Rachel

Rachel

I encountered Rachel in a park playground in Chase, British Columbia, where I had stopped to stretch on the way to Moraine Lake in the Canadian Rockies, and was absolutely charmed by her impish smile and her unaffected ease with the camera bedecked visitor.

An irresistibly photogenic subject, she was playing under the watchful eye of her grandmother. After asking grandmother’s permission, I set about capturing Rachel on film. Well, really it was Rachel who made the photos – I just kept aiming and pressing the button ;-)

It was a case of necessity being mother of invention on this perfect autumn afternoon. My EOS-1 was wearing the
image-stabilized 75-300 mm lens, as I was hoping to nail some Canadian Pacific heavy diesels across the lake.
Fearing the moment might be fleeting for turning instead to little Rachel, I kept the "heavy artillery" in place.
What inspired me was Rachel's absolute unconcern at the big black somewhat noisy machine aimed
at her at fairly close range, as I was using the lens at its shortest setting. An EOS-1 with a motor drive booster
attached and a long zoom lens could be intimidating to some subjects - didn't faze Rachel one little bit ;-)

I do not recall Rachel saying very much as I clicked away. I think she just preferred to speak with her pretty blue eyes.

From a Fujichrome transparency.

©Steve Ember