DRAWING US IN

Answering the age-old question, can photojournalists fly? Conclusion ... only momentarily, and even then it ain't a pretty sight. (© Colleen Osler/Mark Osler Photography)

My daughter caught this moment of grace while we were on vacation at my dad’s house in Eastern Long Island (that’s yours truly, mid-dismount). 

I saw Colleen had grabbed my camera during my athletic exhibition, so when I climbed back aboard my brother’s boat I asked if she'd gotten anything good. 

“Yeah … and I think I got a good one of you falling,” she said. 

A GREAT one, I’d say - in moment, light, and composition! In fact, what would you change? Board is askew. Wake is churning. Water is flying Action caught at peak moment. Fun expression. And you have to love the ski line! Even the sense of place.

It’s a complete photograph that will be enjoyed indefinitely because it transcends the mechanics of photography and brings you in to the moment itself. 

Are there more flattering shots of me shredding it on my aircraft-carrier-sized board? Yes (but barely). But they all pale by comparison because they would elicit little from anyone who isn’t immediately interested in a photograph of me wake surfing - in spite of the massive audience that likely is. ;-)

Was it a lucky shot? Most great action shots are. The more important question is “was it deliberate?” And that answer is clearly yes!

It was fun watching Colleen take an interest in photography during our trip. With all the tech out there these days that REMOVES people from the moment, the act of photography remains something that draws us IN to the moment. For me, that is one of the greatest gifts photography offers us all.