Sometimes as a photographer you are lucky enough to cover a story with a really great message. The assignment that I received for the Colemans was for a column about love stories for the Miami Herald. The Coleman's will be married for 44 years on May 4th after meeting as toddlers in 1948. Rose Coleman, left and her husband William Coleman sit in front of their wall filled with pictures of children and grandchildren at their home in South Miami. The couple's love and respect for each other was a beautiful thing to witness, and left me feeling hopeful about true love and marriage.
The special Olympics is another great story that I was able to shoot. It was amazing for me to see a community come together for such an important event. Sidney Goldblumm, is cheered on by volunteers as he crosses the finish line during the 10 meter walk activity at the Special Olympics Miami-Dade County Summer Games at the FIU North Campus Sunday, March 3, 2007.
Dr. Joseph W. Underwood, far right, is Miami Senior High's TV and movie-making teacher. This was another great story that I covered. It took place a few days after the terrible tragedy that took place at Virginia Tech. In this picture is the moment when Underwood was announced that he'll be inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame during a surprise ceremony that took place in his classroom at Miami Senior High School Thursday morning. It was such a positive contrast to the school shooting in Virginia. It was really refreshing to get my mind of the bad news taking place in the country, and concentrating on this great moment for a great teacher.
People have so many wonderful stories to share. It is such a shame that most stories read or seen are negative. I covered a story about an art teacher/ after school chess coach, Webber J. Charles, of Edison Park Elementary School located in Miami, Florida. This art teacher took a generation of inner city kids and kept them off the streets by teaching them the game of chess. The kids were so excited to play, and to learn new moves. Even Charles mentioned to me that he couldn't believe how good these kids really were at playing chess. "They kick my butt sometimes," he said. In the pictures above Webber J. Charles, right, watches his student Joanne Pierre, 11, make her next game move during an after school chess practice at Edison Park Elementary School Thursday afternoon. In the picture below, Milton Canton, 11, practices his chess moves.
