"Prairie Hill School fifth-grader Jacob Naatz, 11, warms up on the trombone before performing "Erie Canal" during the Solo and Ensemble Festival at Cary Junior High School in Cary, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. The event was a platform for students to show off their best before a judge and demonstrate talents outside a large band."
I spent a few hours covering a music festival of sorts this morning at a local junior high searching for an image that would stand out. I had a few images in my mind that I thought I was going to make but they just never happened. It wasn't a competition, just a critique, so there wasn't much celebration or disappointment that showed up in any of the images.
While waiting around in one of the warm up rooms I found 11-year-old Jacob warming up in the corner all by himself. He was a bit timid and quiet but I couldn't resist the opportunity to shoot him and his great shirt that he had on. Most of the kids were in plain white shirts in a busy classroom so I knew this would be my opportunity to make a little bit different looking image.
I introduced myself and asked him if I could shoot a few pictures while he warmed up. He agreed and continued to practice while ignoring me completely. So often on assignment people want to pose for the picture so it's a breath of fresh air when they just go along with their business and let me do mine. I was quite impressed with how well he could force all that air out of his tiny lungs. I don't think that I could have done what he was doing when I was his age.
The (relatively) clean background, colorful shirt and the great reflection of his face in the instrument really made this image and this assignment a success.
-JCE
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