Happy Friday everyone - The weekend is again upon us. My thoughts today drifted toward Galveston and I wanted to share a quick lesson I learned on a photo walk a few years ago down there on the Strand. I was taking a rather difficult photo class and I needed to really push myself into new boundaries looking for shots for the photo assignments. So I spent several weekends down in Galveston that summer looking for something new and different from my everyday experience during the week. On one of these trips, I ran across a group of skateboards working on several tricks. The group was fairly spread out around the street watching their friends try this and that (and on this day failing every time), so it wasn't very difficult to strike up a conversation with a few of them on the outskirts. That little bit of chit chat with their friends opened a huge door and opportunity to work with several individuals for action shots. They were just as eager to have a camera record their attempts as I was to capture them for my class. We worked together for about an hour. They had all of the ideas of what they wanted to do, and they weren't shy about telling me their plans so I could act accordingly. I got a few of their first names, and I passed out cards so they could email me for the photos. We never connected, but the lesson I learned on that day is that a simple ice-breaker or mundane conversation can open huge opportunities to shoot strangers and situations on the fly. I had a lot of fun working with these kids that afternoon and I really loved a lot of the photos that came from that day. Their ease with my presence was noticeable in these shots, and my ease in feeling like I was part of their group helped greatly.
One of my favorite parts of this photo is how the boarders shadow tells more of the story in this frame. (He tried a particular skill at least a dozen times, failed each time, but never gave up - I suppose there is a lesson here.)
Enjoy the weekend!
Galveston, Texas - The Next Try