true Freedom

Ted Leader, Fairport, climbs across the ice breakwall during the 12th annual Polar Plunge at Charlotte Beach, Rochester, NY on February 12, 2012. Steve “Sully” Sullivan described the conditions as “Extreme” while Nick Cimino from Spencerport, NY, of the plunge team Frozen Nips of Fury says, “I’ve been doing this for 9 years now…the worse, the better.” Some 1,500 participants stamped, splashed, and scrambled through slushy water in support of the Special Olympics, raising over $250,000.

I photographed the polar plunge again today. I shot too much and thought too little-too many people with their eyes shut, too much of the same frame, and I didn’t look and wait, anticipate, then shoot moments.

Some of Griffin Moore’s work from today is nice, especially the detail of the feet. He surprised me, because I didn’t know he was there until I looked across during the plunge and saw him in the water. While I was wasting time being a “photographer” he was lurking, making good photos. It paid off. He posted a status this week on facebook, “The question is not what you look at but what you see.”

Wide, medium, tight, detail… Change focal lengths, look for moments and storytelling. Change height… The mantra is easy to say. The thinking is hard to do. Maybe had I worn a bit more, I could have held out for the last 100 or so participants, but my legs blocked up and I couldn’t feel my feet, so I got out of the water. My leg was actually entrapped up to the knee at one point, but I yanked it free after several hard pumps. Hockey photos to follow.