The Quiet One

The van was packed with four adults and five children all on our way home from church. The adults were tired, four children were energized and one little girl was taking it all in. I don't know why she was so quiet, but I could tell she was entirely content to watch myself and my co-photographer snap pictures and entertain the other children with the immediate playback features of our cameras.

Then it came. A rare moment where the other children were distracted and she looked directly at me. Not posing, but rather happy to stare at someone new to her sphere of acquaintances. In that instance, the gleeful screams of the other kids and the reprimands of the adults all fell away. It was odd, we connected through the lens of my D70 for a 1/50 sec. and for once, the quiet one received the attention.

This photo was taken my senior year of college during my 'Social Documentary' class. We were assigned to photograph families' lives who were helped my a non-profit in town. We received Miss Ruthie and in doing so, came into contact with the beautiful children she cared for. It has been my favorite assignment.

The Quiet One, Jackson, TN