A New York Times Magazine article captured the final working days of seven Americans who expressed joy, fear and anxiety about the next chapter of their lives.
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A surgeon in Rochester, Minn. A TV-news traffic anchor in Chicago. A church organist in Ellwood City, Pa.
For a recent issue of The New York Times Magazine themed around retirement, the writer Charley Locke and the photographer Victor Llorente wanted to answer one question: How do Americans mark the end of their careers?
In February, Kathy Ryan, the magazine’s director of photography, and Shannon Simon, a photo editor, pitched an idea for a photo essay documenting the final working days of Americans. They joined forces with Ms. Locke, Mr. Llorente and Mark Jannot, an editor at the magazine, to see it through.
Beginning in March, Ms. Locke and Mr. Llorente set out to capture a momentous transition in the lives of seven individuals who shared stories of joy, regret and bittersweet enthusiasm about leaving the work force.
“Their jobs are a huge part of who they are,” Ms. Locke said in a recent conversation. “This is a transition with a lot of complicated emotions — fear, excitement and feeling like their identity is changing.”
She interviewed the almost-retirees over several weeks. Mr. Llorente spent about a month traveling across the country to photograph the subjects on their final days on the job. In mid-April, he observed a professional D.J. spinning his last songs. Just two weeks later, he shadowed a Postal Service worker on her final delivery route.