Photo is at: http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=621373

I can't believe it has been twenty years since I shot this. Where does time go? Anyway, this was the scene as I got in my car, one empty parking space away, as I came out with my groceries. I wanted to take the shot, but was a little leary. Then the boy in the middle saw my camera hanging around my neck (my fairly new IIIf), and said "Hey Mister--take our picture." I dropped my groceries (literally) wheeled the camera up to my eye, and snapped this frame. Immediately he then said "Wait," reached into the back seat, and brought up a fuzzy little black puppy. All three were all smiles and the moment was almost gone forever, save that first frame!

-- charles mason (c.mason@uaf.edu), March 09, 2002

Answers

It's timelessness will even be more heartfelt if you can show the 3 kids now the photograph you have taken of them 20 odd years ago.

-- wong kh (dosi@pd.jaring.my), March 09, 2002.

Excellent picture.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), March 09, 2002.

I thought you said it was your first decent photo????

-- David Kelly (davidkelly@aol.com), March 09, 2002.

I don't mean to be rude,but it's not exactly original is it? The frame isn't very pleasing and I'm not sure about the exposure either.You have quite obviously 'staged' the shot

-- David Kelly (davidkelly@aol.com), March 09, 2002.

I quite liked the photo. To me, it doesn't look staged in the sense of the photographer directing the poses and expressions of the subjects, only in the manner the subjects have chosen to present themselves to the photographer. Even then, the subjects aren't presenting the standard cheesy smiles.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), March 09, 2002.

i love it. i don't know about the comment on the framing. i find it very pleasing. the expressions are incredible.

dave

-- dave s. (dws69880@cmsu2.cmsu.edu), March 09, 2002.

For the naysayer who didn't read my account, the photograph is not "staged" in the slightest. These kids were waiting for their mother, and were exactly as you see them when I walked up.

Another interesting tidbit--I did in fact sort of catch up to the kids some years later. I was having a show in Virginia, and a person came up to me and asked about the photo. She said she knew the kids at their present ages. I asked how, and she said she now was the parole officer of the older boy.

-- charles mason (c.mason@uaf.edu), March 09, 2002.

It is a charming picture. Thanks for sharing it.

-- David Enzel (dhenzel@vei.net), March 10, 2002.

Hi Charles, Read your post. That's sad about the elder boy. Hope that he will be OK. I don't know how he would have felt if you show him the photo now. Probably will make him think hard about where he has gone wrong. That's the power of a photograph.

-- wong kh (dosi@pd.jaring.my), March 10, 2002.