My individual story is a great opportunity only half accomplished.

Gerry Dumas, father of Dr. Nick Dumas

 (PHO245/Aaron Gonya)

     At the end of every semester I tend to reflect on all the opportunities that I missed. Now don’t get me wrong, I have put a hundred percent into every class I took this spring. I drove hundreds of miles and took thousands of pictures.  I have to be satisfied that I did all that I reasonably could under the circumstances.  But I’m not. I have spent the last two weeks thinking about what I could have done better, how I could have handled things differently, and wishing I had spent more time chasing down good ideas.    

    I had my individual project for this class handed to me on a figurative silver platter, Gerry Dumas, a local HVAC contractor, was the only spectator watching team Red take on Black at the Tam-O'-Shanter in Sylvania. Gerry yelled down to ask me whom I was shooting for, and we ended up talking for nearly an hour.  Gerry is an interesting character, from talking to him I could tell that he is a man of deep convictions, articulate, never at a loss for words and one very proud father.  Gerry's son Nick is a player on team Red and a successful local chiropractor. Nick is an energetic player, always in the heat of the action,  On a couple of occasions in the penalty box, I had an awesome human interest story delivered and ready to assemble.  

 Nick Dumas, in the penalty box

    Thankfully, I had the foresight to set the Canon 7D down on my coat, point it up towards Gerry and start recording video. That much I did correctly.
     Oh, I started off on the right foot, following the Sylvania senior hockey league for the next several weeks. The night I met Gerry I got about 10 minutes of decent background audio of him talking about his son. I took hundreds of pictures. (too many)  I knew that I’d be able to go back and get clean audio, detail shots, and good portraits of my subjects. As well as background images to give it some flavor.  Red team dutifully skated it’s way all the way to the championship, emerging victorious if unheralded.  Sure, I’d have time to flesh it out just a bit more.  I didn’t go out after a second story when I had time, thinking I had it wrapped up. 

     

Nick Dumas works past a white team defenseman.

    But I didn’t, our busy schedules combined with my reluctance to inconvenience people  I don’t really know, kept me from getting the rest of my story, and by then it was too late to start over.  I had to go with something that, in my mind, is half finished. I made too many images, creating for myself an editing nightmare

      The story is great, devoted father guiding his son through life, bonded through their mutual love of hockey, could have been great.  It had great characters, great stories, great background.  It’s heartwarming and positive, and it’s half done.               
       If I’m ever in this situation again, I’ll push, plead and beg for fifteen minutes I needed to get the rest of the material. I learned a valuable lesson.