Doom and Gloom

Doom and Gloom

30^th April 2011

Hello from Naples – again! Today isn’t the greatest of days for a number of reasons.

Last night the team meeting was held in the photographer’s corridor (where our cabins are). Stuart had to wake me up and almost drag me out of bed. My shoulder was so sore after being prodded by the doctor. Jomar told Hernan and I at around midnight that we had training at 9am. We still had to get up to the crew bar, S.O.B. to welcome Fabio to the team with a few drinks.

Up in S.O.B. there was some serious drinking going on. Obviously, because of the pills the doctor gave me I couldn’t drink. To be fair, I wasn’t much fun and wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone was trying to avoid me! David was trying to make me laugh with his ridiculous facial expressions and it worked until the muscle in my shoulder just decided to stiffen up and throb. The pills weren’t doing much and neither was the “deep heat” type gel I was given. A few other things happened in S.O.B. that got a couple of us down but I won’t go into that… it can go down with the ship. Again, ship happens, I guess.

This morning I must have turned my alarm off because Luci woke me up at 09.00h. I ran around trying to get ready and bashing on Hernan’s door in my pyjamas. He didn’t open or pick up the phone. I got a pretty hefty bollocking when I walked into training 10 minutes late, luckily the trainer didn’t kick me out. What really annoyed me was Hernan was already there. For the past week or so I’ve been his alarm clock, waking him up in the morning for work and training or popping into his room to wake him up from a nap. The one time my alarm didn’t wake me up, he leaves without me and didn’t think to bash my cabin door down.

Four hours of non-stop training is pretty hard, especially when you’re tired and simply watching PowerPoint presentations. We had to have three breaks due to us all dropping off to sleep. Three of us, I’m included, fell asleep! One guy from Croatia fell asleep at least 3 times. The trainer in the end was furious and who can blame him? The Croatian tried to explain he finished work at 1am and started his next shift at 5am. The Yankie trainer wasn’t very lenient to say the least.

Training is finally finished and I’m sitting in my usual café using and abusing the wifi! Unfortunately the parents aren’t online and the weather here is dire! It’s cloudy, freezing cold and raining heavily. It’s strange how Naples still looks nice, even in the doom and gloom. 

I haven’t got long before I have to board the Mariner of the Seas again to help set up the studios. How the hell I’m going to help set up the studios, I don’t know. I doubt there’ll be time for a siesta but the tablets the doctors gave me are making me want to doze off!

Even though today is just a bad day, I wouldn’t say “no” to snuggling up in my old room at Avril’s house with a nice cup of tea and a book. Or snuggling up to Beaumont on the sofa watching crap on T.V. Plus I wouldn't mind speaking to my parents for a bit but I guess it'll just have to wait til next time.

No word from Image about my password. I've tried logging in from my laptop but the password's wrong. Just my luck!

Everybody Say Bye-Bye

Everybody Say Bye-Bye

29^th April 2011

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Last night was the final night for Lee and Rich before they sign off tomorrow morning. Again, we had to have another leaving drink for them. Both finished work early and were waiting for us in S.O.B. 
Stu, Luciana, Jeni and I didn’t finish working in the gallery until a little after 01.00h. We were shattered. I sold quite a few IOCDs and folio frames – fingers crossed I get a bit of money this cruise. Poor Fede didn’t finish printing in the lab until 02.45!

This morning Stu and I went up to where Lee and Rich were collecting their passports, ready to sign off. After only two hours sleep I wasn’t quite with it so things didn’t click. It was while shooting embarkation later on that it hit me they’d gone. Lee wasn’t shouting and mucking around with us and the guests. I wasn’t on guard in case Rich ran up behind and tickled me!! As soppy as it sounds I’m glad I met both of them and no doubt I’ll see Lee and Rich soon. Maybe we’ll all see Lee in Cannes if he’s still staying with his parents.

We have a new member of the team, someone who Lee tells me is a great laugh, Fabio. I was only quickly introduced to him so I’m not 100% sure where he’s from but according to Lee he speaks about five different languages including Portugese, Italian and Spanish. In true tradition, no doubt we’ll be heading up to S.O.B. (crew bar) tonight for drinks… plus as it’s the start of a new cruise, it’s payday!

Hernan and I have completed our first, full cruise. We joined near the end of the cruise in Rhodes. It seemed easier this time. You got to know guests and found out what you could and couldn’t say. For example there were a couple of British guests who didn’t mind me being sarcastic and a bit of banter. On the other hand, there were some who would have taken offence.

I was just speaking to Luci and things are a bit of a mess on this ship. David and Fabio are here to replace Lee and Rich but we are still down a photographer. Jomar our BM is signing off in Athens which is only 3 days away. His replacement was supposed to sign on today with a three day hand over period. He hasn’t arrived. Elvis left not long ago, he was our AMP and ran the lab. We still do not have a replacement for him. Another no show. Later on Luci is going to be in the lab on her own and she said she doesn’t have a clue what to do down there. We are slightly screwed by the looks of things!! That could be an understatement though…

Shooting embarkation went relatively well, I was a lot louder than my first attempt which has got to be a bonus. I have absolutely no idea how many images I shot but I think I was near 200. Our target was 900 – I wonder if we hit it? Or even near?

After spending three hours shooting embarkation I popped into the cabin and was flicking through the TV channels to watch the news headlines. It’s too easy to lose track of everything when you’re in the middle of the ocean. BBC News was covering the Royal Wedding. I hadn’t realized today was the Royal Wedding – I thought there were a few more days to go. From what I saw on the news it didn’t seem such a big production when compared to Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding.

My schedule for the next 7 days is looking a lot more interesting! Previously I was simply shooting in the studio, short stints in the gallery and training. Later on today I’m shooting Sail Away with Fabio. Every cruise there’s a party when the ship leaves. Lee summed it up for me last night: “Get in there and shoot the fuck out of it. Just shoot, shoot, shoot. Take as many images as you can”. I’d better get my batteries charged!

