aidan.cullen
istockphoto-172221526-612x612
Dear Editors of LIFE Magazine,
I’m pitching The Unseen Hours, a photographic story about the often-invisible custodial and cleaning workforce that keeps America running: school janitors, night-shift office cleaners, hotel housekeepers, and rideshare car detailers.
This is not just a story about labor. It is about invisibility. These are the people we walk past, whose presence we often notice only when something goes wrong. They work while we sleep, while we eat, while we move through airports, classrooms, and offices. I want to tell their stories through portraits, calloused hands, quiet break rooms, and fleeting moments between tasks.
This story matters because it challenges us to recognize the dignity of work that is essential but undervalued. It touches on class, immigration, race, and what it means to be truly seen.
The audience includes students, families, office workers, and policymakers. If LIFE does not publish this story, The Atlantic or ProPublica would be strong alternatives.
I will follow these workers on their actual shifts, capturing early mornings, lunch rushes, and quiet endings. There is beauty in resilience. It deserves to be visible.
Sincerely,
Aidan Cullen
istockphoto-172221526-612x612
Dear Editors of LIFE Magazine,
I’m pitching The Unseen Hours, a photographic story about the often-invisible custodial and cleaning workforce that keeps America running: school janitors, night-shift office cleaners, hotel housekeepers, and rideshare car detailers.
This is not just a story about labor. It is about invisibility. These are the people we walk past, whose presence we often notice only when something goes wrong. They work while we sleep, while we eat, while we move through airports, classrooms, and offices. I want to tell their stories through portraits, calloused hands, quiet break rooms, and fleeting moments between tasks.
This story matters because it challenges us to recognize the dignity of work that is essential but undervalued. It touches on class, immigration, race, and what it means to be truly seen.
The audience includes students, families, office workers, and policymakers. If LIFE does not publish this story, The Atlantic or ProPublica would be strong alternatives.
I will follow these workers on their actual shifts, capturing early mornings, lunch rushes, and quiet endings. There is beauty in resilience. It deserves to be visible.
Sincerely,
Aidan Cullen