Sunday, January 4, 2009

Sunshine on the Riverwalk makes us all happy

Sunday was a great day for being outdoors, and if I had no other assignments I think I could have found a dozen or more feature photos from all the life on the Riverwalk. Alas, I had other obligations, but here are a few moments I managed to catch before I had to run off. Sam Stapleman trys to walk while balancing his daughter, Hanna, 3, and pulling her bike along with her brother's, Samuel, 4, not pictured, after a long day of biking along the Riverwalk Sunday. Poor Dad. I saw these two going south at first and Dad was pushing Hanna on the bike only she was asleep on the handlebars. I could get there from where I was to make a photo, but I was blessed when they decided to pack it up for the day and return to their car.
Here is Rafael Yance , 7, from Colombia South America learning to skateboard with a determined look to shred. Below you can see his friend Christian Zuluaica, 6, as he carves it up moments before crashing. Don't worry he got up, dusted himself off and laughed as he raan back up to do it again.



Angela Zuluaica, 13, shares a moment with her friend, Tatiana Yance, 11, as she helps her navigate up a hill.
Alexandra Burden and Adam Douglas share a laugh while taking advantage of the summer like weather Sunday on a patch of grass along the Riverwalk. For those of you who have tried to shoot people you don't know in a candid fashion, I'm sure you know how tough it is. As a newspaper photographer it is something I deal with on a daily basis. How does one get the image and not look suspect while doing it?

I've found the best method is to show how humble and/or silly you're willing to be to make such a photo. In this case, I calmly (the key word) walked maybe 20 feet off at an angle to Alexandra and Adam and laid flat on the grass. I made probably 30 frames before they even realized I was there. And when they did notice me, they smiled. I think your willingness to get on someone's physical level or simply be relaxed in your approach, unarms them a bit and says "Hey, I'm here to have fun too."

When I was a residential counselor I remember learning how important it was to be able to read a person's body language to do my job. Well, I guess it works both ways. We're always communicating to others without speaking. Question is: What is your body language saying to others?