During this cruise I'll also be going out on the tours, photographing the guests. I can’t wait! It’ll be great to see some of the places. Again, Lee’s advice was to take as many images as possible to help hit target and because they are big sellers.

Jeni and I have once again been scheduled to attend the parade. We basically have to walk through a throng of people holding flags – someone from every department has to attend. Straight afterwards at about 23.30 we have a team meeting. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a long night!

My shoulder is still sore and getting worse so last night I was given the ultimate nagging by Lee and Stuart. I think Stuart went over the line of nagging and gave me a real lecture to get down to the medical facility, if not, he’d drag me down there at 8am. I’ve just got the papers I needed to see the doctor from Jomar. I’ll pop down in a minute and check the opening times. Sod getting another lecture from Stu!! He's worse than your Mother!

**UPDATE**

Not good news. I went to the medical facility and after filling out numerous forms, it turns out I have a “contracted muscle” in my shoulder. The doctor has signed me off work until 6am tomorrow. Even lifting the weight of the camera would make it worse. I asked if I could talk to my BM to swap with someone working in the gallery. She, the doctor, said no, I was to rest or else it’d get worse.

Afterwards I headed up to the photo gallery to give a copy of the medical form to Jomar but he wasn’t around. I rang him and asked if I could swap with someone and work in the gallery, at least that way, I’d be working and the team wouldn’t be missing someone. Even though I’m not a huge part of the team I feel bad because now they are all going to chip in and do my chunk of work. I’d prefer not to take the night off unless I was seriously ill and unable to get out of bed. Jomar repeated what the doctor had said: no, just rest and don’t worry, he’ll sort it.

Stu was setting up LSP so I had to wave the copy of the medical form in his face to show I’d been a good girl and gone to the medical facility. He told me not to worry too much about taking the night off. He commented, it’s better to take time off at the start of a cruise when there’s nothing to sell and they aren’t really busy rather than at the end when things are manic and we need everyone to be hands on. Even though I can see his point, I still feel like I should be up on deck 12 shooting Sail Away rather than sitting on my bunk updating my blog.

It looks like Jeni’s going to be going to the parade on her own as everyone else will be working in other areas. Either way, I’ll still be going to the team meeting at 11.30 tonight. I don’t know what’s going to happen, the only thing I do know is that we’ll be picking up our wages. No doubt I’ll be financially raped by Image again.

Rather than doing absolutely nothing with my time I’ll meet Hernan for dinner as originally planned and then go on the ship’s computer to do some competency work for ImageU. At least that way I’ll be doing something constructive.

Stu is lending me his hard drive to watch a film and rest my shoulder, plus he has a copy of Photoshop CS4 I can use. Being able to use Photoshop is the only good thing to come out of this haha. I can finally touch up some of my images and upload a couple onto Facebook and Flickr tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are in Naples and I’m not working until 17.30 so no doubt I’ll head out with Luci and maybe some of the others for pizza, internet and a wander to take photos. I have to buy another pair of sunglasses too. I got told to take my sunnies off because they are mirrored and when photographing guests, they have to be able to see my eyes. I’m not going to give my opinion but you can probably guess what it is!!

**UPDATE**

Jeni, Luci and I went on a little mission trying all the puddings available in the staff dining area: apple strudel, coconut cake, chocolate cake, pound cake and berry tart with chocolate ice cream. I can safely say that not one of us left feeling anything other than sick and 5kilos heavier!!!!

For some reason I can’t log into ImageU. Paco, our AMS let me use the internet in the photo lab. I’ve tried my usual passwords with no luck and my Image ID is right. Hopefully, Image will contact me soon about accessing the portal. It’s a bit of a pain in the arse when I could’ve possibly finished most of Image 1, if not all of it.

There’s not much I could do. I helped Paco for a while getting the stacks of images from the printer and marking them off the list. I couldn’t take the images up to the gallery as I’m out of uniform and I’m not supposed to be doing anything work related.

When you are at sea and the rest of your team are working, things can get extremely boring. I’m not sure if I can even go up to the 23.30 meeting. I’ll have to give Jomar a ring. If not, I’ll have to pick up my wages tomorrow.

Mariner of the Seas Photogs

Me, Hernan, Rich, Fede, Jeni, Luci and Lee (Fede's Photo)

The Safas - David, Rich & CJ

Lee & Jeni

Left: Stu, Me and David. Right: Jeni, Fede, CJ, Rich & Hernan

Falling In Love...

Falling in Love...

 28th April 2011

Once again we are in Naples! The more I come here, the more I love it! 

I’ve been for a walk around and got some magnets stick a couple more photos on our cabin wall. By the end of this cruise I’ll have a magnet or two for each place that I’ve been to… a nice little bundle. Maybe I should send some to the parents when I finally find a post office? 

Now, it’s just me and Fede. We’re sitting in an internet café getting in touch with everyone we can. The internet is turning into a luxury. My days of using and abusing the internet are long gone!

Last night was part 1 of Lee and Rich’s leaving drink. Part 2 is tonight and they’ll be signing off tomorrow morning. Everyone is going to miss them, they are such a laugh and a real help to us newbies. Fingers crossed the people “replacing” Lee and Rich are a laugh.

When I dropped the camera equipment off in the lab I was helping Rich Photoshop a guest's photo. It was a family portrait but the lady had one of her eyes partially closed. Rich had done the main work of giving her a new, open eye but messed up the layers a bit. I took over quickly to fiddle around the with the photo, mess around with the layers and get the eyes looking as normal and natural as possible. Both Jeni and Rich gave me the thumbs up. Rich asked me why I wasn’t aiming to come into the lab. Since he asked, I’m now thinking about it as I enjoy using Photoshop and seeing how everything gets printed. Anyway, I have to get to P2 and start heading for Photog3 before I can do any of that.

I’ve finally started my ImageU. The only problem is the ship’s internet is very slow so it takes forever. Slowly but surely I’m getting there. Once I’m P2 and earning more, I’ll try and pay off as much (camera, uniform and security deposit) as I can and as quickly as possible. After that, it’s time to start saving BIG TIME.

