For another more personal take on Labor Day, please visit my car photography blog today for my post “Labor Day Memories of My Father.”
Today’s Post by Joe Farace, photo by Mary Farace
“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.”– Pearl S. Buck
In the United States, Labor Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the contributions of workers to the development and achievements of the country. Canada’s Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 80 countries, such as France, celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1, which is the old European holiday of May Day and several other countries have chosen their own individual dates for celebrating a Labor Day.
How Mary Made this Image: Mary Farace photographed a carpenter as part of a commercial assignment for our studio. This cabinetmaker was photographed in his shop using a mixture of ambient light and fill from a Nikon D3100’s pop-up flash. The Program mode exposure was 1/60 sec at f/4 and ISO 400 with the AF-S 18-55mm VR kit lens at 18mm.
Some History: Beginning in the late 19th century, as trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. A Labor Day was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first Labor Day parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon became the first state in the USA to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the U.S officially celebrated Labor Day.
For many people, Labor Day is generally thought of as a day commemorating the last throes of summer, although that actually won’t (astronomically) happen until September 22. For many people, Labor day is celebrated by having backyard cookouts and kicking back and enjoying having a Monday off work. Interestingly, Mary, who made today’s featured photograph, had to work on that day last year but this year she is celebrating the holiday with her sister in Nevada.