Page 6 of Building Courage
“I will.”
“What kind of work are you doing today?” she asked.
“I’m actually going to take shots of children in the park for an ad. I’ve already lined up the kids. They’ll be there in an hour.”
“You could be doing so much better working for us.”
“I like my independence, Natalie. When I want to disappear for a week with my camera, I don’t want to ask for permission. As long as I freelance, I can sell my photos as I please.”
“I get that. I was a freelance writer for a long time before taking this job as chief editor for Living Large. Once I had my daughter, I needed a steadier income, so I sold out and signed on the dotted line.”
Surprised, Brynn paused to take that in, then nodded. “I get that, too.”
Natalie’s quick smile surprised her. “I may not be riding the rocket anymore, but I remember how it felt. You’re the best photographer I’ve ever worked with. I want the best for the magazine.”
She understood where Natalie was coming from. Her passion had shifted from writing to making the magazine as good as she possibly could. “I’ll keep doing jobs for you, but I’m not ready to sign an exclusive contract with anyone.”
“I’ll be waiting for when you are.”
Brynn chuckled and shook her head. “Later.”
“Call me—soon.”
“I will.” After she’d talked to the scuba instructor or met with him. SEAL or not, she wasn’t putting her life in just anyone’s hands. She’d done that once….
When she arrived, the park was nearly empty. She scanned the area for early arrivals, but not seeing any, she studied the interesting shapes created by the playground equipment. Though she’d already scoped out the area, she wandered around looking for visual opportunities she might have overlooked.
She made a mental note of areas where she could group kids and show off the versatility of the clothing supplied by the marketing team from the store.
A young mother held a toddler’s hand while they crossed the dew-damp grass, heading to one of the large sandy areas. The child, a boy dressed in shorts and a striped tee, gripped the handle of a bright red bucket in a tight fist, a plastic shovel rattling around in it with his every step.
Brynn snapped a couple of quick pictures of the two, testing the light. When she looked at the digital view screen on the back of the camera, she decided she’d chosen the right time of day and hoped no one would be late.
Ten minutes later, parents and children began to arrive. She went into work mode, hoping to finish the pictures before the children became restless. “All right, guys, gather around.” It was mostly kids and mothers, though a couple of Dads clustered around her.
“If you all cooperate, we’ll get this done quickly, and Mom or Dad can take you out for ice cream, my treat.” She whipped out gift cards to a local ice cream parlor close by and passed them out to the parents. “Okay, I’m going to send you three at a time to different parts of the park with your mom or dad. You can play until I call you to get in position for your picture to be taken.”
“What if they get dirty?” The blonde woman who spoke was in her late twenties and had two children about eighteen months apart. One was four and the other two and a half.
“This ad is about the durability of the clothing as well as the fit. A few smudges will be fine as long as they don’t go overboard.”
“Will we get to see the photos before they’re published?” another asked.
“I’ll send out a notice about publication. And you’ll have the option to purchase any photos of your child that aren’t used for the campaign.” That seemed to please the parents. “I’ll be working quickly to capture the clothing as well as the kids so they don’t get too bored.”
She whipped out her schedule, read off the first three names, the youngest of the crop, and sent them to the sandbox and swings. She’d photograph the youngest first.
The second group went to the jungle gym and monkey bars, and the third to the spider-web-like climbing area for older children. That area was designed more like an obstacle course than a playground, which could work for the clothing and the kids.
Brynn reached behind her into the camera bag secured against the small of her back for a lens and secured it onto the camera hanging from the strap around her neck. She strode toward the sandbox and swings where the younger children played.
Five-year-old Sally leaned back against the forward momentum and reached for the sky as the swing carried her high. Brynn squatted on the ground to follow the movement and captured the image of her small feet encased in bright red tennis shoes against a cloudless blue sky. She caught the flow of her shirt and shorts in the wind next, but also the grin on the child’s face.
She fell into her work mode, snapping pictures quickly, posing the kids if she needed to, but for the most part, she captured them as they played.
There was a skill to capturing an image that said more than this is a pretty picture. There was action and movement, color and light. The light said it all, giving the image a crisp, dramatic feel of clarity that played up the shadows. That’s what she looked for.
She photographed the next child, Kara, in the sandbox, her expression intent as she filled her shoe with the sand. When her father would have approached to empty it and put it back on, Brynn waved him off and circled, capturing Kara’s bowed head and intent expression along with the sand-dusted shorts and brightly flowered top. Kara was having fun and was unconcerned about the sand in her shoe.