“I was supposed to be at Disney World from January to May 2020. But I was having so much fun as a PhotoPass photographer, I applied for an extension to August, and I got it.

“In our morning briefings in January, they reminded us about flu season, and to make sure we washed our hands, used hand sanitizer, that type of thing. Mid-February, the briefings started talking about this thing called COVID. They asked us to help limit contact between guests, limit photos we were taking, and wipe down our equipment often. Beginning of March, they really upped the precautions.

“Then around March 12, we learned Disney World was closing for 2-3 weeks. We thought we were going to just stay in our apartments, then head back to the parks when they opened again. About two days later, we got an email saying that due to COVID-19 and all the unknowns, they were ending our program early and sending us back home. We had to be out of our apartments in 72 hours.

“We still had one full day of the parks being open, and I had a shift that day. Because it was such a shock and everything ended so abruptly, Disney cast members and management really made our last day memorable.

“One of my managers asked if there was an area or character I’d like to work with. I said that I’d love to shoot with Mickey and Minnie, even if just for one family. She put me with them for three hours. It was unbelievable. They even cleared out the area to give me one last goodbye with Mickey and Minnie, and I got some hugs and pictures with them.

“After clocking out for the final time, they again went above and beyond. They asked if there was anything on our bucket list, like rides or shows we hadn’t seen, and they made it happen. Cast members showered us with love and appreciation. We had so much fun. And as sad of an ending as it was, it was something I’ll never forget because of the kindness of so many people who poured out their hearts to us.

“Then we went back to our apartments and packed it up. About 24 hours later, I was on the road, heading back to Texas.”

— Kenzie Lackey

Related:

• Disney internship adventure begins

• ‘It’s tough right now, but this is only temporary’

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“For about eight years, I had this job that took me all over the country. At first it was fun, getting to travel and see different places. But when you’re away from home and family Monday through Friday, working indoors sometimes 10 to 12 hours a day, and living out of a hotel room week after week, you start to get burned out.

“The road doesn’t really have anything for you. You’ve been to every restaurant. You’ve been eating all these bad foods and you’re gaining more weight. Then when you get back home, you’re distant from your family. It’s Friday night, and before you know it, it’s Sunday already and you’re getting ready to leave again. 

“I was feeling really stressed at work because they put me in some leadership roles, which I didn’t really want. I don’t like to tell people what to do. I prefer to be just a worker, a team player. But it became all about income and grossing and worrying about revenue. It got to the point where one time when I was flying out, my nose started bleeding. I’d never had a nosebleed in my life, and it was gushing for like an hour. I guess it was just the stress of everything.

“That’s when I thought, I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to make a change. I mean, I was making decent money. But to me, it’s not all about the money. It’s not all about chasing that dollar. It’s about happiness. I want to be doing something that makes me happy.”

— Ashley Parris

Ashley, 39, is in between jobs right now, but hopes to pursue life as a photographer for fun and profit.

Related:

• Extrovert/introvert feeling disconnected these days

The post Career change in the works after life on the road appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“March 4, 2016, was my last day sitting in a 6-by-6 cubicle at a job that is no longer fulfilling. With the support of my husband, I took a year off from looking for another same old job to be stuck at.

“During this time I did a lot of soul searching. I volunteered for a local Presentation Power event, listened to podcasts, and binge watched nearly every documentary on Netflix. ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ stood out above the rest. Jiro Ono, now a 93-year-old sushi chef, created his own legacy. People travel from all around the world to eat at his restaurant.

“I believe everyone has a purpose and a great story to tell. I just needed to figure out what mine was. With my attention to detail and wanting a creative outlet, my search led me to portrait photography.

“It’s not about creating a legacy for myself, but more of a photographic biography of a moment for the people I photograph. My goal is to convey an emotional connection between the subject and the viewer.

“Today, I am focusing on building my portfolio specializing in high school senior portraits, and in my spare time volunteering for The Baytown Project.”

