Don't Know What Came Over Me!

Generally, other than friends and family, I have little reason or excuse to take people pictures.  So I don't know why I suddenly got the urge on our trip to Columbia, South Carolina to image strangers.  And not only strangers, but strangers taking pictures of others...  Seems weird, but I encountered the scene at left on our walk along a river path on the Congaree River.  I loved the combination of friend-with-a-camera on a walk and photo-op with Mom and Baby Boy.  Of course, Mom is trying to elicit a response from a distance, and Baby Boy, not too sure of things, sends a glance Mom's way...

So that is the picture that started it.  And once started, I couldn't stop!  It seemed suddenly that everyone was taking pictures of others, and as a trained observer, I got some sort of vicarious thrill by documenting it.  A few minutes later there were a couple friends down in the middle of the river taking pictures on a cell phone.   I particularly like their reflections and the fast shutter freezing the running water.  So once started, I figured I should set ground rules for running this photo theme.  My initial rule was that subject and photographer both have to be in the picture, and my picture should  be taken at the same time as the imaged photographer shoots.

Of course, rules are meant to be broken, in this case, right away as a few minutes later, this picture presented itself sans photographer.  Now don't forget we are in the South, which in my mind brings up cotillion balls and debutantes, or the assemblage could be the prom queen and her court.  In this case the photographer, or more likely, the assembled parents of the group were snapping away and I shot back at them after we passed.  I like the oblique grouping of this scene and the imagined stories of a world that I've NEVER been a part of...

The next day we went to the Riverbanks Botanical Gardens and Zoo and had a great time.  And again, more picture-takin' going on.  At left a pair of twins (they gotta be twins - who else dresses exactly alike?) documenting their day next to the flamingos, and at right, Mom takes a picture of some friends. 

So will this weird motivation continue?  It hasn't struck since the return from SC, but we rarely get into crowds like this.  Hmmm - Grand Canyon next week, RAGBRAI next month - we'll see if the mood strikes again!