I’ve fallen in love too… with Fede’s Canon 5D Mark II. He bought it when he was cruising the Caribbean and got it for a good price. Body, 2 lenses, camera case and 32GB memory card for US$3,000. Compared to what you’d pay elsewhere it's a bit of a bargain. I’ve used the camera a couple of times and the colours are amazing. The detail and image quality is unbelievable, especially when you compare it to my Canon 400D and Nikon D90. Then again, the Canon 5D is in a league of its own and I shouldn’t be comparing. Maybe one day…!

The ship is now starting to feel like a home. The team is fantastic – I know I keep saying it but it’s true. They are becoming a bit like family. At first I was a bit dubious but now I can safely say, I’m looking forward to the next 5 and a half months living on the ship.

I’ve tried uploading a few photos to Facebook and Flickr.com but the internet got cut off. I managed to upload a shot from Kusadasi, Turkey onto Flickr.com and a few onto Facebook. To see some of my images on Flickr go to: http://flickr.com/lou_tickle there’ll be more soon – hopefully.

My parents are finally back in Uruguay so it’ll be easier to stay in touch with them now. I miss them. 

Hearing from people back in England is always great but things have changed a bit by the looks of it. I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Although I miss everyone, I wouldn’t change the way things are. The time will fly and I’ll be back before you know it. 

I’m determined to drive up and see Becks for a drink when I get back. It’s going to be great seeing her again and hearing all about the Caribbean and her travels.

So in short, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a country and camera!! Life is great and we are all having the time of our lives! I still wouldn’t mind a cup of PG Tips though hahahaha.

Sleep Deprived

Not much has happened since my last update. Today Hernan and I had 3 lots of training. Once again I fell asleep in training, I’m beginning to make a habit of this. Last night I only had 3 hours sleep and an hour’s kip today.

Lack of sleep is really starting to take its toll. It’s not too bad as today was a sea day and we have another tomorrow. My timetable for tomorrow is pretty decent, more training and then work during the evening. Hopefully I’ll be able to take a siesta at some point. The clocks go back an hour today (we are heading to Naples, Italy) so that’s a bonus.

Luckily enough I don’t start work until 17.30h on 28^th April when we arrive in Naples. Photos, cheese, pizza and internet spring to mind!

Tonight was formal night, the third of this cruise. I wasn’t too impressed with my Ressi images. Having said that, when I took my equipment down to the lab I saw some of the images being printed out and they didn’t look too bad. My cropping still needs to be a little tighter but as Stuart said, it’s better if the crop is too loose rather than too tight. Loose crops can be fixed.

Everyone is shattered today and formal night is always a busy night. We were on our feet shooting portraits to dining room from 17.30 to 01.00h. There’s no wind down drink at S.O.B – our corridor is silent. No doubt things will change in Naples as it’ll be Rich’s and Lee’s last night.

Jomar, my BM (Business Manager), is going to give me my Image ID so I can start ImageU. However he said he wanted me to start ImageU once I’d finished my training. If I can, I’ll do them both at the same time. A couple of the other photographers have said they’ll give me a hand with ImageU if I need one.

Anyway, I’m rambling and my brain is slowing shutting down. Night night everyone!

Chillaxing in Istanbul

Chillaxing in Istanbul

25^th April 2011

Day 2 in Istanbul. 

Hernan and I have finally finished our training. We now have our certificates in basic first aid, safety and fire fighting and crowd management. All we have to do now is a test which we’ll do in Naples, I think. The certificate for crowd management lasts 5 years while the basic first aid, safety and fire fighting lasts a life time!

We’ll be at sea for two days before reaching Naples. Only 3 more days until Rich and Lee sign off… not looking forward to it. We’ve got a good little group.

After training Luci, Stu, David and I headed into Istanbul to a Turkish café to use the internet. We’ve been here for about 2 hours so far. This time the prices are rather cheap.

A Turkish man is just walking down the road with a massive, and I mean massive, tray loaded with rolls. Everywhere you look there are stands or people walking around selling corn on the cob, pretzel style bread and roast chestnuts. It’s a completely different lifestyle to what I’m used to. I still can’t get my head around eating cucumbers covered in salt!

I’ve spoken to the parents again, they are leaving for Uruguay tomorrow so getting in contact with them will be a lot easier once they are home. Dad told me off for swearing – I doubt I’ll ever be too old for a nagging. It was good to hear from them again.

Later on today or tonight after work I’m going to download some of Hernan’s images from the toga party and team lunch… I wish I’d taken my camera. Now I’m going to take my baby Canon 400D everywhere I go. 

Before dinner Fede got some smashing photos on his new toy: Canon 5D – the image quality is amazing. I want it! I want it! I want it! Hmm… I’d better get my arse in gear, earn some commission and save to get that camera. Apparently the best place to go for cameras is St. Maartins…  God knows when I’ll get there but at least I’ll have plenty of time to save up!

Right I’d better get back to the ship and get ready for work. I might try and squeeze in another nap. Taking naps is a big thing in ship life. You don’t get a lot of sleep so you take naps here and there to catch up. Since I’ve been working on the Mariner of the Seas the longest I've slept is probably about 5 hours. The shortest… 2 and a half hours! Pro Plus is seriously needed! The motto in our department: Work Hard, Play Hard!

Take care and I’ll update as soon as possible although it might be when we reach Naples.

Madonna, Shakira and The Beatles

Madonna, Shakira and The Beatles

24^th April 2011

Today is the start of our 2 day stay in Istanbul, Turkey. So far, it’s been a real laugh. Istanbul looks absolutely fantastic! The city is dotted with impressive, massive mosques. Some are more impressive than others. We have another couple of trips here so hopefully we'll have plenty of time to look around the city. The sea is infested with jelly fish! There are hundreds of the buggers floating around the ship and port. At first I thought it was a foam on the surface but it was a mass gathering of jelly fish! I guess swimming is out of the question…

Once a month we are given US$20 for a team activity. This month we were going out for a team lunch. We found what we thought was a traditional Turkish place for our team lunch. Inside looked amazing: carpeted sofas, authentic looking tables, bowls of fruit and nuts. Each of us tried a Turkish pipe (Nagile). Most of us tried apple but a couple of others tried banana which was horrible. Jeni’s mint and lemon was the best. It’s basically flavoured smoke/tobacco and if you go to Turkey, you have to try a Nagile. 

