down time

Yesterday I was on a shoot for Operation Breakthrough. We met some of the families (that are being featured in our upcoming fundraising video) at the park. My sidekick, Lynne, was to do the filming and I the stills. 

It's not unusual for our families to be late. As Jennifer, our fearless leader in all things related to shooting for OB likes to remind us: families living in poverty cannot always be precisely scheduled. Life gets in the way. Cars break down. The bus runs late. The auntie who promised to babysit the younger kids doesn't show up. Can't get off work. Kids didn't get any sleep the night before because the furnace shut off, and they're tired. 

What could've taken an hour rolled into three.

I try to be patient as we hang around waiting for things to happen. Sometimes I'm good at that, but I must admit sometimes I am not too good at that.

Yesterday was the first nice day in Kansas City in a long while, and the park was full of kids. I had my camera, and there were kids running around. I was in my happy place. 

I made this picture during the down time.

In my presentations, I always encourage photographers to be open to what's in front of them, even if - especially if - it was not what they were expecting. Down time? Embrace it… there's always something wonderful happening. As Robert Frank says: keep your eyes open.