Emotions, Photos and Critique

Photo Assignment 2:  Emotions

I spent a couple of afternoons at the kiddyland in the Gateway Mall photographing kids. I thought it would be a fun and fairly simple project to take images of 2 to 5 year olds at play. Of course, I was mistaken.

Scary Mirror Sisters

To begin with, I was a little intimidated about approaching strangers and asking if could photograph their kids. I was not completely surprised by the negative reactions of some parents and grandparents when I asked if it was ok to take their photos as part of a Photojournalism shooting assignment at Lane. Fortunately, early on, a woman that had taken a similar class at Lane said of course it was alright. This seemed to break the ice on my first outing; as parents and kids arrived, they followed suit.

The play area is bright and cheerful, there is a skylight overhead and there are plenty of inviting objects--a colorful slide, a bridge for climbing, a small boat to sit in, and there are large hanging games scattered about to encourage motor development. My favorite was a wiggly mirror, which distorted their bodies and made them laugh.

Joyful First Slide

Half way through my first afternoon a cute little 2-year old girl arrived with her mom. Her haunting blue eyes seemed to take in everything around her. The mom gave me permission to shoot photos of her daughter, and actually assisted me, as she tottered about and played. After the shoot, I shared my results and the mom asked if I would email her the photos. I agreed, and when I returned home that evening I sent them on to her email address, which also included her husband’s name—and thanked her again.

Early the following morning I received an email from the mom; she regretted her decision, and requested that I destroy all images. I was stunned and shocked, since this was completely opposite her attitude the previous day. I responded assuring her that I would do as she wished. The episode left me feeling creepy, as if I had done something wrong, and I was disheartened by the entire project.

Howling Dog
However, I still needed more shots and returned to kiddyland the following day to complete my assigned shoot. Again, parents were generally receptive and we laughed and enjoyed ourselves as I interacted with their children. I finished my shoot, but still felt unsettled by the entire experience.

I shared my concerns with my instructor and was re-assured that I had done nothing wrong. It was clearly about a domestic issue that I need not concern myself. In class, as part of the critique process, it was agreed that the wiggly mirror image was the best, the other two selections were very generic. I completely agree. It’s hard to take a bad photo of kids; the challenge is getting the exceptional one.

As usual, the assignment was a great learning experience. I learned about using the light to my advantage and selecting appropriate settings that work well with kids. My take away from this challenge was more of a social commentary.  It's very sad that children must live such controlled existences. Playing is no longer about going outside unattended, riding bikes, and exploring the great outdoors. Playing is now relegated to Kiddyland at the Mall—and don’t talk to strangers while you are there.