From the moment we grab our camera equipment we have ideas and questions in our head. Questions like: What am I going to shoot today? Or Should I shoot color or black and white?
These questions came up recently when my wife and I made a small trip to a rural town called Motavita located in Boyacá, Colombia. My wife had to do some work in a local school and well, I tagged along to see if I could capture a few good pictures.
The day was gray and drizzle fell on us continuously. Motavita is located about 10km away from Tunja and the temperature is usually around 10c to 14c all year round. When I asked a teacher about the local weather, I was told that rain and drizzle is an everyday thing. From about 7:30am to 8:30am kids would show up sporadically as they arrived. Some of them actually walk about an hour to get to school and many of these kids were all wet or had stains from walking in the mud.
From the time we arrived at the school I was ready to shoot at any opportunity that came along. All of the sudden the school bell rang signaling the start of recess. I knew that the time to shoot had arrived. Kids poured out of their classes and starting running around the school yard as some women came out of a kitchen with huge pots containing what looked like hot milk. The kids gathered around the pots to get a serving of hot nourishing milk.
Some kids formed small groups and started socializing; some others stood aside enjoying every little drop of hot milk. Once they finished their milk, they would drop the plastic cups into big bins. The school recess bell went off again signaling the end of break time and they slowly started to head back to class. Some students would not return to class until they finished every last drop of hot milk. This could be a result of education (not to waste anything) or just hunger.
Once my wife finished her work, we were able to go out and take a short walk. I was amazed when I saw so many stray dogs walking around. There were very few people going about their business. We went to the side of town (just a few blocks away) and took some pictures before heading back home.
So, what does this have to do with capturing the right moment? You might be thinking. Well, everything has to do with it. You might capture a few moments with your camera but those special moments that you see with your eyes will be far more important than a picture.
These questions came up recently when my wife and I made a small trip to a rural town called Motavita located in Boyacá, Colombia. My wife had to do some work in a local school and well, I tagged along to see if I could capture a few good pictures.
The day was gray and drizzle fell on us continuously. Motavita is located about 10km away from Tunja and the temperature is usually around 10c to 14c all year round. When I asked a teacher about the local weather, I was told that rain and drizzle is an everyday thing. From about 7:30am to 8:30am kids would show up sporadically as they arrived. Some of them actually walk about an hour to get to school and many of these kids were all wet or had stains from walking in the mud.
From the time we arrived at the school I was ready to shoot at any opportunity that came along. All of the sudden the school bell rang signaling the start of recess. I knew that the time to shoot had arrived. Kids poured out of their classes and starting running around the school yard as some women came out of a kitchen with huge pots containing what looked like hot milk. The kids gathered around the pots to get a serving of hot nourishing milk.
Some kids formed small groups and started socializing; some others stood aside enjoying every little drop of hot milk. Once they finished their milk, they would drop the plastic cups into big bins. The school recess bell went off again signaling the end of break time and they slowly started to head back to class. Some students would not return to class until they finished every last drop of hot milk. This could be a result of education (not to waste anything) or just hunger.
Once my wife finished her work, we were able to go out and take a short walk. I was amazed when I saw so many stray dogs walking around. There were very few people going about their business. We went to the side of town (just a few blocks away) and took some pictures before heading back home.
So, what does this have to do with capturing the right moment? You might be thinking. Well, everything has to do with it. You might capture a few moments with your camera but those special moments that you see with your eyes will be far more important than a picture.
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