Behind the picture (Feb. 2/14)

john king photo

Torsten Senf is led to awaiting RCMP cruiser when leaving the Meadow Lake courthouse in autumn 2008 after making an appearance in a case where he was later convicted of a sex crime against a minor.

Torsten Senf hid behind a bit of paper when he stepped out from the side door at the Meadow Lake provincial courthouse on a late fall day some five years ago. I was there to photograph the man while editor of a small town community newspaper. Senf was later convicted of sex crime against a minor. I remember waiting for about half an hour on the opposite side of a street that ran alongside the courthouse. It was cold and there was a thin skiff of snow on the sidewalk. An RCMP cruiser sat parked on the other side of the street where a concrete path led to the courthouse door from the sidewalk.

After awhile, the door opened and an RCMP officer stepped out and looked around. After spotting me with my camera, the officer disappeared back into the courthouse. Having positioned myself on the right side of the police cruiser from the opposing sidewalk of the street, I decided to walk further up the sidewalk to position myself on the left side of the cruiser. Another couple minutes went by and then the door opened, and the officer I saw before stepped out and walked to the cruiser. When he reached the vehicle he opened the left-side passenger door then stepped around to the driver's side door where he stood and waited.

He was followed by another RCMP officer who led Senf out of the courthouse. Senf wore bright orange coveralls and handcuffs. He was a middle-aged man who held a piece of paper up to his face as he stepped out. The piece of paper hid the left side of his face, the side I would have photographed if I had stayed where I was initially. But having moved, I snapped off a few photos of his exposed right flank and went back to the newspaper office.

The story behind the photograph is just as important as the photograph itself, as this story shows how I was able to get the shot. This is a blog that will look at the stories behind the photographs shaping our world, everything from the small and mundane, to the big and spectacular. Feel free to comment on photos and share your own.

This blog is managed by designer and journalism student John King