Reach Out and Read

I finished an assignment for Reach Out and Read (http://www.reachoutandread.org/) last week. These folks do good work. They give books to kids. And they do it through the medical community, specifically the pediatricians caring for these kids. It is a simple yet brilliant concept, get the docs to give the kids books while in the exam room, usually with mom, or occasionally dad, nearby. The docs read to them a bit, simple and laugh and the kids get excited. What I witnessed was inspiring. Kids from six months to five years old clamoring for a seat on the docs lap, book in hand, mom smiling, everyone happy.
The Reach Out and Read website states:

Doctors and nurses know that growing up healthy means growing up with books. The ROR program provides the tools to help promote children's developmental skills and later school success.




I grew up with books. They still are an important part of my life. I have a friend who told me once that he is most in the flow when reading or, in his case, on top of a mountain (he’s summitted Everest and K2). I know what he means. Reading and, for me, traveling are life defining activities. So kudos to Reach Out and Read. They do profound work. It is easy to overlook in a world where children starve, or war rages, or parents are lost to disease, that children not so easily identified as “at risk” are also in need. A book can be a profound thing. A love of reading is like no other love. I was glad to be of service to these folks and the kids they serve.

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On the technical side of things, I shot this project with the usual equipment: two Leica M8s one fitted with a Summilux 35mm f1.4 and the other with an Elmarit 28mm f2.8. I spent day one and day two in clinics and doctors offices, small tight spaces. Day three was outside and in homes. I shot in RAW, of course, and used Phase One Capture One for raw conversion. I don't use flash and anticipated that I'd encounter low-light conditions, so I brought along a ProMaster 48" dia collapsible reflector to bounce some light back into the faces of my subjects.