I was in Lamont Tuesday night to photograph the woman in my story on community organizing. There were a lot of people playing in the park outside the buiding where the meeting was, so after I had taken plenty of pictures I went outside to check it out.

These guys were having a great time playing basketball. I heard the next day that this was the first time in a while that this park, San Diego, had the bball hoops and nets up on the court. Usually people go to other parks around town, I guess.

I took the pictures thinking I'd submit it that evening for just a standalone picture in the paper, but even though I was back to the paper in time to submit something before deadline, they weren't as good as I hoped. So here it is on the blog instead. I even got ALL of their names. There must have been 15 guys playing.

I love the potential for spontaneous photography in the paper. Most often we photograph planned assignments, but I'm learning that it is just as important, if not more, to capture those moments that you didn't plan for. I'm working on getting better at flipping a u-turn or pulling to the side of the road if I see something interesting. Sometimes you don't have time to stop, but often those spontaneous stops for a picture don't take much time and are worth the effort.

-Amy