My weekly newspaper Scene on the Street photo is being replaced by a new Scene Through the Lens column. Each week from now on, I will be visually exploring the situations, circumstance and happenstance I encounter in the pursuit of pictures for the daily newspaper - and talking about them. One or two photos will run on page 2 of the Inquirer's local section every Wednesday, and I will post more photos - and invite your comments - here on my blog.
Today I covered my third election in New Jersey since the beginning of the year.
A lot of what newspaper photographers shoot is the same scene over and over - a Ground Hog Day of news conferences, business portraits and weather photos. The voters of New Jersey can't be blamed for feeling the same way, today's primary being their fourth or fifth election since the beginning of the year.
Approaching the poll entrance at Cherry Hill High School West, I noticed the handwritten signs on the door, and the reflected American flag. I tried to look at it all from a different perspective as well, shooting the same voter sign and American flag from both inside -and outside the window.
I really didn't want to just keep shooting the same photos all over again. I remember during the presidential primary in February trying to find a list somewhere of all the polling places in Camden County, but each municipality had a different way of listing them - not all in one place.
Today, as then, I ended up driving, past schools, churches, libraries and firehouses looking for American flags that looked either brand new, or flying from poles that didn't appear permanent. I found it surprising easy to spot them - even with the proliferation and popularity of American flags since September 11. Like the one here outside Haddonfield Middle School. When I showed up in the morning with reporter Sam Wood to interview voters, it was planted at an angle right next to a sidewalk, almost as if dipped.
I waited for someone to walk under it, but there were even fewer pedestrians than voters, and Maureen Dodson was the only person so pass, with her dog Ruby - but she walked around the flag. So I made a mental note to return when school let out, figuring the kids would have no qualms about walking under it.
Speaking of elections, watching both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on television tonight I couldn't help but think about New Jersey moving its presidential primary up to February. If they'd left it alone, both candidates would be finishing up their primary campaigns here today instead of in South Dakota and Montana.
So now the signs in the Haddonfield front yard of Mike and Carol Harkins tell the story of our next election - the big one in November.
