boys in the street

 

Even without a camera I love observing people, but it’s sometimes interesting to notice how the evidence of someone taking photographs can immediately affect the scene. This was totally a grab shot taken as I was crossing a street to get to my vehicle. The boys were moving towards me as I was moving towards them, and in the brief second it took me to quickly raise my camera and take the shot, everything about the scene instantly altered before my eyes. Five teen boys who’d in the moment prior had been oblivious to anything outside their own pack, each uniquely responded to the sudden appearance of a light-headed little photog wielding a very large camera. Fascinating!

One boy who just prior had been fully in my line of vision, amazingly concealed himself completely behind another boy upon seeing my camera (not so unlike many two-year olds I photograph). I didn’t think him to be shy, but more likely not wanting photographic proof of his shenanigans on this particular evening. The guy covering for him was clearly giving me the sideways glance stink eye, but maybe his face is always like that. And then there’s the poser in the back, of which there is one to be found whenever a camera presents itself. He’s certain that it’s his job alone to liven up an otherwise dull shot, which of course he did splendidly.

I’m thinking the guy on the far left would be most disappointed with my black and white rendition of the scene, as it transformed his neon green colored hair into a very benign shade of blonde. If not for the wording of his t-shirt he’d almost appear preppy, which I *know* he wasn’t going for.

The boy in the middle though, is what drew me in, and is my primary motivation for sharing this very marginal photograph. While obviously aware of the camera, he confidently addressed it and yet remained mostly unchanged. His body language and softly unassuming expression were neither threatened by, nor defensive of, the uninvited intrusion of my camera. Very cool.

~Cynthia