How we told the visual story of a 5-year-old girl’s traumatic bus ride
This week’s top photo comes from Visual Journalist Candace Dane Chambers.
What makes this photo great
This week I covered multiple stories about the first week of school, and most were happy pieces featuring excited kids. But this story about a kindergartner left on a hot bus was heavier. On her first day, Zoe Fernandez was rushed to the hospital with a fever after a 90-minute bus ride without air conditioning or water. She thankfully stabilized quickly, and I visited the family a few days after the incident. Her mother, Sarah, was still shaken but welcomed me into their home to capture some images of their after-school routine. I spent some time chatting with Sarah and her girls, and then just observed their dynamic — waiting for quiet moments that captured their connection like this shot of Zoe lying in her mother’s lap as she reads. I appreciated the vulnerability and trust they offered me while telling their story.
How I got this shot
Shooting against a window can be difficult because you risk blown highlights and heavy shadow on your subject. But I used the light to create a rim effect that highlights both their faces nicely. I also did my best to fade into the background and not distract Zoe, which allowed me to capture this organic interaction between the two.
Technical details
Equipment: Canon EOS R5 with an EF 28-70mm f/2 L lens
19 more powerful photos from the Sun-Times photo staff:
Members of the Golden Knights Black Demonstration Team jump out of the plane in the skies above Chicago for the Chicago Air and Water Show on Sunday.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A member of the Golden Knights Black Demonstration Team looks out to the ground below from in the skies above Chicago for the Chicago Air and Water Show on Sunday.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds practice over the the Chicago Lakefront ahead of the Chicago Air and Water Show on Friday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds practice over the the Chicago lakefront ahead of the Chicago Air and Water Show on Friday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole, players and coaches perform for a sold-out crowd before a Banana Ball game against the Firefighters at Rate Field on Aug. 16.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Savannah Bananas fans cheer as the team performs for a sold-out crowd before a Banana Ball game against the Firefighters at Rate Field on Aug. 16.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
On Tuesday, Yuriria Buenrostro shows the area where damaged carpet squares were removed after flooding at her Gage Park home. Flooding from major storms affected several residents in the neighborhood.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Kevin King, Sharvan Raghuram and Nick Litman with the Kevin King Ragime perform during a group rehearsal at one of the band members apartments on Wednesday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Cristina Zauttero holds a figure of Chicago Cub Ryne Sandberg that she’s had since she was a teenager during the streaming of Sandberg’s funeral services Friday at Gallagher Way outside of Wrigley Field. Sandberg, 65, died after battling metastatic prostate cancer.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Tim McIlrath, lead vocalist, and Joe Principe bass guitarist of Rise Against stand together on the balcony at the Chicago Public Media offices at Navy Pie on Thursday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
A bolt of lightning strikes the downtown area as a storm passes through the Chicago area on Monday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
People cross South Wabash Avenue in The Loop, as a storm passes through the Chicago area on Monday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Parents pick up their children after the first day of school at Sawyer Elementary School at 5247 S. Spaulding Ave. in Gage Park on Monday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times columnists Lee Bey and Neil Steinberg host the first Sun-Times Roast of the Chicago Skyline architectural boat tour on Thursday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Workers board up windows in the lobby of an apartment building at 3950 N. Lake Shore Drive on Aug. 15. These windows were shattered during the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds afternoon practice ahead of the Chicago Air and Water Show.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The Man in Bean Coalition creates a circle as it begins to rain during a rally at the Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Millennium Park on Monday. The Man in Bean Coalition is a satire group that claims Kapoor, the British sculptor, “stole a baby and put that baby inside of The Bean” when he created the artwork two decades ago.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Angel Santiago holds Bam Bam, his 14-year-old tan and white dachshund, at his home in Logan Square on Thursday. Bam Bam had been missing since the June 5 when he was taken by unknown individuals from his yard during a late night walk.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Bilingual Editor Antonio Diaz Olivia, Media Relations Director Manuel Venegas and Family Programs Manager Alicia Sandoval Vadillo at the Streeterville museum.
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