned on a high C-Stand far outside of the frame, as high as the stand would go and towards the left.. We needed it to be very high up with the stand weighted down with three 40 lbs. sand bags to get the right spot. It was a small chunk of shade but we finally positioned it to be invisible to cut down on overly bright illumination from the sun. As you can see from Amy's test the sun was bright enough to cause major squinting even though she wasn't positioned with the sun anywhere near her eye line.
Since we were moving the CEO into different scenes at the site to get a maximum number of different looks we kept a Suburban SUV idling with the A/C running full blast so he could step in for the cold air and not sweat (excessively). Kind of a common practice for exterior photo shoots in the dead of Summer. Not a green initiative approved solution.
We fixed the squinting issue by hanging a black fabric panel next to the camera to give the CEO something not bright to look at (other than the photographer...). That helped a great deal.
By the time we wrapped (about 10:15) the temperature was already near 90° and heading higher by the minutes. The workers hopped in their trucks and headed back to work. The CEO headed out in his pre-cooled Suburban while Amy and I struck the set, packed the gear and policed the area for trash, et al.
The whole thing was interchangeable with hundreds and hundreds of similar shoots. Leading me to think that people retire not because they can't do the work anymore but because repetition is boring. Very boring. And if you don't need the extra money it's easy enough to say no.
After I dropped Amy off at the office and we unpacked the car I headed straight to the pool to get in some lost laps before lunchtime. Zany Summer schedules for sure.
OT?
I was up early this morning. I wanted to check my cold tire pressure. I have a 12V automated air pump that lets me set a specific PSI and at the push of a button it inflates the tires and stops at the preset PSI. My tires were a bit low. I checked the little sticker on the driver's door side and followed their recommendations. Then I grabbed my swim bag and headed to the pool for the 8 a.m. workout.
Attendance was light. We each had our own lane. The coach put up some nice sets and we were fairly diligent but I was in no hurry to rush home afterwards. I stayed in the chilled water until my core temperature came down to normal and I enjoyed pushing off the walls and just gliding through the water for a while. The closest humans come to flying on their own...
One other masters swimmer was in the water in an adjacent lane at the end of practice. We were the only ones doing a long warm down. He asked if I saw the massive study about longevity. Here's an article from the AMA about it: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/massive-study-uncovers-how-much-exercise-needed-live-longer#:~:text=The%20study%20notes%20that%20%E2%80%9Cany,about%2035%25%20to%2042%25.
The executive summary is:
The study notes that “any combination of medium to high levels” of vigorous (75 to 300 minutes per week) and moderate physical activity (150 to 600 minutes per week) “can provide nearly the maximum mortality reduction,” which is about 35% to 42%.
So, if you are doing exercises you enjoy such as walking, running, swimming, biking, etc., and you are doing enough of them, you can provide between a 35 and 42% reduction of overall mortality. Putting off death. Having a better quality of life.
And most of those things are free. Absolutely free. The study indicates that exercise is more important, overall, than diet. More important even than genetics. Move and live. Sedentary and die.
Why everyone in a first world society would not immediately leap to their feet and start exercising every day is a complete mystery to me. Free life! Who doesn't want more and better?
Forget the kale. Forget the insane eating schedules. Forget the excuses. Turn off the computer, lace up your shoes and walk briskly for an hour every single day. And then, as your endurance increases, add more distance and other exercises from there. Live longer and better and you'll also have no need to depend on voodoo nutritional nonsense. Your clothes will fit better. You'll sleep much better. etc. etc.
Broken record here but still....don't you want to have a long and healthy life? More time to buy and enjoy Leicas!
The doctor in the pool asked how often I make it to swim practice. I tell him six days a week. He asks how long I've been doing this. I tell him since I was six years old. He asks if I do anything else. I mention walking 4-5 miles three or four days a week. And two days of weight training. He smiles and says I'm on the right track. I agree. But I don't do it to compete, I do it to live well.
Comments
Personally I try and do 10kms of brisk walking, five days a week, in a natural environment that has rolling hills, step hills and some nice scenic flat areas.
Love the industrial photography shots. Ahh good memories.
Eric
Oh, the relief. I don't have to organise myself on this anymore.
Results: less stress already. Wonderful.