Same Place — Different View, Spain ’10, Festival

Before we begin, have you all checked your cameras to make sure the date and time are correct? My camera has a setting that allows Daylight Savings to be turned on. Yours may, too, so look under Settings.

We heard that there was going to be a festival in Ronda. Really, more of a religious procession.

We were never able to get a good explanation, but apparently, this is a yearly event. All the eligible children, probably 12 or 13 years old, get dressed up for their first communion. They parade through the streets of the city, giggling and laughing and trying to pretend they are all grown up.

The girls wear long, white dresses; the boys look unusually pristine in their white or dark suits, hair tamed for the grand occasion. The Mayor leads the crowds and makes speeches at various corners and plazas. Parents proudly look on.

I talked to one of the policemen who let me know which turn the procession would take next. That way, our group could stay ahead of the crowds. We showed our participants how to weave in and out and position ourselves for the shots we wanted. By observing and anticipating, we left as little as possible to chance.

There were three little girls who were obviously inseparable. Best friends forever.

Unbeknownst to each other, Arnie and I made a lot of photographs of them. One of the girls was rather grown-up looking and a bit shy, another quite the ham, and the third, very sweet looking. Their dresses were beautiful, some of the finest we saw that day. With ruching and pleats, flowers and brocade, and tiaras all around, it was obvious that the parents went all out on their daughters’ special attire. After all, this was the only time their children would take such an active part in this special celebration.

For these four photographs, Arnie and I observed what was happening, and decided what it was we wanted to feature.

It was usually an exercise in patience. At other times, it was a matter of moving a bit to the right or left to isolate our subject.

Another technique we often use is to put ourselves in a place where something is likely to happen. We watch patterns of behavior that usually repeat themselves. It might be two of the friends holding hands.

We talked to the girls. They were so proud of their lovely dresses that they wanted to show them off. That helped us.

And again, sometimes, you just wait for one of the girls to turn at just the right angle for a close-up detail of her dress.

Even if you cannot speak the language, you can still communicate with your subjects. It might be a gesture that can be mimicked. Perhaps a twinkle in your eye brings a giggle or smile to your subject. Whatever it is, you need to engage with the people you are photographing. Otherwise, your images will be static.

And you cannot be afraid to get close if you want to get the shot. That’s what the foot zoom is for. A telephoto may appear to get you close, but there is no connection with your subject that way.

In these four examples, Arnie and I used focal lengths between 35mm and 60mm. It’s long enough to not distort, but close enough to get the detail we wanted.

We walked around our subjects, dodging doting parents wanting to get their own photographs as well as other children. By staying with a section of the crowd for awhile, we got to know our subjects a little bit. In turn, they became quite comfortable with us and played to the camera.

So, the next time you are at a festival or parade, keep these tips in mind so you can get the shots you want.

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