I Am Seven, Hear Me Roar

Emma is seven years old and full of energy.  On this evening, she had bouncing-off-the-walls energy.

This is an awesome image!  Now, don’t get the wrong idea.  I’m not bragging on myself because it happened quite by accident – as awesome shots sometimes do.  It would never enter my mind to try an set up a shot like this. Any serious photographer will tell you, there are those moments that you couldn’t have planned, couldn’t have set up, when all the planets are aligned and the angels are smiling upon you. That was this moment.  Here’s how it came about.

I was outdoors, trying to capture a photo of some wrens entering/exiting their birdhouse.  I was using a 300mm, zoom lens, to get a close-up, from a distance.  I had just finished photographing the birds, because the day was ending and there no longer was enough light in the shaded area to get a good image.

About this time, folks showed up for a family gathering. Emma saw me with the camera and started hopping around me saying, “Take a picture of me!”  I couldn’t take a photo of her because I had the long zoom lens and she was too close – I couldn’t even get the lens to focus at that distance.  I told her she was too close, and if she would go a little farther away I could take a photo.  Well, I meant she should move ten to fifteen feet away.  Emma just heard, “farther away,”  and took off running.  My attempts to call her back never reached her ears and she finally stopped and turned around about 20 yards away.

The amazing thing was where she stopped.  Quite by accident, she stopped in a spot where the setting sun was able to stream through an opening in the trees. Ten feet farther or closer and she would have been in the shadows. I remember being in awe at the way the light was hitting her.  Thankfully I had the presence of mind to focus and shoot. Even then, I didn’t really think this shot would turn out so well…so sharp in the low light conditions. I have no idea of what she was saying to me.

For fellow photographers that would like the specifics:  1/90 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, 300mm, handheld, no artificial light, manual mode.

To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.