On nice days, I often go to a small park behind my house in London, Ontario (Canada), to watch my son and his friends play in the jungle gym. I always take along an analog camera loaded with black and white film. It keeps me off my cell phone and forces me to be present with my son. I took up film photography in July 2022 after a life-changing cancer diagnosis. Many of my favorite photos have come from this park.
A few weeks ago, on an early spring evening, I noticed a young man playing basketball on the court next to the jungle gym. Usually, the court is quite busy, but on this evening, he was the only person around. He was practicing his shooting and ball-handling skills with intensity and was obviously a skilled player. There was something about his confidence and presence that struck me as exceptional.
I walked over and asked if I could take his portrait. He was a bit taken aback at the request, but then smiled and said, “Sure thing.” He held the basketball out in front of him, and I stepped forward and took the shot. After the click of the shutter, he turned away and started practicing again. There was no opportunity for a second shot.
The next day, I took the roll of film to get developed at my local studio. When I received the images, most were mundane, but the portrait of the basketball player immediately jumped out at me. A few weeks later, I saw the young man on the court again. I walked over and showed him the image of the scanned negative on my phone. He looked at me and said, “Not bad, man,” and then carried on.
What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
Kindness (towards the subject) and purpose (towards the craft)
If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or differently?
I would have moved six inches closer to the subject.
David Smith shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
David Smith, London, Ontario, Canada
Equipment and settings
Leica MP film camera, Summilux-M 50 f/1.4
Kodak T-Max 100 film.
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