— Olivia Garza

Olivia recently started taking photos to go along with some of The Baytown Project stories. You’ll begin seeing her work here very soon. For more information on her business, check out her website. She’s also active on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

The post Seeking fulfilling career, she turns to photography appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“Galveston Urban Ministries is a nonprofit where we work to empower. We help people in the North Broadway neighborhood, which is the lowest income neighborhood in Galveston. The average income is between like $7,000 and $16,000 a year. We want to help them figure out their skills and their gifting so that they can do for themselves.

“You know the thing about give a man a fish or teach him to fish? We want to go beyond that. We want people to be able to own the land and put fish in the pond so that they can fish whenever they want.

The post Urban ministry empowers Galveston residents appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“My dad always wanted me to be a pro baseball player. It came pretty natural to me, and I was in select baseball growing up. But I decided to give it up heading into high school.

“I’m really into skateboarding and photography. My mom’s pretty supportive. She likes my photos. My dad is kind of like, whatever. It can be hard sometimes. Even if I had taken a famous photograph, like that National Geographic shot of the Afghan girl, he still would probably say, ‘You could have been a baseball player.’

“But I’m just trying to stay focused. I want to move to California where skateboarding and photography are really big.

“I want to be a sports photographer, but focused on skateboarding. If I’m able to save enough money, I expect to be out there within two years. Actually, whether I have all the money I need or not, I’ve just got to go and try to make it. And if it doesn’t work out once I’m there, well, at least I tried. It’s my dream.”

— Jose Martinez, 21

Check out some of Jose’s photography.

The post Photography and skateboarding — it’s his dream appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“In addition to our full-time jobs, my wonderful wife of two years, Erica, and I have a photography/videography business. We do weddings, family reunions, events, parties and portraiture work. I started my business, Double M Photography, in 2012 just after I graduated. While working on my degree in mass communications at McNeese State University, I took every photography elective I could and it soon became my passion.”

Did you do much photography before college?
“No, but my parents and grandparents documented every event in their lives. They have thousands of photos, and I am now the keeper of those memories. I scanned in all of the photos they had to create a video that we used at a celebration, just before my grandfather passed away last year. It marked my grandparents’ 50th anniversary and my parents’ 25th anniversary. It gave me chills to see all the pictures from the past and to hear all the stories that go along with them.

“Photography is key in passing on memories to the next generation. So making sure my clients have the best work from me is very important, because I understand that.”

— Marc Morris

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(Center) “It’s called urban exploration. It’s a pretty big thing right now. We take photos and video of what we find and then share it for others to see. I’ve been exploring Houston for a year and a half now. I’ve been on top of almost all the buildings downtown.”

(Left) “We recently got into an old abandoned 15-story medical building in Galveston. We saw some pretty creepy stuff, like Satanic graffiti and weird pictures on the walls.”

(Right) “It’s nerve-wracking because you don’t really know what you’re getting into at some points. But it’s exciting.”

Have you ever run into trouble?
(Center) “Security guys at a few places have taken down my name and phone number. I’m always anticipating someone coming up to me and telling me to get down. But I don’t mean any harm. I just explore and take pictures. It’s a cool adrenaline rush.”

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“The fact that I agreed to let you take my picture is a big deal. I guess I’ve always thought that I’m not very photogenic, so there are hardly any pictures of me anywhere. But I finally realized that without pictures I may be missing out on some good memories, whether I was by myself or with friends or family.

“I’m still not real crazy about the way I look in pictures. But, hey, it’s a memory, right? So, I guess you caught me on a pretty good day.”

The post She may be missing out on some good memories appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m used to being on the other side of the camera. My grandmother gave me my first one when I was 10 — it was a Kodak Disc — and that just kind of started my love of taking pictures. I really enjoy seeing something in my head and then making it come to life with the camera.”

— Mary Barefoot

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“I’m a nomad. About three years ago I decided to pull out of the house. My wife and I had been talking about it forever. We weren’t getting along. So I converted my van into a livable space. I call it my mobile domicile. It has a bed in the back.

“I’ve been to 48 states, with Alaska and Hawaii on next year’s agenda. I freshen up every day at Anytime Fitness, which has locations all over the country. In three years, I’ve put about 150,000 miles on the van.”

I take it you like driving?
“No, not necessarily. It’s just the way it is.”

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