Behind The shot With Shane Guidaboni

One photographer. One image. The story behind the shot.

I took this photo in June of 2015 in Brookline, Massachusetts while riding the 66 bus back toward Allston. I had only been seriously practicing photography for a short time, and I was still learning how to notice quiet moments around me.

I sat down for the short ride when I noticed this mother and her two daughters directly across from me. The mother was clearly exhausted, getting in a quick nap during the ride. One daughter was completely asleep across her lap with a pacifier still in her mouth, while the other stayed wide awake, using the opportunity to rummage through her mother’s purse. The soft afternoon light coming through the bus windows seemed to isolate the three of them.

What stayed with me was how ordinary and human the scene felt. Nothing dramatic was happening. It was just a mother trying to rest for a few minutes while her children existed around her in completely different states of attention. There was humor in it, but also tenderness and trust. Even now, it still feels emotionally complete to me.

At the time, I didn’t own a camera, so this photo was taken on an iPhone 6s. It reminds me that photography, for me, didn’t start as an interest in equipment or technical perfection, but from paying close attention to people and the quiet relationships unfolding around me.

You can follow Shanes work on foto @Shane.g or on his website Shaneguidaboni.com