Notes
I feel like I've been neglecting Alva Day with all the Laraway posts lately. Here's a reminder that he knew his way around a camera. I can't tell how "posed" this image is. I'm pretty sure the workers on the line are going about their day's work without intrusion. I'm not sure if this man and girl just stopped what they were doing to look at the camera, or if they were carefully posed for the image. This is a sharp indoor image with an artfully controlled depth of field.
The machinery appears to be a line for washing and sorting apples. Even with the machinery to sort the apples by size those people had the job of inspecting fruit for quality before boxing it. As they say, "one bad apple ruins the bunch." Especially if it's going into cold storage and being shipped across the country.
Those grease cups on the machine are the same as you find on old automobiles. Before zerk fittings, you would unscrew the cap on the cup, fill it with grease, then screw the cap down to force grease into a bearing or bushing.
Category: [default]
Tags: Alva_Day fruit fruit_packing
Comments
Arthur, Is it possible the mans extended right hand, wearing a glove, is pulling a camera shutter release? I can see a thin line in the background.
Dale Nicol on 26th January 2023 @ 7:04am
I don't think that's a shutter release, Dale. It looks too thick to me, and unless there's a pulley it's headed in the wrong direction.
Alva Day took a bunch of images on this day, probably highlighting the electrification of the packing plant. This same man is the subject of several other images. I suspect he was the owner or foreman.
ArthurB on 26th January 2023 @ 9:26am
Thanks for your comments!
Dale Nicol on 26th January 2023 @ 2:44pm