Evidence of action

The brief for this exercise was to take one photograph of something that has happened. The suggestions given included ideas such as an object which has been broken or emptied, however as soon as I took this photograph, I knew it would be perfect for the job.

I showed the image to my children and their friends asking the question, ‘what has happened?’ Their responses varied from the girl getting her dress dirty, to having climbed a tree and hurt herself and my daughter who knows me too well suggested that the girl was forced to have her photo taken by me - as it turns out, my daughter was actually closest to the truth.

So what actually happened?

The answer to that is not quite known - we were in a small forest at the side of the wedding venue and the bridesmaids were all standing ready to have their photos taken. This little bridesmaid approached the scene and just before she reached her place, she stopped and burst into tears. Luckily, it was a short lived outburst and within a minute or two she was smiling and ready to pose.

Although I cannot be sure exactly what happened, it is obvious that something has happened. I used this shot as evidence of action as I feel that anyone who looks at the image will instantly have their own idea or story as to why the girl is crying. The pretty white dress and painted nails juxtaposed with the tears epitomise the rollercoaster of emotions involved in a wedding day, particularly in the eyes of a child.