On Sunday night I got a call from my friend Leni.

After I had left my full time assisting position about eight years ago I made a decision. I had it with photo assisting. I was 30 years old and it was time to move on and to be a photographer.

But after I had survived on the money I had made for a year or so I realized that I would not be able to survive on shooting few occasional jobs.

One day I picked up some prints from the lab and out of whatever reason the owner offered me a job. He asked me if I am good at printing. I wasn’t. He said I could do contact sheets and that somebody would train me. That sounded good. I would learn something new, make some money and would also be able to use the lab on weekends to do my own printing.

I was working the graveyard shift from 5 PM to 3 AM three days per week. It was rough. My body never got used to staying up at night and sleeping during the day. There was lots of ventilation but inhaling the fumes of the chemicals seemed to have had an effect on me as well. I made $ 11.00 per hour, assisting I would have made three times as much. But I learned something new and did not have to schlep somebody else’s equipment and was surrounded by the work of some of the best fashion and advertising photographers in the world.

A few months into working there we got a new night manager. It was Leni. Leni has over 30 years of experience in the darkroom and is a master at his craft. I was glued to his lips listening to him talking about  darkroom work. He has an amazing color eye. Until I started to work there I had no idea how difficult it is to see what color cast a print has. He was always right on. So we spent the nights tech talking when there was some time. I learned a tremendous amount from him and will be forever thankful for his support.

When Leni called me he told me something that I had already found out a couple of hours earlier. I was riding the subway and this five year old girl who had flowers painted all over her face and her mother sat down next to me. The little girl asked me what I would do for the special day tomorrow. “What special day tomorrow?” I replied. Chinese New Year!

Monday was Chinese New Year. “The dragons will come out” Leni being Chinese said when I talked to him. It apparently is a custom to scare away the evil spirits.

Leni picked me up at 10:30 PM. We had a late dinner and like in the old days talked tech. We jumped back into his car and shortly after 12 AM arrived in Chinatown. It was absolutely freezing outside. We started hearing drums. Leni was right the dragons came out. Not for long but long enough to take a few pictures.

Happy Chinese New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

"Chinese New Year" Manhattan/New York City/Chinatown/Dragon Dance 01-26-09 at 12:18 AM

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Please check out my website at carstenfleck.com

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