We had a great laugh, had our photos taken etc. Jeni, Luci and I got a shock when we went into the men’s bathroom (as you do) to find it was just a hole in the floor. There was no way we were squatting over that so we had to cross our legs and wait.

A couple of hours later we got the bill which was stated in Turkish Liras. Jomar, the BM, asked for the amount in US Dollars… US$500 in total!!!!!!! Gobsmacked wasn’t the word! We asked them to check again and tried to count up what we’d had. In the end we really couldn’t argue and Jomar had to pay up – obviously, he wasn't a happy bunny. It’ll teach us not to check the prices before going in somewhere or even asking how much something is beforehand. After being financially raped by Turks most of the team headed back to the ship.

Mariner of the Seas Photog Team

Rich, Lee & Luci

Hernan

Jeni & Rich

Mariner of the Seas Photog Team

David

Luci and I jumped in a taxi and headed to the Grand Bazaar to have a poke around the market. It’s absolutely amazing, a completely different way of life. Every two minutes you are getting stopped “Excuse me lady” “Where are you from?” To be fair, most of the people left me alone, they weren’t really interested in the little blonde scruffy girl. They were more interested in the hot Brazilian. The men were trying everything to get our attention, especially Luci’s. The best names were Madonna, Shakira and Angelina (Jolie) – they are as similar as chalk and cheese! 

Neither of us had a lot of money which was a good thing or else we’d have bought half the market! The only thing I got was an Istanbul magnet so I can start putting photos on our cabin wall. The market holders sold pretty much the same things but if you're a first timer, go, as it's something compeltely different from the norm: bags, clothes, woven boots, leather jackets, magnets, hand crafted wallets and purses, nagiles, Turkish sweets, tea and so on. There were stands selling small cucumbers which were peeled and salted - they didn't look particuarly appertizing but were selling like hot cakes. We are coming back again soon so maybe next time I’ll get a few post cards for people back home. If only I could find a post office!

As Lee and Rich are signing off soon and we are staying overnight we headed out for their leaving do. Well, the first leaving do. No doubt we’ll have another one the night before they sign off. Originally we were going to Windjammer (on the ship) but we were told we couldn’t as it was only open for higher ranks so we ended up heading to Johnny Rockets “Everybody say hellooooooooo”. Every so often they’ll put this one particular song on and all the waiters working there will all dance together. It’s all very American cheese but hilarious. Stu was dragged up to dance. We were crying with laughter! I think Fede has a video of it, if not I’ll try to get some photos.

We had a few drinks up in S.O.B. before getting off the ship. While in S.O.B. Lee took over the music and was playing non stop Beatles. No matter where the guys are from, they ALL knew the lyrics and were singing along together. The best was “Yellow Submarine". Everyone changed the lyrics to “we all live in the Mariner of the Seas”. 

Hernan was doing some of his humping cowboy like dancing and pole dancing on a pool cue. We were in stitches. Stu’s attempt at getting us all to do strawpedos or Stupedos failed. He can neck a bottle of Smirnoff ice in 3 mouthful. 

We jumped into a taxi and headed into Istanbul. It was a Sunday so the place we were looking for, Babylon, was closed. While walking aimlessly we found a small shot bar so we popped in for a quick shot… The Turkish equivalent of Apple Sourz warmed us up nicely! It was freezing outside! 

We walked back to a club we’d previously walked past – it was a bit of a last resort. We ordered our drinks and after 3 attempts found out how much the bill would be: 10 euros each drink!! A beer was 8 euros but we just split the bill evenly. The drinks were too expensive so we finished up, took some photos and left. Walking around Taksim Square, the place to go in Istanbul apparently, we found another club. Going inside the drinks were just as expensive. 

Rather than spend an arm and a leg on booze we headed back to the ship where the drinks are only a dollar or two. We carried on having a drink and laugh on back deck until about 3am. I’d managed to lock myself out of my cabin! Hernan and I had to be up at 7am for life raft training while the rest of the team weren’t working until the evening.

David, the new guy’s great, his laugh is so addictive. He’s fitting in well and he’s finally got his luggage!! Overall, we have a great team, it’s gonna be a shame seeing Lee and Rich go. I think I could even miss Rich stabbing me in the ribs and tickling me. Oh, and we can’t forget the head nuggies! 

Getting up for training is going to be  a royal bitch tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

Istanbul from Deck 12 - David, Fede & Me

Before Johnny Rockets

It's Good To Talk!

Lou, Fede & Hernan

Johnny Rockets: Me & David

Stu & Lee

Fede, Hernan, David & Myself

Argentinians... Different from the Rest!

Lou Lou :-)

Blur

Blur

24th April 2011

These past couple of days have been a bit of a blur. I can’t even tell you what day it is. The days turn into countries and sea days. Today is Rhodes, tomorrow is a sea day (another dreaded formal night) and the day after, Istanbul, Turkey.

Last time I posted the Mariner of the Seas was docked in Athens, Greece. Later on that night there was a toga party on back deck thrown by the girls in spa. Loads of people used their bed sheets for make shift togas. The girls from spa looked brilliant! Not everyone was dressed in their bed sheets. Some were in normal clothes, others in clubbing outfits. Originally I was going to wear my bed sheets with a little help from Lou Lou from spa. In the end I thought, sod trying to make my bed at silly o’clock so I wore a Greek-ish kind of dress. Gommy Bear – Thank you for making me buy that coral dress, it came in handy!!

While the toga party was going on we were sailing through a bit of a storm. The sea was pretty rough and the ship was rocking from side to side badly. Watching people on the dance floor was hilarious. Everyone was dancing but rocking side to side with the ship. You’d just see a sea of heads bouncing about then drifting to the left then right.

