Things People Say

(St. Charles, MO US) A young gymnast performs on the beam at a team competition  held at the Family  Arena.  Hundreds of girls participated in this multi-day event.

As I was traveling back from Chicago after photographing President Obama giving an address at Hyde Park Academy, I returned a phone call to a person who was trying to find someone to manage photography at a gymnastics competition that would have in excess of 1000 participants over 3 days.  I explained that I really hadn't shot any gymnastics events in years, but would see if we could arrange something if I felt comfortable with the format and my ability to capture the gymnasts.  I was told there was a competition being held this very weekend and I suggested that I shoot a bit there and get familiar with how they conduct things.

I arrive and go to the floor.  I look around and finally start to shoot.  The girl above is one of the first subjects and when her team was done, their coach sat them down and had a talk with them.

The coach told them that they were not to cheer each other on with terms like "good job" because the scores didn't reflect that they were doing good.  Considering that these girls are in grade school and less than 12 years old, I was shocked to hear a coach say such a thing.  If my daughter was ever coached by someone like that I'd not let her continue.

Sometimes you have to wonder about what people say.  Does the coach really realize how hurtful or non-motivational such words can be?  Motivation can be done in far better ways.

How many of us could do what this young girl is doing?

Trying to Beat the Heat!

(Alton, IL) A young boy stands under a cool mist of water as other children run and play around him.  The afternoon temperature was in excess of 100 degrees F and everyone was waiting for a concert and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July. 

The weather has been brutally hot for the last several weeks here in the Midwestern US.  The image of this boy was taken on a day when afternoon temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees F.  An Alton firefighter placed a firehose with a nozzle set to spray in an open area next the Riverfront Amphitheater.  As the sun started to set there was a concert and fireworks in celebration of the 4th of July.

Rolling in the New Year

The local hospital didn't know if they would have any new babies anytime soon (According to them it might well be Tuesday for a new baby.), so I headed off to the local bowling alley.  When I arrived, I soon realized that the place was packed as families and friends bowled in the new year.

(Jerseyville, IL USA)  Young bowlers take their turns on the lanes at the Tri County Bowl.  The lights are turned down and disco type colored lighting illuminates the lanes for the New Year Eve "cosmic" bowl.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I was photographing a high school football game and at halftime a group of young girls went on the field to do a routine that they had learned at a cheer leading camp.  Some of the girls looked as young as three or four years of age.  As they did their routine on the field I moved to several different vantage points to see if I could get something interesting that might be usable for the paper or parents.

That's how this story begins.

First let's see how well you can answer the blog title.  What is wrong with this picture?

If you look at this image, you can find all kinds of things wrong.  I'll even point out the two obvious technical ones to get you started.

1) A really slow shutter speed that didn't stop the motion of the young girls dancing on the field.

2) There is significant flare from the lens being pointed directly at a light source at night.

What more do you see that could be wrong or improved upon?  Composition maybe?  Color balance?  You are probably missing something significant, but you wouldn't know that until I finish the rest of the story.

As the girls finished and I was walking off of the field, a woman came up to me and asked if I had any images of a particular little girl.  I told her that I may have some, but that I would have to check as I didn't recall the exact person she was asking about.  I handed her a card and told her she could look online and see for herself.  She then explained why she was asking and that is what is wrong with this image.

One of the girls in this image is in foster care and it was her foster mother that approached me.  She explained that she couldn't let any images get out of the six year old for fear that her parents could track her down.  She went on to explain that the girl had been in 12 different foster care settings in her six years of life.  She also explained that the girls brother had been in 15.

How can any agency that is charged with protecting children allow 12 different foster care placements by the time a child is six years of age? 

That is the not so obvious "What is wrong with this picture?".

Just think that as you look at the image, one of those girls has been taken from her biological parents, placed in 12 different foster care settings and is only six years old.  It begs the question as to why the agency charged with her care hasn't terminated the parental rights long ago and let the child grow and thrive in a stable loving family.

Twelve placements in the lifetime of a six year old and 15 for her not much older brother. 

That is what is wrong with this picture.

Why is it tolerated?