Today Maisie and I got together to take some fun pics. We had a plan that had to quickly change, and it all worked out.
Blackwater Falls with Nathan
We went back to West Virginia for my birthday. We stayed in a cabin. We lost and found the beagle. We went to the same cafe three times. We ate chips. etc etc. i love you.
Julie, Maisie, & Erin
Felt good to take some photos again after a long hiatus.
Wag! Walker Review
I am going to use this platform to voice my opinion on how Wag! takes advantages of its employees (walkers). I have been walking dogs since late August and have completed over 100 walks. Where do I begin?
Requesting walks
For some reason, Wag does not send notifications to people closest to the dog. I understand that the walks may be in the future, but allowing just about anyone to pick up a walk inconveniences those that miss out on walks nearby. In addition, I am going to assume that there are many more walkers than dog owners to create the appearance that the app is quick and reliable to clients. The abundance of walkers makes it incredibly difficult to request nearby walks unless you are on the app, literally staring at it (I most often apply this method), when the walk appears on the calendar.
Unfair Pay
If you are a walker, you are most likely aware that Wag takes 40% COMMISSION!!! THAT IS ABSURD! In comparison, Uber only takes 25% commission, and Lyft takes 20%. Not only that, but Wag will randomly offer discounted rates to clients without any explanation to the walkers. Rather than Wag taking the cut of their discounted rate, they take that money away from the walker who ultimately is providing the same service for less. It is totally unethical.
Lack of a rating system of dog/owner
Why the hell can’t we rate the dog/owner??? Again, in comparison to Uber, you have some idea of what type of experience you will get with a client based on their rating. When requesting a walk with Wag, you have no idea what the experiences of previous walkers have been like until after the request is completed. So, if the dog is aggressive or strong and you feel uncomfortable with those traits, you are disadvantaged because you already committed to the walk. (You could request a cover in this case, but covers are frowned upon and considered to be only for emergencies.) With respect to rating the owner, this can become extremely important in managing your expectations for what type of rating/tip you will receive. If someone is going to give you a poor rating, you should not feel obligated to take that walk. Also, if someone is terrible at responding during urgent situations and their dog is a real piece of work, we should be able to inform other walkers and make it more difficult for this individual to get walks in general. Owners and their pets should be held to some standard. Don’t just blindly throw us (the walkers) into situations that are going to feel threatening or include unknown obstacles. FOR EXAMPLE: I recently walked a dog from an apartment complex that had a gate lock, front door lock, and apartment door lock. The front door lock required me to call the owner through the intercom system for entry. I called quite literally 5 times in addition to texting the owner over a span of 15 minutes (it was also around 30 degrees outside). I waited until I was able to follow a tenant into the building to enter. The owner never responded to my messages/calls. She luckily let me in when we got back through the intercom system. I should be able to rate this person. She wasted my time and should be held accountable. When it come to owners rating the walkers, they are allowed to give us a poor rating without any explanation required.
The app itself
The app itself is a mess. The “Available” section does not list the dates at the top but rather lists them above the available walks. When sifting through various days, you can lose track of what day you are looking at. It is poor design. When you look at your earnings or profile page, you cannot easily swipe back to the Available or Booked pages. Why? When you finish walk, i.e. stop walking, you will lose all contact and entry information, forcing you to end the walk after you leave the apartment, which is not technically the end of the walk. It does not make sense.
OK that was very long winded, but I just wanted to vent my feelings about this app and open up the conversation to other walkers/pet owners about their experiences with the app. Would love to hear from you.
Pittsburgh and Beyond
Nathan and I had planned a trip to Pittsburgh before the tragedy occurred at the Tree of Life synagogue. We laid flowers for those whose lives were brutally taken from them. What began as a solemn morning was followed by a drive through the Allegheny Cemetery on Halloween where we spotted flocks of crows and deer. Today we drove home and stopped in cute towns like Bridgeville where we saw ducks emerge from a secret swamp and called to cows through the fog.
Kyle & Maisie
I photographed Kyle and Maisie in their home. This was an interesting challenge for me. I am trying to become more comfortable shooting just honest candids instead of the usual direction and control approach that I take. I hope to photograph more people in their homes.
Dear Solly
I know you read this blog. Please text me from your Spain number so I can talk to you. I miss you.
Friends in France
These photos have been a long time coming. I’ve been trying to photograph two of my favorite subjects (and closest friends), Kahlil and Maisie for a little while now. I was inspired by photos of Father John Misty shot by Paola Kudacki for GQ, and his style in general. I thrifted most of the clothes in this shoot, unaware of how French they would look when put together.
New York City
Solly My Love
Nomi Makes an Appearance on the Blog
Dustin
Disco Hunnybee
Tonight I shot sisters (2/3 triplets) Cierra & Celeste of Disco Hunnybee, a vegan/omnivore startup bakery. I am really excited to see them grow. They hope to one day open their own bakery/late night coffee shop.
Where Do Dreams Go?
I'm working on a team. We aren't aware of the goal, but we do know that we want to attain it. I can't recall any faces, not even my own. We climb a short mountain that leads into a large roofed cave. This part of the journey requires us to remove a headstone covered in Hebrew and use it as a bridge to cross a shallow but dangerous stream that flows through the roofed mountain.
I enter through a door, up many stairs and many other doors until I am in her room. We have never met, but neither of us are surprised nor alarmed that I comfortably start undressing and contemplating what outfit I should wear to the Boston hockey game. Her bedroom is quite large and busy with dressers, a king size bed, and trinkets like glitter spilled all over the floor. Later this room will be filled with water and the roof will be gone.
We show each other the room where we both used to sleep, not together, but separately at different times in our lives. We both preferred the attic, a large mostly empty room. We cuddle up in a nook where the makeshift bed formed its shape and suddenly become aware that we can look down. Below us, an entire city appears. We enter. We are trapped. We wear what they wear and work as they work, and we cannot escape.
Lake House Party
Anniversary of Me
Two years ago today I left for Germany, and what do I have to show for it? Temporarily I accepted myself. Temporarily I filled emptiness with novels about beets and Jesus' sarcophagus. If I was there for any other reason but to learn, my experience would not have been so deep. Never had I felt more alone and more at peace all at once. I had no embarrassment, no shame, but simultaneously no desire to make people interested in me the same way that I became. I reflect on my short hair with envy. I wish I could still feel as confident as I did two years ago. I miss having an experience that was mine and no one else's. I miss me.
James Blake Lyrics
You wanna know me like waves know shores
You wanna know me like waves know shores
You wanna know me like waves know shores
You wanna know me like waves know shores
Like I know my own self's goals
Like I know my own self's goals
Like I know my own self's goals
Like I know, like I know
All I suggest is
I suggest you love like love's no loss
I suggest you love like love's no loss
Platonic
What does it mean to be a friend? The response to that question depends on who you ask. If you ask me, a friend does not judge, a friend respects, a friend listens, and a friend loves. While our lives tend to revolve around romantic relationships, it is often the platonic friendships that help us navigate through life's challenges, no matter how big or small. Friendships can often make sense, but sometimes they develop out of conflict, out of niche interest, out of blatant disinterest, or out of shared experience. Friends are so important.
Maine
You are so special to me. Nathan, my shining lighthouse directing me home. If I could climb rocks with you forever, I'd be happy. Lupines with mites, pillow fights, schooners and gulls, lobster rolls. We both gained a little weight, gained some new stories, gained and lost time together. I thought I saw you across the sky on the way home, and I waved. I'll see you on the ground so soon. I love you.
