This is a recurring column by Daily Item Creative Director Spenser Hasak, featuring and discussing his favorite photos of the month.
Well, we are firmly in spring now, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. We keep getting glimpses of warmth that are then washed away by dreary, rainy days. I suppose I shouldn’t complain because soon enough it’ll be 100° and I’ll be missing the cool weather. Anyway, we’ve had some nice days and I certainly tried to make the best of them while out photographing. Here are my favorite pics from the month of April:
1) Spring sports mean I get to be outside in nice light and (hopefully) nice weather, so I always look forward to the start of the season. Baseball and softball can result in some great images, but they’re sports I’ve always struggled to photograph. I never feel like I’m in the right spot, the action happens in the blink of an eye, and it’s very hard to predict where that action is going to take place. Sure, I can make educated guesses, but there is so much randomness involved (at least for me). But after years of experience, I’m getting better at predicting. In this frame, I just happened to have my 300mm pointed in the perfect spot. I tend to shoot with both eyes open, one looking through the viewfinder and the other scanning the peripherals for action unfolding around what I’m looking at. I began to wince as I watched one fielder become two fielders become three fielders in my viewfinder and was convinced I was about to photograph a nasty collision. But luckily for Lynn Tech’s Jayla Antione, Aleena Acosta, and Keila McGreggor, no such collision occurred, and Antione snagged the flyball.
2) I’m a sucker for a historic story and when reporter Erin Hickey told me Her Majesty the Queen was coming to Swampscott I immediately got excited. And when Sheryl Faye emerged from behind the projector screen in her crown and other ceremonial wear, I knew I was in for a good show. Faye took the crowd gathered at Swampscott Senior Center through a journey of the Queen’s life, making a dozen costume changes in the process and never breaking the narrative. It was an incredible performance to cover, with a ton of photos I enjoyed. But as I went through my take, I kept coming back to this first frame I took of her. The lighting was perfect and her outfit popped off the dark background behind her. I felt this image captured the effort Faye puts into her performances and it certainly made for an eye-catching front-page photo.
3) As mentioned above, I love history, particularly when it’s played out in front of me. Period-correct clothing pulls me into the timeframe and thus pulls the reader into the timeframe. I’ve covered Peabody’s Patriots Day ceremony a few times over the years and covered the members of Glover’s Marblehead Regiment countless times, so I’ve learned my way around photographing musket fire. I’ll admit, it’s an image I go for every time I encounter Revolutionary War reenactors, but it always results in an interesting image. I’ve gotten good at guessing the exposure for a burst of flame when the pan flashes on a musket, and then it’s a matter of honing in on a reenactor whose musket is throwing off the most light. The experience, combined with some good timing, resulted in the image of Danvers Alarm List Company member Donald Hayes.
4) I often think that I should have been a doctor or gone into the scientific field, because I’m always fascinated. I watch my blood being drawn and ask questions about everything. I’m curious about life, which I suppose is why I love photojournalism so much. I had the privilege of photographing Peabody High teacher Ryan Slater’s biotech class as they learned how to edit genes. I could not believe this was a high school class; it seemed so advanced, but what struck me the most was how engaged the students were throughout the entire experiment process. I don’t know much about the scientific world, but I really felt like I was in a fully-functioning professional lab. For me, the telling image was how focused the students were on properly doing the experiment, and I felt this photo of Alana Rosa really captured that intense focus.
5) Last, but certainly not least, I spent the morning with Northeast Arc and a group of St. Mary’s students who took time out of their school vacation week to help children with autism learn to ride their bikes. It warmed my heart (which is still thawing from the winter) to see these students guiding the kids around the track. There was no shortage of smiles and words of encouragement floating through the air. My favorite image of the day came when I noticed Lexie Trahant sitting on the ground and holding out her hand for a high-five from Eoghan Lawless as he rode toward her. It was all the encouragement he needed to make it to her on his own and it was such a sweet moment to be able to document.
