Happy Accidents

Is what one of my colleagues named a shot when it was not so planned but became much more than expected.

This was just this case with this image. I had been shooting a campaign for a Dallas inter city youth org. They were re-branding and had asked for various captures around the city of the youth enrolled in their program. It had been a fun 3 days doing just that and on the last day the team working on the project found ourselves in one of the cities high schools on the south side. We were wrapped but the organization that had hired me and some of the kids we had captured insisted I stay for a program in the auditorium. I happily agreed and took a seat.

After a few minutes I realized it might be fun to sneak on stage out of view and grab some shots. Scanning the audience there she was, mesmerized in her own world as we often are at that age. I reached down and picked up one of my favorite lenses, a nikkor 18mm 2.8 manual focus and made a single capture. And that was all that was needed.

Collaboration

Great or even good photography is a collaboration. Sure are those times when you are alone and a composition presents itself but I am speaking of commercial photography. The kind where weeks or even months of planning are in the mix. Those are some of my best times working to make imagery. When a team understands the vision and has the tools to hit the target and enjoys each other and the work along the way. You may not see it in the final but there are often many wonderful people collaborating to make you feel great about what you see.