Donuts for Portraits

So I spent maybe five minutes of thinking about how I would complete the "portrait assignment" in my News Photography class. For what compelled me to think about donuts, I have no idea, but as soon as the idea popped in my head, I knew it would work. I could now fall asleep, knowing that tomorrow morning would be spent in Shipley's Donuts off Bandera Rd and Loop 4-10, photographing those delving donuts to working America.

Arriving to see a group of old men talking over coffee and pastries, I walked inside Shipley's and greeted the family working there. Chanthea Chem and her father Chheng Sok moved to Texas from Cambodia twenty years ago, and have been working at Shipley's out of Houston before moving to San Antonio.

Their energetic and enthusiastic attitude about the job is what made my photographs. You could tell, these people really enjoyed serving Donuts and Coffee to people, and were thankful for the opportunity to work, although it didn't seem like just a "job"for them.

After spending an hour of my morning with them, I decided to bring back a dozen for the newsroom. Chem offered that I take them without paying, but I insisted on tipping them five dollars at least.

I look forward to printing out a photo for them to post in the restaurant, and maybe splurge on some of the tastiest donuts ever, too.


Chanthea Chem and her father Chheng Sok serve pastries at Shipley's Donuts at Bandera and Loop 4-10 on Tuesday, March 3. Chem and Sok came to Texas from Cambodia twenty years ago.