Another Pleasant Surprise

Last summer I told the story of how I did a photo shoot of some kids in a fashion show, and what a treat it was to get such great shots of kids enjoying themselves. The facial expressions, especially, are incredible, and tell such wonderful stories (my grandkids have also given me some great shots - but I expect that of them!).  So when I pointed may camera at a young lad at the Canadians hockey game tonight, I should have known there was a special treat in store.

Between the second and third periods of the Carleton Place Canadians hockey games, one of the kids in the crowd gets a chance to stand at the blue line with three pucks to see if he can get one in a small opening in a piece of plywood covering the net – if he does, he wins some nice prizes and gets to be a hero in front of a cheering crowd. This is usually going on as I am heading out of the arena, so I’ve been stopping behind the net and taking a couple of photos. Tonight’s contestant was particularly cute and determined, and also in a hurry to get the job done. I didn’t have much of a chance to set up or think about the shot - he was ready to go so I started shooting. The picture here is the best of a number of great ones – he has just released his last shot, under the watchful eye of Ryan Lowe of the Canadians, and the determination is evident in his face. Ryan also has his eyes fixed on the puck, and, if it was possible, they are both clearly “willing” the puck into the net!  The full set is on ZoomPhoto at the end of the game photos.