Kids Bathing and Playing in the River - a Photo Essay

"Yeppy, look Tina, today those jackals are nowhere around!"

Kids splashing water in a river in the name of bathing make excellent subject for candid photography. But to keep the composition look spontaneous and lively you shouldn't make them aware of your presence with the camera. Sometimes a camera may boost up their spirits of playing too, gifting you with more heroic stunts, but, that you should expect only from boys, more so when you're a male photographer. Children get gender apprehensive by the age of around 5 years, so doesn't matter how much fatherly or brotherly a man you're, girls playing in the river are bound to shy away if they note you with a camera aiming at them!

"Yes Olive, I told you right they won't turn up before the midday train whistles"

So, there are two ways of photographing little girls bathing in the river. Either stay at a considerable distance and use the telephoto (zoom) end of your lens or, keep a woman beside you which will make your subjects feel comfortable. Second option, although hard to follow if you're traveling solo, gives you better results. Just note the stiffness in my subjects in the third photograph (below) as they came to know of my shooting. So, to avoid them leaving their fun play in the middle keep yourself invisible.

"Hurry up, we must make it before mom returns"

All these captions I've added below each photograph are fictional, for the sake of weaving a photo essay. By the way, how many of you capitalized those golden days of your childhood by playing in your village river or pond? Sadly I didn't have such scopes, so, it'll be nice hearing 'Yes' from at least some of you. Happy bathing my friends :-)

"You nigger, it's only for you we missed them today! You got to pay for it"