Running Water

There is a picture my dad took of me when I was 5 or 6 years old. I am running directly at the camera in the middle of summer, hair bleached white by exposure to the sun, and have the biggest smile a 6 year-old can muster. But what was bringing me such unquantifiable joy? The answer was, I was running through a sprinkler. I am not talking about one of those sprinklers that rotates or oscillates. It was a plastic base with about 10 plastic tubes spraying water sporadically out of the top, flopping around wildly in all directions. Even though I am almost 20 years removed from this image and don't really remember the event, per se, I remember the feeling of it. I remember laughing and screaming, wanting to get in the water, but at the same time, not wanting to feel the iciness. It was wonderful.

As I took photos of a friend's child playing in the water in the front lawn, I was inexplicably drawn back to my childhood; one without worries besides whether or not we were going to be able to play in the water. And as I snapped away with my camera, I saw her doing the exact same thing I did as a kid. Screaming for joy, but also having a simple dilemma. 'Should I touch the water? I know it is why I am out here, but do I want to risk getting wet?'

But just like myself, the outcome is always the same. After exhortations of parents and the curiosity inside her own head, she runs into the water and begins enjoying the watery relief from the summer heat. And like my father, I am glad to be there to capture the elation on her smiling face.

This photo was taken as most of my photos of children are taken: while they are simply being kids. It is much more natural to work around a child and catch exactly what they are feeling than to try and convince them to smile while sitting nicely in front of a background. I don't think kids are meant to sit for very long.

Child in the Water, A Summer's Day
Nikkor 70-200mm, 200mm, f/2.8