Night Shift Series: Google Pixel 4
I’ve always wondered what NYC feels like for those who work at night while everyone else sleeps. I decided to work on this unique photo assignment focusing on people who work late evenings into the following morning. On this night, Nov 13th 2019, from 9pm-4am I featured 8 individuals who I paid a visit to their job during their work shift. With the understanding in respecting their time and employment limitations, I decided to use just my Google Pixel 4 device to capture their portraits using only the Night Sight feature for the low light environments. Here is what I got.
David Perez, The Bronx.
It's 9pm and I decided to pay David a visit at his job located in The Bronx. David is currently a Receiving Supervisor and has been working at his job for 9 years. He prefers working evenings and mentioned the night shift provides him flexibility to work on his other occupation as a photographer.
This is the Night Shift at 9pm with @2ndgunny
Antonio Montiel, Queens.
It's 10pm now I find myself in a restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens. It was a busy night so I decided to wait at the bar for about 15 minutes until his break time. The restaurant was small and intimate but full of energy this night. Antonio approached and we got a chance to do some small talk in the short amount of time. He mentioned he has been working there for 4 years now and his hours varied from 8-13 hours night shifts 5-6 days a week. He's not fully in love with just working night shifts and hopes he can eventually have a mixture of day and night shifts in the future.
This is the Night Shift at 10pm with @chef_tonymontiel
Karma W Lama, Midtown Manhattan.
It's 11pm and I'm in Midtown Manhattan on my way to visit my friend Karma who works at a hotel restaurant as a server. He's been working there since the opening which is now 4 1/2 years. He explained this restaurant bring some interesting people which gives him the opportunity to interact with and have fun at the same time. He's also enjoys taking picture of the city so after his shift is over, he gets to go out and explore the city at night.
This is the Night Shift at 11pm with @_badkarma
Romeli, Harlem.
Going into the 12am time and I decided to connect with Romeli who is bartending tonight. We've never met in person but have been in talks regarding working together soon. I wanted to take this opportunity to visit her at work during her night shift at a popular venue in Harlem. Even though it was a extremely busy night she was kind enough to spare a few minutes for a quick meet and greet. She's usually there until closing time and she surprised me seeing her full of energy, same energy as her work environments. Not being used to staying up this late, her energy definitely helped elevate mine. Guess that's why she's so good at her job! Keeping that energy alive.
This is the Night Shift at 12am with @romizzle
Noemad, Lower Manhattan.
I knew that I could count on good friend and fellow creative to meet with me tonight. I know his occupation entails working as a photographer at night, I contacted him to see if we could connect. It was 1am and I was lucky that he was on assignment in Lower Manhattan. We've hung out in the past during day time events but glad I was able to see him on the grinding side. He's been doing this for 7 years now and he loves the energy at night. He gets to work with many artists, create a different network that's beneficial for his type of work and have fun at the same time. Not many can say the same.
This is the Night Shift at 1am with @noemadnyc
Vladimir, Queens.
It's 2am and I'm on my way to Queens. Vladimir works what they call, ""the graveyard 10 hour shift"" for a car dispatcher company. As I sat with him during his shift, the phones were ringing nonstop. He's on call throughout the night with a heavy responsibility of staying in communication with the drivers and clients. He's been working the night shift for over 5 years, 5 days a week.
This is the Night Shift at 2am with Vladimir.
Sofia Echa, Long Island City.
Sofia and I have exchanged many memories attending same events and she's always been a joy to talk to. Little that I know until recently she is an Artist and paints at night. It's 3am and I was glad to know that she was still at her studio in Long Island City. I was able to check out her private space and see some of her current and upcoming work. She loves working at night as it gives her this sense of 'freedom' for a few hours in her studio. Everyone's asleep, no calls, no noise or distraction around her, and she can reach the state of serenity when her mind is perfectly calm, and everything's left is her with her own thoughts. Night time is the perfect time for her to paint.
This is the Night Shift at 3am with @sofiaecha
Anthony, The Bronx.
I've reached my final subject for tonight's Night Shift project and it's ending where it began, back in The Bronx. Anthony works as a firefighter and he sometimes works double shifts which usually entails 24 hours straight. He was working this night I was able to visit him at the fire house and he was kind enough to give me a small tour of the space. He says he's never alone and he's been doing for about 8 years now. He loves what he does and gives him a sense of purpose in life. His fellow firemen are more than coworkers, they are family so it makes his job even more special.
This is the Night Shift at 4am with Anthony.