Of course someone from our department took their camera which was passed around the other photographers to get shots of everyone. Stuart, Hernan and Fede were the main photographers for the night. I think I headed back to the cabin at about 04.30 but I’m not 100% sure. It’s easy to lose track of time while working on the cruise ships. Over all, it was a great night and we all had a real laugh. I’ll try and get some of the photos from Hernan’s camera. Fingers crossed I can find a place with a fast enough internet connection to upload the images.

I’ve got so many images to upload but I either forget the camera or my phone when I’m going out to use the internet. Another favourite is meaning to download the images from my camera/phone and opting to sleep for an hour or so. When the alarm goes off it’s a case of hitting Snooze a couple of times haha. Oops!

Yesterday we were in Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey. Being a lazy cow, I slept in until late. I was supposed to get up early, use the computers on the ship to do some of the work I need to do on ImageU for P2. I really need to give myself a kick up the arse to get it down and dusted!!!

I didn’t think I’d get the chance to have a look around Kusadasi either. With just under 2 hours before work Hernan and I headed out with our cameras. It’s the first time I’ve used my baby (Canon) since Miami. Getting to grips with a Nikon is sometimes complicated as it’s pretty much the opposite to a Canon. 

Anyway, we went for a walk along the sea front taking photographs of pretty much anything and everything. I got a couple of the ship as I still can’t believe the size of it. When you see a photo of the ship at sea you can tell it’s big but you haven’t got anything to compare the size to. So I’ve been trying to get a shot of the ship while it’s in the port or near another ship or building. That way, you can see the size of the beast!!

Later, Hernan and I had training. This time it was what we are to do if the ship should sink. The life rafts hold 150 people and you are literally packed in like sardines. We were taken through equipment and rations: 1 knife, tin opener, 3 litres of water in small plastic pouches, foil overall etc. The reason why we are equipped with a tin opener is because there are tonnes of cans and tins on board the ship. If the ship were to sink the tins would (hopefully) float to the surface. The cans would then be gathered and rationed along with everything else. Having said that, no one would be allowed food or water within the first 24hours. Just sea sickness pills as we’ll all be chucking our guts up.

Another item each lift raft would have is a finish line. Yes, we are to fish if the ship sinks. Someone asked “what are the chances we’d catch a shark?”. If a guest is panicking and stressed we are to give them a fishing line and get them to fish. This apparently will take their mind off the drama and they’ll calm down. I didn’t know a piece of wire and hook could do such wonders….. I suppose fishing is a better option than cannibalism.

The guy doing the training showed us how long we could roughly be in the water before we lose consciousness, dehydrate and die. If you’re in water that’s 0ºC you’re likely to live for about 30 minutes. On the other hand if you are in the Caribbean you’d survive roughly 2-3 hours as the water is warmer… unless the sharks get you first. At the moment, here in Europe, we’d only survive about 30 minutes before we pop our clogs. So, if the ship sinks and you are in the sea, get out as soon as possible. If not, your future won’t be looking so bright! Optermistic, isn't he?

Hernan, Richard and I were setting up the studios yesterday. I felt sorry for Richard as me and Hernan take so long setting up. We’re still getting used to things and the way Image want the studios set up. Richard had to wait around and help us out when he could have had an extra break. Hernan’s better at set ups than I am. I’ve only set up once since being on ship. The main problem I have is that I’m too short to reach the lights or the back drop is too heavy for me to lift. Not only is it a pain in the arse but I feel bad for the person who  has to come and give me a hand. It makes you feel useless needing help all the time.

Shooting didn’t go so badly, I took a bit more time to make sure my cropping was right. If it wasn't, I'd re-shot. I don’t care if the lab get doubles – I’ve have to start getting the cropping spot on, time and time again.

Today we are in Rhodes where Hernan and I signed on. My opinion of Rhodes has changed slightly. The area that we went to today was a lot nicer, more historical and therefore a real tourist zone.

There are two security cards on ship; red and green. The greens had a drill today so we all had to head to our stations. We had to call out our emergency number, answer questions etc. Even though it’s necessary it’s terribly tedious.

Afterwards Luci and I headed into Rhodes. Honestly, Luciana is like a sniffer dog… she’ll always find the best place for the internet. No matter what country you’re in, she’ll know the place with the best internet speed. Stuart and Rich joined us a little later on.

I finally got to speak to my Mom and Dad today. They are currently in England and will be flying back to Uruguay soon. When they are back at home in Uruguay it’ll be easier to stay in contact with them. Mama’s not well and has a bad chest infection/cold. Apart from that, they are all good.

There’s a new addition to the photog team. David, another South African has just arrived. He’s a photog 2. I’m not sure how many contracts he’s done but we’ll find out in due course. No doubt there’ll be drinks in SOB (crew bar) tonight to celebrate. We look for any reason to have a few drinks. Stuart is moving into the Photographer’s corridor and sharing a cabin with David. Having Stu in our little area should be a laugh as we (photogs) are pretty much separated from everyone else. 

Hernan, Me & David

At the moment there are 4 South Africans, 2 Argentinians, 1 Brazilian, 2 English (yep, I’m down as English) and 1 Chilean. Lee and Richard are signing off in 5 days. Lee’s told me a bloke called Fabio is coming to replace him and that he’s a bloody great laugh. He’s as sarcastic as Lee and apparently I’ll love him! We’ll see. Not sure if anyone can take Lee’s places, especially in the sarcasm department.

Tonight I’m on the Coral backdrop so no doubt the night’s going to go slowly. Everyone from our department is mainly looking forward to Istanbul. The ship will be docked there for the night and we have no work. It’s going to be a messy night!! It’s a bit of a leaving party for Lee and Richard. Training at 09.30 the next morning should be interesting. Everyone else gets to sleep in. Hernan and I are getting dumped into the swimming pool for life raft training. It’ll certainly wake us up, that’s for sure!

