CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
A few days before the Christmas 2006 my family and I were in Durban for two days. We were on our way down to the Wild Coast and needed to pick up supplies for the remainder of our trip. I did not want to leave my camera in the vehicle so while my wife and kids went into the supermarket I walked around the shopping centre. I spotted four children sitting on a bench waiting for their parents. The bench next to them was empty. Right in front of them was a water fountain, ordained in Christmas decoration. I was trying to capture their enthusiasm spurred on by the mood of the festive season. In order to distract attention I sat down on an opposite bench and placed my camera next to me simply pointing my lens in the general direction of the kids. Gradually a couple came and sat down on the left hand side bench. I moved back to include them into the shot but this left a huge gap in the composition. A few minutes later, as if conducted by a director, two more people came in and filled the gap completing the composition. Then, in a matter of pure blessing, the fountains came to life and the children responded on queue and I only managed to get off one shot. I find the juxtaposition between the mood of the children and the glumness of the adults very interesting. In a way this really sums up Christmas. It’s a time that children are expectant of receiving gifts from those who extend their credit cards to do so.