Camera Lens Diplomacy

I had been happily snapping pictures for half an hour or so when I saw the Chief came over the hill. He did not appear to be smiling, in fact he appeared to be scowling. This did not bode well for me, as I did not know anyone at this scene and had no real right to be there.

I should have been paying more attention so I could have repositioned before he reached where I was, but it was too late for that so I continued shooting.

I was surprised to see, when he came into my viewfinder, that he was smiling. Maybe he thought I was from the media or maybe he just knew I was taking his picture and didn't want to be caught frowning. Regardless, I thought it amusing.

I was equally surprised when I snapped this picture a short while later.

He was taking pictures of his crews as they mopped up their portion of the fire. Later, I spoke with him for several minutes and explained to him who I was. It turned out that we had several acquaintances in common and I ended up sending him some of the better images.

It was a good opportunity for some camera lens diplomacy, hopefully he'll let me shoot one of his scenes again if the opportunity arises.

Thanks for reading,
Schmoe