Hernan - Kusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas

Our Home for 6 Months - Mariner of the Seas

Best Sheets and Pervs

Bed Sheets and Pervs

20^th April 2011

So today we are in Athens and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m still not impressed by Greece. Give me Italy any day!! Unfortunately I didn’t have time to get off the ship in Civitavecchia and yesterday was a sea day. The men here in Greece are pretty perverted. Just walking out of the terminal I had a 50-odd year old man following me up the road, blowing me kisses, calling me and “good morning lady!” F*** Off!

Yesterday was pretty hard going. For some reason I was just on a downer and missed everyone. Yeah, I will admit it, I was homesick! I haven’t spoken to my parents since Miami and even though I don’t see them that often I always, always talk to them every day or every other day. A week and a half without speaking to them has been hard. Hopefully they’ll be online more when they are back in Uruguay. 

If I was given half the chance I’d have packed my bags and put on my Green Army uniform. I don’t miss the work, not one little bit. I miss the people and the banter: Gommy Bear, Beaumont, Peasant Pudding, Mick, Julie, Granddad etc. Hernan mentioned Miami and I remembered back to our training week and I miss you guys too. I hadn’t heard from Becks or Pavlo. Not hearing from Becks is worrying me.

Last night was formal night and there were a couple of really rude guests. One told me where to shoot from and sneered “you’re supposed to be a photographer!” My shooting angle was fine, but I did as he wanted but I felt so small and useless it was untrue! I spoke to Lee who was just telling me to let it go over my head. Lee's been giving me as much advice as possible but it didn’t do much good. I could quite easily have hidden under the bed covers and cried like a baby! 

Later I was shooting on the Titanic backdrop and I got all my cropping wrong. Most were way too tight. Does anyone else find it worrying that we are in the middle of the Mediterranean and using a scene from a sunken ship as a backdrop? Good job people aren’t superstitious!

After work I dragged myself up to the crew bar for a few drinks. Lee and Stuart were there. Lee told me that as I’m new and it’s only my first week, no one is expecting anything from me. It’s just a period for me to learn as much as possible. Once more experienced then the expectations will start. I know I'm having a bad day, the managers may not have big expectations of me, but I do. Seeing crap images, knowing I can do much better is frustrating!

Both Stuart and Lee cheered me up no end!! It’s going to be sad when Lee goes although he says his replacement is a real laugh. Still, it won’t be the same. Tonight, Lee and Stu introduced me to “toast”. At 04.00 we left the crew bar and headed to the “zoo” (crew mess) to get toast. Toast and loads of butter after a few drinks to soak up any booze. It clears all hangovers. The only thing was, we weren’t pissed but what the hell? Lee went on a rampage around the zoo and found a pepperoni pizza! It was a bloody laugh. Four hours later we have to get up for training! Not nice!

Anyway, back to today. I’m in an Irish pub in Athens – Stuart recommended Murphy's for its free wifi. The music’s pretty good too. Bonus. I logged onto Facebook and Becks has finally left me a post on my wall. Pavlo has gotten in touch. Another message came through from Andy "Pudding" (not Andie from Image). All three messages have little “private” jokes lol. Just hearing from them with the little jokes just makes my day! I was smiling like a Cheshire cat. Honestly, thank you, you’ve all made my day!!!!! Miss you guys!  

We’ve done our training and I have until 17.30 off. Hernan is on gangway dressed up as a Greek God. An Argentinian Greek God… interesting! He looks a bit of a prat wrapped up in a bed sheet.

Tonight, at midnight, there’s a toga party hosted by the Spa Girls. The bed sheets will be coming out. I can imagine a few accidents happening where a few bed sheet/togas slip off! I’m tempted to wear the most outrageous pair of undies I have just in case I expose myself. It’s a shame I don’t have any Bridget Jones’ belly smackers!!

The next time I’ll be online is in Rhodes. Stuart said there’s a good internet place we can go to. Fingers crossed I’m not working all day. In Turkey the internet connection is poor, so I’ll have to wait until Rhodes.

I’d better get on and do some ImageU work before my battery dies. Take care everyone!!! xx

Photos from Spa's Toga Party

Stu, Luci, Fede and Me

Natasha, Luci, Fede, Stu & Lou

Luci's Montage of Spa's Toga Party

Elvis Has Left The Building!

Elvis Has Left The Building!

18^th April 2011

Civitavecchia, Italy

Last night was Elvis's leaving party… he didn’t stay long though. Why end the party because the main man’s left? All the photographers, except one, were up on back deck partying away until the small hours of the morning. When the back deck bar closed the few of us who were left, moved into someone’s cabin and carried on. I finally got to bed at 04.30h just as the ship arrived in Civitavecchia, Italy. Civitavecchia is our turn around port (new cruise) for now.

At 09.00h I had to drag my tired backside out of bed and get ready for embarkation. The guests would start arriving at 11.00. Once we’d got the equipment ready and out of the lab Lee, Rich, Hernan and I went out to port to set up. Rich, me and Hernan would be shooting while Lee smudges for us all. Basically we have to get a photo of all the guests as they are boarding the ship. It's their "Welcome Aboard" photo.

Most people have been travelling for long periods of time. By the time get to the Mariner of the Seas, they are irritated and ratty and therefore don’t want their photo taken. We’ve been telling them it’s so we can log their details in to our system. 90% of the boarding guests are then happy to have their photo taken. Every guest as a sea-pass card, like an ID card. We swipe their card and take their photo which is then logged into the system. From there on, every time they have their photo taken all the images will be stored by their cabin number.

Hernan and I had training today and bloody hell, was it boring! I was constantly nodding off to sleep. It was terrible. The worse thing is we’re going to have plenty of training over the next two weeks. Tomorrow we have nearly 4 hours of training, including what happens during an emergency.

Later on it was back onto the pier for another stint at shooting embarkation. This time it was me, Hernan and Stuart. We did a pretty good job and had a real laugh. Stuart is a real giggle, he’s constantly making everyone crack up, whether it’s with his impressions/accents, pulling faces or just generally being a ploker. Half of the time he’s holding onto my pony tail as if he’s taking me for a walk. Stu’s a freaking brilliant smudger! Most people will never be as good as him. He’s brilliant to watch.

