There are thousands of books written about the technique involved in how to take a particular photograph. And there are hundreds of workshops given every year by photographers explaining how they do what they do. But I've found that the best way to get good pictures is to be observant and have the right lens on my camera. That may seem simple, but it's really true. Great pictures aren't made, they are found (unless you are a studio photographer, of course!)
In this instance, I was sitting in my car at a stoplight in Marietta, Georgia. It was 1980 and I had just graduated college and was working for a small daily paper. I was on my way to an assignment and had to go through the town square to get there. I had noticed Tommy's Deli and their throw-back looking sign a few times in passing. As I sat, waiting for the light to turn green, I looked over and saw these two gentlemen talking and sharing a laugh. I didn't have long to shoot as the light was about to change and there were cars behind me. I grabbed my camera - which luckily had a long lens on it - and shot a few frames.
It's now 30 years later and this remains one of my favorite photographs. It's not because I shot it while sitting in my car, but rather because it has always symbolized racial harmony to me. Marietta, Georgia is a southern town with a racial history that hasn't always been kind. But to see these two men, enjoying a laugh and sharing a human moment, continues to give me hope that one day, the world might be able to find what they have. Sometimes getting stopped at a red light is worth the wait.
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