Repeat after me

Posted by on Sep 14, 2011 | Comments Off

Okay, repeat after me.

“I will go early and stay late.”

Once again.

“I will go early and stay late.”

Going early and staying late at a photo assignment is no guarantee of photographic success but it sure won’t hurt your chances.

I was reminded of this on consecutive days last week.

On Friday, I had an assignment to shoot a 9/11 remembrance ceremony. The photos were predictable and not very exciting. The attendees were mostly local emergency responders and there was no emotion on the faces of those in attendance.

The 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony held Sept. 9, 2011 at West Hill Memorial Park in West Valley. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Tom Redtfeldt plays taps following the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony held Sept. 9, 2011 at West Hill Memorial Park in West Valley. Redtfeldt is the commandant of the Marine Corps League of Yakima and Kittitas Counties. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Following the ceremony I stuck around for a few minutes hoping for something better.  Nothing materialized and most of the attendees began to drift away. After  10 minutes I headed for my car, having another assignment to photograph.

Just as I turned toward my car it happened and I knew I had the photo of the day.

Cash Craig, held by his father Nathan Craig, reaches out to touch the Fallen Heroes monument at West Hills Memorial Park following a 9/11 remembrance ceremony there on Sept. 9, 2011. The ceremony included remarks by representatives of local law enforcement and fire departments as well as a ribbon cutting to recognize a sculpture on the opposite side of the monument honoring 9/11 emergency responders. As Cash reached out to touch the policeman's image his father, who is deputy chief of the West Valley fire department, told Cash "Those are police. They're different than me." About 60 people attended the ceremony. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

In this case, the old saw might be “go early and stay later.”

This photo was the lead image in a two-photo package on the front page of our local news section.

Going early to a parade the next day was equally helpful. I arrived in the town of Naches a half hour before the start of the annual Sportsmans’ Day parade. I always like to go early to parades and walk the route (or at least part of it) to see if there’s anything or anyone interesting I should watch out for during the parade.

Five minutes into my parade route scouting I met Ted Cowan.

Ted Cowan laughs and shakes hands with Chad Christopherson after selling him two Sportsmans' Days buttons before the start of the annual Naches Sportsmans' Days parade in downtown Naches, Wash. Sept. 10, 2011. Cowan, 82, has been selling the fund-raising buttons for 53 years. Sportsmans' Days is sponsored by the Naches Lions Club. Events continue Sunday, Sept. 11 with an Applewood Park boosters' breakfast at 7 a.m. on the midway. Sunday events include a fishing derby at 1 p.m. and a golf cart derby at 3 p.m. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

And while I didn’t know then if Ted would be my main parade photo I figured it would be a contender in the final edit of parade photos. As it turned out, this was the lead photo of the parade photo coverage. While this photo is not of the parade itself, it works because it reflects the events of the day. It doesn’t hurt that Ted is wearing a Lions  Club vest; the Lions Club is the organizer of Sportsmens’ Days. Also, this photo was paired with a smaller photo from the parade to complete the package.

If I hadn’t gotten to the parade early I wouldn’t have met Ted and gotten my best photo from the parade.

So, it does pay to go early and stay late(r).

–Gordon King