Tonight I had two sessions of ressi. Unlike before there was a casual dress code. My first session went pretty well whereas the second didn’t go anywhere near as good. Still, I got as many photos as I could. I can tell I’m getting better: I’m quicker and more confident at speaking to people.

Also, it's payday today!! I got quite a bit of commission which was a bonus. Image haven’t taken any money out for my uniform, deposit or camera yet. That starts on the next turn around. When I think about it, it’s not a lot of money but then again, it’s all mine. There are no bills or rent. Best of all, no taxman will be buggering my pay cheque!!

PIZZA GALORE!

PIZZA GALORE!

17th April 2011

We’ve finally arrived in Naples, Italy! 

I’ve just finished my first shift – displaying the images from the formal night. I checked through my images now that they are printed. When you see the prints it gives you a better idea as to where you need to improve. 

My Ressi images need a lot of work but hopefully that will come in due course with a bit more practise and experience under my belt. The Bolero shots were great – some of them were absolutely fantastic! I was so pleased! 

The English couple with their baby came in today to check their photos. They bought their whole family along too. The lady spotted me, pointed me out and told the family I was the girl who took the photos of her daughter. She said she loved the images and that I’d done a great job. Giving myself a mental pat on the back, it's fair to say, this has made my day. Okay, so you are trying to please the managers etc. but the main people you want to please are obviously the guests as they are the ones who will buy your images. They are effectively your bread and butter. Being told you’ve done well by a guest is a real confidence booster!

One thing I don’t understand is, the English couple want their images put on a CD ($249.95) but they’d like to include one or two images of their parents and the lady’s brother and his girlfriend. They are all staying in different staterooms (cabins). The manager won’t allow them to put the few extra photos on to their CD for the same price. Now the couple are having doubts as to whether they should buy the CD or just prints which will come to $80 approximately. To me, this doesn’t make sense. From my point of view, we should just let them have the extra four images they want so we can get $249.95 rather than just $80. We’ll be closer to our target, the photographers get their commission, the guests are happy and everyone’s a winner. Money is money isn't it? Give the guests a bit extra and we take a bigger chunk? Lee’s going to talk to the BM again and see what he says but it’s probably going to be a "no". Seems a little Irish to me but that's company policies for you!

Later on today Luci and I are heading into Naples for lunch. She knows a place where “they do the best, best pizza”. If there’s pizza involved – I’m there... No questions asked. Luckily enough I have Luci as a cabin mate. She’s been showing me places to go when we are on shore and where the best places to buy things are. Everyone is waiting for Athens to go to Carrefour – that’s where everyone buys their stock as it’s much cheaper than Mariner of the Seas' crew shop.

Anyway, the sun is shining, it’s not particularly warm (19ºC) but Naples looks brilliant!! Right by the port is a huge fortress and the old buildings slope up the hill another castle/fortress.

At five I’m back in the gallery to try and flog as much as I can before the cruise ends. Hopefully, when we leave Naples and into the "tax free zone! I’ll be able to sell some folios. Get a bit of commission in my pocket. Hopefully it won’t be long now until I’m photog 2 and can start earning “team commission” from the prints.

Hopefully while in Naples I’ll be able to find somewhere to upload the blog updates and call the parents. I won’t forget my headphones this time!

**UPDATE**

We’ve just got back from walking around Naples. Luci took me to this small Italian restaurant and the food was amazing! Between us, we shared this enormous ball of mozzarella cheese with tomatoes and rocket. Next came the pizzas - so nice, unbelievable! It’s easily one of the best pizzas I have ever had. I’m so full, I feel like I’m about to give birth to a food baby or a ball of mozzarella! 

We carried on walking around and Luci was pointing out good places to go to eat or mini supermarkets where we can pick up cheap bits and bobs. As it was Sunday most of the shops were closed.

It’s quite surreal walking around Naples. It’s a mixture of small and large, run down and done up. The rubbish points where the best: there were 10-15 metre stretches of rubbish bags and containers. Something tells me there's a strike on.

When I used to live in Spain everyone said the Spanish were crazy drivers. After moving to England, I could see what people meant, but believe me, the Italians are far worse, especially those riding motorbikes and mopeds. They are insane! Even if there’s a crowd walking across a pedestrian crossing, people on motor bikes were trying to zip through. There were a couple of hairy moments while walking around. Especially in some of the narrower, cobbled streets. Luci said the area of Naples we were in was featured in the new Julia Roberts film “Eat. Love. Pray”. I’ve never seen but it's something to watch when I've finished my contract.

I managed to get online at a local café. They were swamped with people from our cruise ship so after 20 minutes the connection started running slowly before repeatedly disconnecting. I’ll try and get on to one of the ship’s computers to use the internet, it’s only 6 cents a minute.

Gaz posted on the group message we have going on Facebook. He’s recently returned to Miami, the lucky sod. He’s just finished his first cruise around Mexico and Honduras. Sounds like he’s having a great time. Becks hasn’t been in touch, I hope she’s okay. Knowing her she’ll have been caught up in a hurricane around the Caribbean.

I’m back on the ship now to relax alittle before work. At 17.00 I’m back in the gallery until 20.00h. I’ve got an hour break for dinner, not that I’ll be able to fit anything else in my bloated belly. Afterwards it's back to work. To be honest, I’ve got a relatively easy day today, or as Luci says "Good Life".

Even though I’ve only been working on Mariner of the Seas for 5 days I’m starting to settle in and come to grips with the way things work. I’m not going to lie, I still get lost in the maze of passages and stairs.

One thing I try to do is every so often take an hour out as “my time”. As I’m constantly surrounded by people I’ll often disappear for a bit to spend some time alone. I’ll put my headphones on, listen to my music, type up blog entries so it’s ready to be uploaded once I get online and just drift off into my own little world. For me it’s a way of staying sane, everyone needs their own space. Plus it gives Luci a chance to have time to herself. It can’t be easy living in a rabbit hutch with someone you hardly know. She might be used to it, but still.

