POTD 127 of 365

Today, I was able to lend my meager talents to a great cause.

A great friend and fellow photog has a niece with Cystic Fibrosis, and every year she participates in the Great Strides walk and fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Not fully understanding the nature of the walk (specifically, the walking part) I naively asked L if she'd like me to swing by and shoot her and the rest the walkers. At this point I was thinking that, since the walk was in Kirby Park, it would be around a track. I'd bring a nice long lens, a monopod, and maybe a chair. I figured I'd set up alongside the track, and get some portraits of the walkers.

She told me that she's been drafted as the official 'tog for the local CFF chapter, but, was gracious enough to invite me along anyway.

I never brought up the whole "track" thing.

So, for those of you out there who are unfamiliar with the concept, when a group like this gets together to walk, they walk.

A lot.

Everywhere.

For miles.

I knew my assumptions about the day were wrong when I pulled into the park at the same time as a group of walkers wearing Rainbow Walk shirts.

I said to myself "Oh." Just, that. Oh.

All of a sudden, my nice long lens looked more like a damn heavy lens. My walkabout lens looked like another damn heavy lens. The flash seemed like a damn heavy flash. The "good" digital body? Damn heavy. Even the monopod seemed damn heavy. Pack all that damn heavy gear onto a damn heavy photographer, toss in a few miles of hoofing it, and it adds up to a disaster. I consoled myself with the fact that I was in too much of a hurry on my way out the door to grab a chair. Why would you need a chair for a walk?

As it turned out, the walk portion of the day was scrubbed due to rain. Would I have kept up with the crowd? Hard to say. At least we got some good shots for the CF Foundation.



Right now, there are some really exciting developments on the CF front, but the realities of pharmaceutical research, trials, FDA approvals, and finally acceptance mean time and money, and lots of both. If you can help with either, I'd urge you to do so.