wilfredo Posted July 4, 2008 Share #1  Posted July 4, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Many love to come to Disneyland on vacation but these days the Magic Kingdom is less and less the happiest place on earth, at least for people like the hotel service workers, those people who work the dining rooms, and make the rooms clean and tidy for guests. The CEO of Disney makes 1500 times more than the average service worker. But there is hope, the workers are organizing and their unions and faith communities are advocating on their behalf. I was part of a prayer vigil last week for the Disney service workers, and took a few shots. The prayer vigil took place in one of the Disneyland parking lots off of Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim. I call these the "Faces of Dignity". Those who know me on this forum will not be surprised by these pictures. Reflecting on the increasingly difficult plight of workers, I have concluded that there is a new secular commandment in America (US) today with fanatical religious overtones: "Thou shall not stand in the way of extreme wealth, no matter who gets trampled."  Happy 4th of July,  Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography  PS These of course are M8 shots, what else could they possibly be :-) ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 4, 2008 Posted July 4, 2008 Hi wilfredo, Take a look here The Happiest Place on Earth. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
cbretteville Posted July 4, 2008 Share #2 Â Posted July 4, 2008 Good strong series Wilfredo. Excellent use of B&W. My favourite is the second shot. Cheers and happy July 4th! - Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share #3 Â Posted July 4, 2008 Thank you Carl. That's also my favorite shot. As we were marching I looked for faces with character I thought would make good portraits. Being a priest with a camera at times like this is very helpful. I pulled people out of the piquet line and asked to take their pictures. They were more than happy to have their picture taken by a clergyman at a rally. Â BTW, the last picture is one of the Union leaders speaking from the podium. Â Cheers, Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoArchival Posted July 4, 2008 Share #4 Â Posted July 4, 2008 Agree with Carl. The whites are a bit strong on my monitor, but I think it works for me. Nicely done. Happy 4th! And good luck to them! Â Amado Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elansprint72 Posted July 4, 2008 Share #5 Â Posted July 4, 2008 The workers, united, will never be defeated. Â Seems like a lifetime ago that I photographed the miners' strikes in the UK. Â Some folks still have a long road to travel. My thoughts are with them. Â Good reportage Wilfredo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin T-M Posted July 4, 2008 Share #6 Â Posted July 4, 2008 Yes, good reportage, Wilfredo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riccis Posted July 4, 2008 Share #7 Â Posted July 4, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Wilfredo - Great reportage. #2 is also my favorite. Here's is hoping these hardworking folks get the reward they deserve. Â Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted July 5, 2008 Share #8 Â Posted July 5, 2008 Wilfredo - Â A superb series and a worthy cause. Disney's Florida operation is well known to pay very low wages, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted July 5, 2008 Share #9 Â Posted July 5, 2008 Thought you went off on a retreat. Going silent and all. Glad to see you strutn yo stuff again. Peace & Obama. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPerson Posted July 5, 2008 Share #10 Â Posted July 5, 2008 Wilfredo - as always worth waiting for. #2 is the one - I like the irony of a clergyman covering a protest and capturing another member of the clergy in the protest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker Posted July 5, 2008 Share #11 Â Posted July 5, 2008 Excellent series with a strong and worthwhile message. Good luck to them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted July 5, 2008 Share #12 Â Posted July 5, 2008 and you did it proud with this series I enjoyed your commentary which complimented these strong photographs I fear executive excess privilege has become an American plague & a great liability as well as an inequity Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falstaff Posted July 5, 2008 Share #13 Â Posted July 5, 2008 Excellent series. Falstaff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share #14 Â Posted July 5, 2008 Wilfredo - as always worth waiting for. #2 is the one - I like the irony of a clergyman covering a protest and capturing another member of the clergy in the protest. Â Thank you all for all the kind comments. I'm glad this was received with sensitivity to the workers. Â There were about 10 clergy persons present from various mainline Christian denominations, and also a Muslim sheik. We were there to pray and stand in solidarity with the workers. Unfortunately the secular world has largely lumped all people of faith into one idiotic category forgetting that we are not all fanatical fundamentalists and Biblical literalists. The modern Civil Rights movement in America was born in the Church, ie. The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and that tradition continues, albeit mostly ignored by the media. Â Amado: Â I'm glad you liked the pictures. The afternoon light is very harsh here in Southern California. The lighting conditions were difficult to say the least. It is next to impossible not to have strong highlights under these circumstances even when you underexpose and later work on the image during post-processing. That coupled with the shadows of trees makes for a real challenge, the light meter doesn't know what the heck is going on :-) but we can only do the best we can. I have learned to live with it, it's O.K. (although I confess it took me a while). Â Cheers, Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography Saint Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church-Garden Grove, CA (Orange County, California, USA) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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