The Gods Smiled Upon Us

Yesterday's photo walk with the middle-schoolers could not have gone better. No one got lost or hurt -- always my nightmare scenario on any school outing -- the sun shone all day and everyone got good pictures. I was really impressed, in fact, with the photos that the kids came back with. You'll only see mine in this post, but trust me, theirs were good.

We started the day at school, where we talked about the itinerary and where we were going and what we could expect to see. I then gave a presentation about street photography -- what it is, some famous street photographers of the past, some basic ideas about photography (like the rule of thirds and the "decisive moment") and some pictures of my own.

Then we took the tube (not easy with 19 kids!) down to King's Cross and took pictures in several recently-refurbished open parks and plazas in that area, adjacent to the Regent's Canal.

When we first got there, a group of young guys in hi-viz clothing were horsing around on some steps leading down to the water. I think they were firefighters. They were walking on their hands and eventually started trying to make running leaps up a brick wall to grab the top. None of them did it but they made a valiant effort, and they also made some amazing subjects for our photography.

We all wandered around the plaza in small groups, taking our own photos. I loved this guy's tattoo, peeking out of his jacket collar.

I had a bit of an advantage over everyone else, with my long zoom lens, but then again they had tiny cameras (loaners from the school) so they could take pictures less conspicuously.

It always amazes me how, in any gathering of people, there are pictures to be found. The well of material really is bottomless, if you're willing to go out and drink from it.

I brought a bag lunch from the school -- the kids provided their own lunches -- and we sat at these orange chairs to eat. This woman was very intently pecking away on an iPad nearby.

A lot of street photographers are insistent that street photography must include people. I think that's generally true, and that's the definition I give the kids, but we also tell them to take photos of whatever they want. It's their day to be creative.

Around 1 p.m. we all got back on the tube and made our way back to school, where we downloaded our photos, edited them and put two or three favorites into a shared folder to make into a slideshow. Unfortunately we ran out of time to look at the show as a group and talk about the pictures, but everyone could see each other's work, at least.

So it was a great day out and I'm so glad the weather cooperated. The leaders of this event are going out again today with a different group of kids, but I'm staying in the library. I'll still give my photo talk before they leave, though. Gotta help them see and appreciate those decisive moments!