Candid Opportunities
I shot an assignment this this week for AP on the story about Michigan’s court ruling on same sex benefits for public state employees, namely universities. I was sent to the home of this couple in Ypsi who had 4 adopted boys, all of whom were adorable and very hyper. Going into the assignment, I knew I didn’t want to setup a portrait with the family. Anything posed would’ve been too contrived, and especially for this topic, I felt it important to capture moments that showed how loving and positive this family was—thus extending the writer’s theme (nice he sent me the copy before hand) that a cut to the gay-couple’s health benefits because of the state’s stance on gay marriage would have profound consequences to the welfare of families.
Like any large family, these guys’ home centered around their farmhouse kitchen, so I just suggested that they go about their normal late afternoon activities, so I can catch some good candid shots. Problem was, these boys were extremely curious about me, my camera, and loved to stare and beam their semi-toothy grins, all the while pleading for me to “take my picture! take my picture!”
My solution? I just sat there, holding the camera body to the side, and waited. Little kids are like puppies in that they constantly desire attention, but they also have extremely short attention spans, so after about 10 mins of minimal interaction, they simply forgot about you. That’s when you can quickly snap a few frames of the true candid expressions. Moments that I was very satisfied with as in this picture that I transmitted to AP.