It was my second photography trip for work and I have another one lined up later next month.

I was sent to Baltimore, MD to shoot a Civic Type R for a project that we are doing for Honda.

Again, I’m only a backup backup photographer for the agency and it seems that everyone was unavailable due to it being a holiday weekend and I was the only one who didn’t have plans. I usually don’t plan anything around this time anyway, but yes, I was available to do it.

At first, I was gung ho about it and then I was a little hesitant because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with Relish. She stayed at ASEC for medical boarding for a price I was willing to pay.

Pickles was Pickles. He’s a pro at being boarded at Center Sinai now. He’s comfortable with it and I’m okay with it.

So, I went.

* * *

Thursday was a long day of traveling. Bright and early to late night on EST. It was only 6:30 on PST, but it felt like 9:30 to me.

By the time I landed, there wasn’t a shot list. It didn’t come until past midnight on the East Coast. Good thing I don’t sleep well and I looked it over and planned on doing most of the shots anyway. I was to treat the photoshoot like an auto show and for the most part, that’s what I did.

They had a narrative and a story that they wanted to tell, but given the area and the environment, I couldn’t make that happen. There were no shipping containers anywhere near this port.

There were just cars and cars and more cars. Cars.

The photoshoot went well. I got all the shots I needed, or at least I think I did and a lot more.

There was a mishap and it was my fault. I should have seen it. I should have anticipated it. It was during the exterior 360 shoot with the Theta. It was windy and the low-profile tripod, was more a monopod than anything else.

Wind and no balance doesn’t lend well for photography, especially the camera. One of the lenses got scratched up bad. I have a replacement Theta on order and should get it tonight.

Fucking piece of shit. It is what it is.

I got the shots and hauled ass back to the hotel room where I selected a few jpgs for upload.

It was a long full workday for me even though most people got out at 2. I wasn’t fortunate. It’s part of the job and it is what it is.

I got a job and I got more insight into the advertising aspect of the agency and see how the meat of the work is produced. It is truly interesting and fascinating to see that part process. I never been included before.

They picked their shots and I got them the pictures.

There was a mishap in terms of getting pictures which I don’t know what happened. It must be a permission setting or something.

I just tried it with a “view only” perms that I set for users and they could login without any problems.

I’ll have to test with Nick.

But they got the files and I am done with this project. Onto the next one.

Onto the next one.

* * *

Exploring Baltimore.

Well, I didn’t have a good chance to explore Baltimore.

I left work, or my hotel room a little after 5 and went to the hotel bar to grab a drink and then I went back to the hotel to put the files on the shuttle since some users were having issues.

After, I went to dinner. It was about 2 miles away and I decided to drive instead. I thought of walking after I was well on my way. There was a moment I thought about driving back, parking, and then walking, but then decided not to.

The plan was seafood. It’s the Northeast, so seafood was the thing to go for. I found the Thames St. Oyster Bar on Yelp and that’s where I went.

I had the grilled octopus and the lobster roll. I’ve had better of each, but still good.

I was sitting at the bar and I met and had an interesting conversation with a girl that was sitting next to me.

She is a science teacher in high school and from North Carolina. She moved to Baltimore back in 2008 for the teaching gig and she seems cool.

Everything felt so organic in how we started to chat and what not and I’m sure the copious amount of alcohol that we both consumed helped ease whatever inhibitions that we had.

She is envious about my fearlessness and my sense of adventure and for the most part it seems that she needs someone to give her the confidence and to be with her and to live their life with her. She wants a companion.

I’m sure if I was a local in Baltimore, something probably would have happened or continue to happen and since I’m not, nothing much happened other than an exchange of numbers.

I haven’t heard from her yet.

But, I was still trying to make it work, in terms of hooking up. I’m not going to lie about that.

If it happened, great. If it didn’t, fine.

But it was a great experience, a great moment in this life of moment that I’m able to connect and have a moment with a total stranger like that. I’m not as hopeless as I think I am.

I just need to put myself in a situation like that and allow it to happen.

It was good. I know that I’m capable of it and I like the confirmation that I can. Sure I got rejected, but again, what’s new.

Next time.