Behind the scenes of the best family photography I've ever had

The last post was a huge success, so here are some "behind the scenes" shots of a passionate husband and his child, ready to go see mom running the NYC Marathon 2025.

Wow! The post I made about the Marathon photo was a huge success here at Camera Clara. I’m so happy that hundreds of people identified with the scene and sent me DMs and lovely messages about it!

Read the post, in case you missed it:

When a photograph holds everything: 20 seconds at the NYC Marathon

It says “Listen now” because originally, this is a livestreaming post where I initially show the best family photo I've ever had, why it's a kickass photography, along with some technical details about studium and punctum, or two concepts that you need to understand if you want to become a photographer.

Here's the original photo, for reference:

I am holding a camera, right?

Right, in the original shot (seen above), I’m photographing with my Voigtländer Bessa R2A, and here are the shots I took on film. So you can see things from my camera angle.

Doing this with a manual film winder camera is not an easy task. What is trivial with a digital camera and burst mode becomes a challenge when you are portraying reality using analog methods.

Some shots of the NYC Marathon I took right before the encounter

I think that next time I’ll focus more on the signs people were holding, because these were h i l a r i o u s !

Here are some of the shots I captured while waiting for my wife’s appearance this time. The NYC Marathon is famous for having all sorts of runners, and among the masses, I spotted a Spider-Man, some very happy groups of people, and a very joyful energy.

The backstage of a passionate husband chasing his wife running a Marathon (a.k.a. “the husband's marathon”)

Following a runner during the marathon is not easy. You have to strategize and think about how you are going to commute from point A to point B, while managing time between the commute itself (either subway or traffic), the runner’s pace, and accounting for getting there early enough to pierce the crowds.

If you get to the spot too early, the child becomes bored. If you get there too late, you can’t pierce the crowds and you can’t meet the runner.

PS: Add all that while carrying a 15 lb backpack containing all sorts of support assistance your lovely runner might need, like gels, batteries, etc.

I met my wife at Mile 8, then I missed her twice right after. Doing that with an autistic kid is not an easy task, as he gets overwhelmed and constantly asks “what’s the plan” for something that has no plan at all. You just gotta play it by ear and be flexible.

Special thanks to my brother Brian, who took the original shot

This is the man behind the shot. A professional photographer. If you want to hire him, visit his website and fill up the form.