Community Challenge: Your government at work!

No, we are not talking politics :)  Rather, we’d like to celebrate your municipal employees at work.   


We are thinking specifically about ‘public-facing’ people (vs back-office administrators): trash collectors, street cleaners, utility workers, librarians, mail delivery people, fire fighters and police officers – anyone who provides public service in your locality. 
 
Most of these workers wear some form of uniform – which can be a great occasion to showcase variations across cultures -- and we all interact with at least some of them on a day-to-day basis. Recognizing them through a photograph is also an opportunity to say ‘thank you for your service.’  
 
So this challenge will be to photograph people. We realize this may be a stretch for some but then, that’s what challenges are for, right? :)
 
If you are a little shy, a long lens will work. But the closer you can get, the better. If you have a chat with your subject and can include his/her name and a few lines about who they are, you’ll be aces!  At the very least, let us know what kind of municipal worker you’ve photographed.
 
Some of my most rewarding experiences on the street have been when I truly engage with my subjects through a conversation before I take the shot. I’ll use something unique about them (their hat, hair, a piece of jewelry) to start the conversation. For this challenge, you may want to mention that you’re participating in a worldwide challenge to photograph municipal workers. You may want to re-read the very first blipper profile: RaspberryJefe is a master at photographing strangers on the street.
 
A word of caution: please use common sense when selecting your subjects. For instance, law enforcement people in some areas might be wary of photographs. Other workers, involved in delicate work, might not welcome a disruption. And some people, for whatever reason, might not want their picture taken and published. Whenever you can, ask for permission to take the shot; and if the answer is ‘no’, thank them and move on to another subject.
 
The challenge will run from July 7 through July 14. Kindly only submit one entry per blipper, using the following two tags:
 
- CBMW (for Cultural Blip Municipal Workers)
- Country name (where the picture was taken)
 
Helpful links:
- How to photograph strangers
   
- Tips on approaching strangers for photographs

Photo by Michele (aka Alsacienne): Firefighters Julie and Tanya in Rockville, Maryland

Questions on or suggestions for the Community blog can be sent to 'community@blipfoto.com'