Behind the Curtain- finding the impactful photo

After planning, much of photojournalism is observing and reacting. But it's important that the observation be an active process.

A couple of months ago, Kane County held a memorial ceremony in Geneva to honor the more than 1,000 people from Kane who died from COVID-19 since the start of the global pandemic.

A number of local dignitaries were there to speak, all lined up and photo-ready with the old Kane County Courthouse as a backdrop. But my eyes, and camera, were trained on the crowd of about 40 in attendance. I was trying to discern who there might have felt the direct and painful impact of COVID, a task made more difficult because everyone there was understandably wearing masks.

Scanning the group, it appeared most were there merely out of a sense of empathy, which given the frigid temperatures was certainly noble, but didn't lend itself to a storytelling image of loss.

But I saw one family who appeared more visibly moved than the others by the words coming over the loudspeakers - a woman with a small boy, accompanied by another woman who I suspected was her mother. Each wiped away the occasional tear as they placed a tender hand on each other's shoulder. When someone started singing "Amazing Grace," I could see that the emotions were swelling and they turned and walked about 100 feet away down a sidewalk and embraced, tears coming down the daughter's cheeks.

I made a series of pictures from a distance, careful not to intrude on their private moment. Balancing the desire to be unobtrusive with the need to talk with them, I waited until they looked like they might leave to ask their names and what brought them there that day.

It turns out it wasn't just the words, but the location that made this such an emotional event for them.

Frank Giampoli, husband to Lori Giampoli and father to Danielle Macchia, died from COVID in December of 2020, before a vaccine was available, they said. Frank was an attorney who frequently tried cases in the very building that served as a backdrop for the ceremony.

They said the setting was "both horrible but perfect at the same time."

"For this to be at the courthouse, it's a sign from him that he's still with us," Macchia said. "We needed to come."

It would have been easy to keep the camera aimed toward the podium where "the action" was happening during the event, but the real story - and picture - was in the crowd. Giampoli and Macchia were kind enough to share their story with me, which helped us bring the impact of COVID down to a personal level for our readers.