The best picture I ever shot and why its story matters
By: Selman Razaq
Tags: Daughters, Storytelling, Fatherhood, Beach, Photography

I have often found myself in love with the sea and what lies close to her.

No, I do not count the waves until I lose count. Rather, I like being close to the sea, to listen to the sounds.

The sound of each wave after the other splashing on the sandy beach and coming to their timely demise.

The sound of the incessant breeze that looks to cool all that are in the way. The sounds of the children, playing games of their own in the sand.

The sounds of coconut palm leaves meddling, ever so slightly, into my thoughts.

The sounds of the birds, some of whom are travellers that have come a long way and have long ways to go. Others who reside nearby, and are only there in search of sustenance.

It was during one of these afternoon hours at the beach I heard a most pleasant sound. The giggle of a little girl, ecstatic and in excitement over her chance to spend some time with her father. I watched, from afar.

The father dressed the way local fishermen did. And he carried with him a small fishing net.

He had all the markings of a man who has spent his life working away. His hands looked worn out, with the scarred fingers of someone used to hard labour. His body, tired, perhaps as he had been there after an already long day of work. But there was excitement in his eyes, not unlike his little girl.

They walked past me trying to take pictures of some seagulls, and moved to a quiet part of the beach where their only company were the birds.

The father handed the daughter something, not a toy, but something that he brought to along to look for fish in the oncoming waves.

He began counting the knuckles on the traditional one-person fishing net. One by one, he held them in their hand, folding each section of the net after the other. The birds that were lingering got excited too, hoping the kindness of the little girl would help land them some food for them as well.

I could have waited a bit longer, for that perfect moment of when he finally throws the net into the water like a timeless artist that he is. I could have gotten closer and probably get better picture.

But I couldn’t. I would have been an unwelcome guest into their lives.

As I took this picture, I may have jumped the gun a little. Its surely not perfect in any sense of the word. But to me, this is special. The story that those few minutes told me of these people made this special.

And as long as the bond between a father and his child exists in this world, it will continue to be special.

We all have different things in life that leads us on. It could be riches beyond what we have now. It could be a long held dream. But I believe the most beautiful thing in the world, the best thing to be led by, is human connections. And the stories that it tells us.

People are always fascinating. Someone who lives a short walk away from where you live may be leading a life unrecognisable to you. Your next door neighbour may have lived an entirely different life to you. The friendly waitress at the restaurant may have her own amazing stories to tell. And the cashier at the grocery store may have their own reasons for not being very forthcoming

People, that you meet everyday, are each a goldmine of stories. Stories that can make you happy. Stories that can inspire, enlighten and disrupt us to our core.

I wish we could listen to more stories than we have.

I wish I could have asked that father and little girl about their story. I was hesitant then. I probably will be, even if this happened again today. And I would have only gotten this less than perfect picture.

But to this day, this remains the best picture I have ever shot. And I cannot ask for much more than that.