A Thousand Small Sparrows by Jeff Leeland

Author:Jeff Leeland [Leeland, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-56180-0
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2013-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN DO

One of the best parts of photographing any Sparrow child, Kevin said, is getting connected. Kevin’s philosophy of taking pictures is to lay down any pretense and get rid of any barriers.

“It looks pretty silly sometimes,” Kevin said. “I get down on the floor and play with kids, chat about what they’re doing, make them feel comfortable in their world.”

One little boy’s photo shoot came right around Christmas. Kevin got down on the floor with him by the tree and played with train sets and cars, taking pictures as they played. When Kevin got ready to leave, the little boy wasn’t finished yet. He ran back to his bedroom and grabbed more toys.

“I like that other boy,” the child said, pointing at Kevin. “He’s fun to play with!”

A connection can also be hard to make. For one shoot, Kevin drove ninety minutes in a blizzard. A teenage mom was living with some friends in a run-down neighborhood. Her daughter, about two, was paralyzed. The father had taken off. It was a bleak situation, Kevin said.

“The child was just lying on the couch—it was hard to get her to smile, hard to get any reaction at all,” Kevin said. “The mom was calm, very nice. She eventually held the child on her lap, and we got some good shots, but I felt so helpless. It was like, ‘What will become of them?’ There wasn’t a whole lot anybody could do.”

How does Kevin resolve times like that within himself?

“My purpose in taking pictures for Sparrow is to have people look at them and be inspired to get involved,” Kevin said. “I want to move people to action. Everyone has something they’re able to give. Get involved. How powerful it is in your own life to give back and help others.”

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