Some scenes can’t be captured in a photograph. After documenting a recently vacated apartment, the movers’ supervisor looked at me and said: “Good thing you can’t photograph smell.” Some jobs stay with you for reasons you never expect.
You Can’t Photograph Smell
A routine residential eviction became a simple vacancy verification after the tenant moved out a week before the scheduled execution. But once entry was gained, the reason became immediately apparent.
Faced with overwhelming unsanitary conditions, the constables and movers documented the property before determining that nothing remaining could be safely or legally placed into storage. As the photographs were finished, one mover made an observation that perfectly captured the experience:
“Good thing you can’t photograph smell.”
A true story about professionalism, documentation, and the realities of a job where not every detail can be preserved on camera.