Elvis (India) our AMP (Assistant Manager of Production), who works in the lab printing is signing off tomorrow morning. Tonight we’re all heading up to the staff bar to have a few drinks and give him a good send off. Any excuse to have a party!!

Starting from the next cruise which starts tomorrow I’ll be taking my camera out with me where ever I go. So no doubt they’ll be a huge amount of photos to upload if the internet connection will allow it. My Flickr account, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lou_tickle, is going to get well and truly used and abused!

I’d better get ready for my second stint in the gallery... So from Italy, Ciao!

**UPDATE**

Tonight was extremely busy in the gallery. While speaking to Luci afterwards she told me that the gallery wasn’t so busy!! It must be utter mayhem in there. The good news is, I managed to sell two IOCDs (All images on CD) and four folios. Unfortunately I don’t get commission on the CDs as I’m not a Photog 2 yet. At least I get a little something from the folios, even if it is just $1.

The Latin couple who posed themselves were the winners of the biggest stack of prints. They bought the IOCD (the prints from the display board are theirs too, if they bring them to the till) and 6 discs were needed. They have over 300 images!!! What would you do with some many images!? An extra 3kg was probably added to their suitcase weight. Mind you, I’m not complaining, the other photographers have earned their commission.

The English couple with the baby came looking for me to buy the CD. They asked if I’d get a commission on the images/CD saying I deserved it as the photos were fantastic. It would’ve been good if I had, but I guess that’s just the way things are at the moment.

Andy from Image (Miami) has sent through our login and passwords for ImageU. I can now start on my competencies and work my way up to photog 2. It’d better get my backside in gear and get it done and dusted with as soon as possible. I want photo commission, more money!

Right now the ship is sailing to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy. I’m getting pretty excited about it, especially as Naples was something completely unexpected and a great place to visit. If you are going to Italy, stop by Naples, you won’t be disappointed.
  

First Formal Night

First Formal Night

16th April 2011

Tonight is my first formal night and the last of this cruise. Although we covered Ressi in training, photographing your friends and people you train with, isn’t the same and shooting the real thing. Needless to say I’m pretty nervous. Then again, I don’t know what I’m more nervous about: trying to get into my ridiculous tuxedo or photographing the guests. I’ll take a photo of our formal night wear for you to see – it’ll give you something to laugh about!

The Mariner of the Seas will be at sea until tomorrow when we dock in Naples, Italy. Although the sea isn’t too rough it’s a bit choppy so the ship is rocking a bit more than usual. I’m not feeling too perky but Hernan is really feeling sea sick today. He’s taken travel sickness pills which aren’t doing their job.

At 13.30 both Hernan and I had Royal Caribbean training for newbies. Jomar made a slight mistake on our schedules. Training didn’t start at 13.30 but at 13.00h so we both arrived 30 minutes late – fantastic. We’ll have to redo that particular segment of the training and sign to say we have done the complete session.

Formal night is a big event on board cruise ships, especially as it’ll be the last one for this cruise. At 15.00h all the photographers will be setting up numerous studios with different back drops. All poses tonight have to be formal, no casuals.

**UPDATE**

Wow, we’ve just put on our tuxedos. Very few men can pull it off without looking like they are going to a fancy dress party as James Bond. The girls look like they should be in a women’s demonstration for equal rights. I, of course, resemble Penguin from Batman! Just as I was walking into Ressi for the first time, the button on my jacket came off and no, it had nothing to do with my forming beer belly!

First of all it was just Hernan and I in the dining area as it was quite. It was just to get to grips with the whole concept rather than chucking us straight in the deep end. Lee took me in for a demonstration and got turned down by two tables. My attempt wasn’t looking too bright! When it came to my turn on shooting the “banana” area things went quite well. Most of the tables didn’t mind having their photographs taken. Group shots aren’t as easy as you have to ask people to stop eating, get up and stand behind people from the opposite side of the table. Not easy. I got two groups which wasn’t great but it’s a start. For a new hire, according to the other photographers, it was a good attempt. It’s quite hectic though.

There’d be a second sesssion of Ressi later on. Next it was back to my studio for the night, Bolero. There’s a luxurious looking, red velvet couch as a prop. It’s not as easy as it seems but things seemed to go smoothly. There are two Latin couples who know how to pose so well, they just get on with it and you take their photo! They’ve been giving me so many ideas it’s untrue. I love it!! Some of the dresses the girls are wearing are beautiful! I wish I could post some of the portraits on here but unfortunately I can’t as Image own the copyright and I’d probably get more than a slap on the wrists if I did! It’d be more of a “chicken or beef?” situation.

Later, I was on LSP (Lifestyle Portraits). First up was an English couple and their little baby Sasha. As she’s full of smiles and always laughing, taking photos of her is easy. I was working on LSP for an hour. Jomar was standing behind me for about 20 minutes watching me work. That was particularly nerve wracking. He checked through my images for composition and posing techniques. He gave me a few pointers to improve a couple of minor details such as posing “larger” people, in other words, the "over feds". Apart from that he said my images were very good and keep it up! I was so happy!

Again it was back onto Bolero for a while before heading into Ressi for the final time. This time I was pretty much on my own. I was on deck 5. Richard was on the opposite side of the deck and Lee was working close by, just in case. Everything went pretty smoothly, I got turned down a few times. Not many tables wanted group shoots. Although it is understandable. I have to think up something to get the guests off their bums for a group shot. Jeni is the best at Ressi shooting. Let's see if she can give me a few improvement tips.

At the end of the night (about 01.00h) we were all sitting in the office eating pizza and having a laugh. Not a bad night over all. Tomorrow is going to be one of our main selling days as the cruise is coming to an end. The main issue is that, as we'll be in Naples, a port day, we are unable to sell retail for tax reasons.

On the bright side, Luci's been telling me all about Naples, she loves it. Tomorrow Luci's taking me to a great place to have lunch - pizza, of course!

Tuxedos on Formal Night

James & Jamesette Bond Reporting from the Titanic Studio - Formal Night