How we photographed a sleeping child in the middle of a May Day protest march
This week’s top photo comes from Photojournalist and Photo Desk Editor Ashlee Rezin. Follow her on X and Instagram.
What makes this photo great?
It seems toddlers can sleep anywhere, at any time, even while thousands of people are marching through the Loop in a protest. Cute 3-year-old kids make my job easy, sometimes.
How did you get this shot?
Itze’s mom was one of about a dozen Aztec dancers performing throughout the day Thursday as thousands marched from Union Park to a rally in Grant Park to commemorate May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day.
After backpedaling for a minute, making frames of the dancers, I stopped and let the group move past me. During protest marches or parades, I will occasionally stand in one spot and let the crowd move by, watching for anything near the back of the group that I may have missed. Once I was satisfied, I started moving with the protesters again, picking up my pace so I could get back to the front.
When I came up behind the Aztec dancers, I noticed this little guy sound asleep in a wagon in the middle of everything. His mom stopped dancing nearby and started laughing when she saw me taking the photo, while her friend continued to pull the wagon. I introduced myself, and we chatted for a minute as we walked.
It was a happy, quiet moment — a lovely reprieve for me — in the middle of a long, frenetic day.
Technical details:
Equipment: Canon EOS R5 with an RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM lens
Focal length: 24mm
Aperture: f/4
Exposure: 1/2000
ISO: 1600
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