Fiction: The Young Couple in The Woods

Or why you should be mindful of fucking strangers

Photo by me

A hint of movement among the trees caught my attention.

I wandered aimlessly through the park with my camera, capturing photos of whatever I found interesting. The day was beautiful, and so far, I had captured a saxophone player under a bridge, a hawk on a low branch, two dogs tugging on opposite sides of a frisbee, and a plethora of anonymous sunbathers in the field.

By definition, photography is voyeuristic. The second the camera comes out, someone is watching, and someone is being watched, even if that someone is a squirrel in a tree. Still, I try to be mindful of the tension involved in photographing strangers in public. I don’t usually capture their faces, instead aiming for shadow or a turned head. The goal is to capture life rather than any specific individual.

When I stepped off the path and deeper into the woods, however, I was not thinking of morals or ethics. Curiosity drove me as much as anything else, and I followed a flicker of light until I saw her face.

She caught my eye the moment I saw her, and time slowed as I took in the entire scene in less than a second: a young woman with her back to the tree and a young man on his knees in front of her with his head under her dress. She…