Standing at the crosswalk amidst the organized chaos of moving boxes and mini fridges, I watched as incoming freshmen unloaded their personal belongings out of minivans and SUVs and carried them into rooms comparable in size to the vehicles in which they had just arrived.
University President Dave Frohnmayer lingered near the crosswalk as well, looking for someone he could lend a hand to. A shaggy-haired student in a baseball hat walked up the sidewalk carrying a pair of large boxes, and Frohnmayer introduced himself, took one of the boxes off of his hands and followed the student to his residence hall room. I took a picture of the two walking toward the Hamilton complex together, but not wanting to interfere, I failed to get the student’s name.
As a new photographer on one of my first assignments, I was having trouble getting over the awkward feeling of invading people’s privacy and asking for their names so that their photo could be used in the paper. Because Frohnmayer and the student had disappeared inside the Hamilton Complex before I could get the student’s name, the photo would be unusable. I began looking for someone else to photograph, when out of the corner of my eye I saw the back of the shaggy-haired student’s head as he walked away.
Recognizing a second chance, I walked after the student as quickly as I could without breaking into a run that would make me stand out any more than the huge camera hanging around my neck already did.
I finally caught up with the student at his car and introduced myself and explained why I wanted his name. As he introduced himself as Wesley, a pair of boxes jumped out of his hands and spilled part of his extensive hat collection on the ground. After the hats were recovered, I helped him carry a load to his room.
I discovered that once I got over my initial lack of confidence and started a conversation with him about his Montana hometown, I no longer felt like my camera was invading his privacy and I was able to get much better shots. So I am learning that having confidence and a friendly personality is an indispensable aid in
becoming a good photographer.