There's not anything new to tell about youth group. I decided to look into the religion of Methodism and came across a solid understanding: God died for everyone so everyone is entitled to his grace, and this is practiced through the helping of the poor and the average person. Richard, the leader of youth group, asked me what my project was so I recited the title I gave it. If his response could be represented as a physical thing, it would be a brick wall because I didn't see it coming, it hit me full force and stopped me in my tracks. It really turned my project around and I think it's headed in a better direction. Richard's response, "There is none."
I followed Fred Araiza on an assignment as well. He photographed a 13 year old gunshot survivor near my neighborhood. Come to find out, he was in his backyard swinging on his swingset when he got shot. When we arrived at his house, he expressed that he loves to play video games and aspires to be a football player in high school. Fred took pictures of him playing video games and I merely observed because I was advised not to photograph. He was very casual and interactive with the boy and not at all stiff and rehearsed. He didn't chaotically move around getting shots; he moved little by little and it wasn't overwhelming. Lots of photos were taken, to my surprise, but I realized that he was allowed by the family to take photos so it mustn't have been too awkward. Fred was there to take photographs, meaning that he didn't really ask many questions about the incident or of anything personal. He asked about the video game he was playing and just about the game. One thing that did snap my attention was that he asked the boy to look at the camera, tilt his chin down and smile.
Wow, you've had an interesting week. I can't wait to see where your project goes next.
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