I am not a tall person, not very short, but just short enough that I look ridiculous jumping for items that sit on the top shelf in a supermarket. I also tend to have a difficult time at standing room only concerts in which I find myself wanting to tackle all the tall people standing in the front row and ask them “WHY MUST I BE FORCED TO STARE AT THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD? YOU’RE TALL, MOVE BACK A ROW.” The caps were necessary because this has happened more than once, and don’t doubt my ability to tackle a person, I’m feisty.
Despite these “short-comings” being on the smaller side doesn’t really bother me. Even being a photographer I have found ways to work around it. When everyone goes up, I crouch down. When everyone groups together, I bend down and pop on the other side to get in front. I found that it has made my style, a bit more sneaky. But the one thing, THE ONE THING I can’t seem to get is a classic “hail marry” picture.
A definition is necessary: “Hail Mary photo is one you shoot with the camera extended out away from your body, usually up high, but sometimes out at the side, because you’re either blocked or obstructed from a more normal approach, or in some cases, because the angle you actually want is higher up and the situation does not allow you to physically raise yourself up. Usually, it’s because fans, police, or other photographers are in your way, depending upon the event you are shooting.”
Basically I find myself often blocked by people, or just plain unable to see over their tallness to get the picture, so I try to take a hail mary photograph. Problem is it seems that no matter how hard I try my hail marys come out terrible. They are usually tilted violently to one side, even though I swore I was holding it straight. I usually over exaggerate the tilt so that the frame cuts out subjects heads, and somehow I manage to make it blurry.
So here is my latest attempt…
Although it is a sorry excuse, I will not give up. One day I will get my hail marry photograph and it will be a beautiful moment. dammit.
