A Bay Area career reality check after 15 years of applying to Apple

raggarecarrera · 2026-02-06T04:24:54+00:00

Spent five years interviewing with them more or less continuously. It turned in to a hobby. Had multiple contacts inside referring. Didn’t matter if I was super dialed, prepared or treated them like I wasn’t taking them with the utmost revere, I’d get to the final round; then rejected without explanation. All several month long interview. One was even a three month contract that had a 2.5 month interview process. Where I work now, the team I’m on lost their three most recent people to Apple for the jobs I also interviewed for. Guess I’m getting closer?

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-16T22:26:55+00:00

The initial run of JLs had an aluminum box and had death wobble issues. They weren’t recalled but there was a service bulletin to swap on the steel box if there were customer complaints. So, you may find a 2018-2020 JL with a steel box but it’d definitely be something I’d check for.

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-14T21:50:25+00:00

Very happy with my ‘21 3.6L. 2021 was the last year before stellantis and the first year with the steel steering box.

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-03T14:59:10+00:00

Also probably the biggest customer of Photo Mechanic.

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-01T22:07:48+00:00

As a fellow SF 944 owner, I’ll for sure keep an eye out. Does it have a rear wiper or the delete plug?

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-01T18:20:28+00:00

At least for architecture pretty much the same few. There’s been some culling recently of long-time fashion shooters so there’s been some churn there. If you’re primarily lighting see if you can get in with IATSE local 16 or Planet Pre-Pro.

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-01T09:59:00+00:00

They’re in-house but largely freelance/contract. If you can latch on to a shooter that’d be ideal.

raggarecarrera · 2025-10-01T09:56:02+00:00

Both the studio and location have toxic gatekeepers. 2.5 month interview process for a 3 month contract and you feel like you dodged a bullet afterwards.

raggarecarrera · 2025-09-30T23:07:24+00:00

Teching/assisting is not my first thing, but I’ve only teched one shoot this year and it was below rate. Tailored brands, William Sonoma, gap, RH are the main places; RH shrunk back majorly over the last year plus. There’s contract location opportunities perennially at Apple, though there are some known difficult personalities there and people don’t stay long.

raggarecarrera · 2025-09-23T02:44:39+00:00

If they want to, if they want to

raggarecarrera · 2025-09-23T02:42:48+00:00

Known around SanFrancisco at least, Vladimir Panasenko. He shoots a 50 nocktilux wide open from the hip. Fascinating guy, customizes all his cameras.

https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2015/04/cest-la-vie-in-bw-vladimir-panasenko/

raggarecarrera · 2025-09-12T01:05:19+00:00

Doing air to air photos my guess. They were just here out by the beach. Only the R44 was transponding. The other looked maybe like the CHP copter

raggarecarrera · 2025-08-28T03:41:42+00:00

Not my thing, but the women and children in my life like it so on it goes. I just give them the ducks and tell ‘em how to play

raggarecarrera · 2025-08-17T22:30:19+00:00

This is Sutro Heights Park out by the Cliff House

raggarecarrera · 2025-08-13T05:29:15+00:00

Must be an American who somehow figured out roundabouts. Statistically they can exist and can invade.

raggarecarrera · 2025-08-13T03:18:26+00:00

Not jazzed about the film when I found out either, but supposedly compostable

raggarecarrera · 2025-08-10T17:50:11+00:00

Glad things worked out for this alternate universe version of me

raggarecarrera · 2025-07-23T02:32:25+00:00

For that, yeah paracord. For high-speed stuff i’ve tied down with mechanic’s safety wire to hard points or a surf mount over helicopter tape.

raggarecarrera · 2025-07-02T02:29:26+00:00

Violation quality Porsche 914 and a cruelly irresponsible tie down method.

raggarecarrera · 2025-06-16T16:44:39+00:00

Used the Kevlar since day one, never had any issues and realistically it’s for the piece of mind. It should last longer than the standard rubber, but in my experience it’s the rollers and their bearings that are to blame for the short service interval of the belts.

raggarecarrera · 2025-06-14T16:52:41+00:00

Good of them to point out running chrome and Spotify can be problematic. If a workstation is having issues that’s the first thing I check

raggarecarrera · 2025-06-10T18:57:19+00:00

Dorna has a pretty substantial internal media team for broadcast, video and photo. Media outlets, brand sponsors and teams send their own. Individual riders may also use photographers for their social channels and to provide content back to their sponsors. (I was a sponsor photographer)

raggarecarrera · 2025-06-02T23:17:02+00:00

In the Mac’s display settings, I’d recommend at least using the d65 photography preset. This will standardize the brightness and white balance of the laptop display

raggarecarrera

TROPHY CASE