Portrait of Jason-3

Jason worked for AT&T and on the day I met him, he was sent to do some repair work at at Alta Wind Energy Center  part of NRG Energy, in Mojave, California, USA. This location is also known as Mojave Wind Farm,  and it’s one of the largest wind energy projects not only in California, but in the world.

Jason was happy to be out in the desert because he came from Bakersfield, California, USA, which was “gloomy, cloudy and nasty looking.” When he got to the main offices, it was sunny and pleasant.

Jason had worked for AT&T for 22 years, straight out of college. He was hired and got on-the-job-training. At first, he worked in the office, doing customer service, but was the type of person who didn’t like to be inside very much.

Eventually, Jason was accepted into the technical aspect of AT&T and was trained for field work. That made him very happy. Again, he was in an on-the-job-training program, but this time, he got to be outside, and he he got to travel around his office’s district.

See the pictures below to see what it looked like by the wind farm on that gorgeous day.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin © 2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

Electrical Substation at NRG Site

Transmission Wires at NRG Site, Wind Turbines in the Background

Portrait of Drew

Drew had been working at at Tehachapi RV & Cycle for three years, however, prior to his employment at this establishment, he had over 20 years working in motorcycle repair. Although this job had it’s ups and downs, as any other job, Drew really liked working at this location.

I was standing on the ground looking up at Drew, who was on top of an RV installing weather-stripping. I switched to my telephoto lens; this is the first picture in this portrait series that I took with my 75-300 mm EF lens. At one point, he had to stop to answer his cell. I liked this shot best because he was looking up and had a casual smile.

It was interesting how he was out in the cold, bundled up, working, and yet he answered his phone. My hands couldn’t mange the “buttons” with gloves on. I’d be afraid to drop my phone ground-ward while on the roof. I guess to him, this was normal.

Drew lived in Tehachapi, California, United States, was originally from Rosamond, California, United States, and had attended Rosamond High School. At the time of this posting, he had recently married and hoped to have children and his own home some day.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin © 2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.a

Portrait of Aeowyn

This portrait is of Aeowyn, named after the Lord of the Rings character Éowyn . I was so excited that Aeowyn’s mom allowed me to shoot this and post it AND that Aeowyn was cooperative. So here you go, my first child in this series.

Aeowyn is an energetic, cute, affectionate three year old. She loves to draw, build with blocks and dance. Recently she discovered she liked singing. She primarily sings Disney songs, but since she’s seen Moana, she is obsessed with You’re Welcome. She saw Moana a few weeks ago with her mother, brother and aunties.

BTW, in case you question when this was shot, it was shot in January, for sure. The sky cleared, the rain stopped, it was still chilly, but not enough to make a little girl who can’t stop moving cold. So. Yes. This is a California girl in January, and it’s shot with my DSLR and not the point and shoot.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin © 2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

Portrait of Arteasha

This portrait is of Arteasia, who I had known previously from my local Lancaster Costco  in Lancaster, CA, USA. She worked for CDS (Club Demonstration Services) Costco Food Demonstrator as one of the sample ladies, everyone’s favorite people at Costco. She had been working at this position for four years and loved the job. She believed Costco employees were fun and the customers were terrific. What she enjoyed the most about her job was meeting and speaking with people, “a lot, all day long.”

Arteasia’s favorite item to serve were sweets, “everyone tends to like sweets so I get all the customers when I have sweet things.” Arteasia found that the customers “stuck around” and talked to her more because they wanted more and more sweets. In other words, on sweets day, she was able to talk to even more people.

I took this portrait with the point and shoot. I used Costco overhead lighting, but because of the shadow on her face caused by her cap, I looked for a box with a white bottom. You know all those empty boxes in Costco? Well I didn’t use one of those. I emptied out a box full of chocolate covered some non-GMO fruit.I had Arteasia stand under a light, had her hold the box, at her waist, like a tray, pointing up, and it reflected the light into her face to give her even lighting. I darkened up the background with Photoshop.

This was a fun shoot not only because Arteasia was tickled from being chosen to be in my project, and because she is so “sweet” (pun intended) in the first place, but because I enjoyed being creative about improving the available light.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin © 2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

spring haiku and tanka

Tehachapi wildflowers in spring

early spring rainfall
soaks into dry claylike soil
regeneration

scattering seedlings
diverting mountain waters
biological
interference criticized
let spring bloom naturally

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Written for:

This week’s theme is: Spring

Also written for:

Prompt #143 – hour

Also written for:

#318 – Wild

Also posted on:

haiku my heart

Also Posted on:

Photos credits: Wall Street Journal Online

Photo credit:  Bat-Ami Gordin  © 2010 all rights reserved, credit if you use it, please.