Boy Blue

He is the most optimistic person in the world.  At least at that moment -- when all that are in his mind are ice cream, candies and cute puppies.

There is something about a boy dressed in blue.  Ever noticed a lot of paintings have been made depicting the Blue Boy?  This could well be my version.

Street photography is 90% candid but once in a while that 10% or less are unavoidable.  In my experience, when people on the street see I'm taking their picture their reaction is they just move away or ignore me.  This is not the case in other countries.  In the countryside of the Philippines, most people will actually stop and pose when they realize they are being shot.  That is fine but I usually want to capture candid shots.  I heard this is the same situation in some parts of India.  People will stare at the camera when they find out that their picture is being taken.

I've noticed this same reaction with children.  A young boy or girl sees me taking their picture, and the look at the camera is filled with fascination.  Perhaps, early on they have been conditioned to respond to the camera this way.  Parents would coax their children to always smile for the camera.  Later in life, children obviously grow and so goes away this kind of reaction.  The boy in blue is a case in point.  Notice his older siblings.  They are focused somewhere else.  After they saw my camera, they just turned away.  Not so with Boy Blue.  This is a less candid moment that I don't mind.  I hope he doesn't grow up.  I like him this way.

Happy Thursday.