'You load sixteen tons, so what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt'
There are a lot of songs about working, Dolly's Nine To Five, Donna Summer's Hard For The Money and Bruce Springsteen's Working on the Highway to name just a few. The song that I couldn't get out of my head thought was Sixteen Tons, most famously sung I think by Tennessee Ernie Ford. When I was working on my summer camp piece last month, this song was one of many that has never left my memory.
I haven't always given Labor (Labour) day much thought. For the most part, it was the day I mourned the end of summer, and the day sandwiched between the past two months of fun, and the beginning of school. But the day, like the songs that celebrate labor have been become more meaningful the older I get. With upcoming elections dominating the news, minimum wage, jobs and the economy remain defining issues for those attempting to bring in voters.
One of the issues that helped create Labor day was the union fight for the triple 8. Nine to Five as Dolly Parton sang, Eight hours of work, eight hours of leisure and eight hours of sleep. Although many places in the world have embraced the 8's, America continues to struggle to recognize the importance of down time. Success defined by hard work may be a great motto, but it assumes work is all that matters and ignores the fact that happiness is based for many, on those hours when we are not at work. I for one have scheduled 8 hour days, yet often am forced to put in 10 and 12 hour days on a regular basis. I am one of the lucky ones however as I get to take those extra hours in money or time off. Most cannot.
Although I didn't plan on it, when starting to put together a new piece featuring Preston Woods new images of model Josh Cook, Labor Day seemed the perfect time. The Atlanta photographer's mission is seeking beautiful people to shoot and model Josh, and buddy Ryan D. I first featured Preston's work last February as he headed into the woods with Cody, (Artistry Through Naturalism) followed in April with his work with Alex. (Spring Awakening)
Josh along with Ryan
25 year old Preston is not a stranger to hard work, as a professional actor and dancer he knows making a living in the arts can be challenging and hard work is just the beginning of what's needed to achieve success. Preston is new to shooting, in fact the first piece I did featuring his work with Cody was one of his first shoots. Preston's passion for photography is beginning to pay off and he recently was offered the opportunity to shoot for a fairly well known company with an internship in New York. Preston is ready to go, but is looking to purchase a better camera before he head North. For those with an extra five or ten dollars to spare, and for those who love images of the male form, check out Preston's GoFundMe page, to assist him in following his work passion and dream.
Although just his second professional shoot, Josh Cook is also a hard worker, juggling several jobs and several passions. Modeling is just one of the ways Josh is looking to move forward, he is also a wrestler and musician with his ultimate goal to be a professional singer. Like Cody, Josh is a friend of Preston's and in in addition to shooting, Preston also did all the styling of clothing and hair. With his incredible body, and that great head of hair, I think Preston's decision to stick to just the jeans and work boots was a good one!
