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Trust your instincts
On November 7th, Joe Serna Jr., the mayor of Sacramento, died of kidney
cancer. He was a very popular mayor, who seemed to always speak his mind
(which occasionally got him into trouble) and fought hard for what he
believed in. Serna was largely responsible for the city loan that keept
the then-lackluster Kings NBA franchise in Sacramento after the owner,
citing financial woes, threatened to move the team to Nashville. The Kings
have since become one of the most popular teams in the league.
I didn't follow the mayor closely, but was saddened to learn of his death.
I felt a need to cover his funeral and tell the story of how much people
loved him. I drove to Sacramento the night before, and took a day off
from school on the 10th to cover his funeral. At 8:30 I arrived at Caesar
Chavez Plaza, a downtown park Serna had named after his hero and collegue
in the United Farm Workers labor organization. The funeral procession
was to start at 9:00 and travel a couple blocks to the Cathedral of the
Blessed Sacrament, where the funeral Mass would commence.
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Shooting these things requires concentration. The photographer
must constantly be looking around to find something interesting
among thousands of people. Its easy to second guess yourself and
move around a lot, but I think the key is to pick out a spot, stay
there, and just watch what happens around you. Particularly when
there are photographers there from the Associated Press, The Sacramento
Bee, and various T.V. stations and other publications I have a tendency
to see them work and think "shit, I should be over there where
they are!" But for this event I tried to keep that voice muted
and have faith in my own judgment.
It worked for me on that morning, as I got several nice photographs
of the crowds by just watching and anticipating. Being a sad occasion,
I was very careful not to be too intrusive and to let people have
their space. I kept a low profile, not carrying a bag or waist pack
but just a Canon EOS-1 with a 70-200mm lens on one shoulder and
a Canon EOS-1n with a 28-105mm lens on another. Film, a light meter,
and a note pad were stowed in my pockets. This allowed me to move
around with ease without sacrificing functionality.
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Bishop William K. Weigand presides over the funeral
Mass for the late Sacramento mayor Joe Serna Jr. at the Cathedral
of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento on November 10, 1999. (Joe
Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body
of the late Sacramento mayor Joe Serna Jr. up the steps to the entrance
of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament for a funeral Mass in
Sacramento on November 10, 1999. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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I stayed at the Plaza until the marchers started toward the Cathedral.
I was more worried about getting a good spot at the entrance to the Cathedral
than I was about photographing people walking there. It was a judgment
call; I didn't have the luxury the Bee had by having six photographers
there covering many angles. I had to think ahead to be where I wanted
to be without neglecting too much of anything else.
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Doves are released from the entrance of the Cathedral
of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento on November 10, 1999 after
a funeral Mass for Joe Serna Jr., the late Sacramento mayor. (Joe
Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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I photographed the casket being carried up the steps of the Cathedral,
and then the Mass itself. At that point I didn't think I had anything
spectacular. As the Mass went into its third hour, I had thoughts of leaving.
The light was bad, the cathedral stuffy, and nothing much seemed to be
going on. It was tempting to take off and grab some lunch.
| A mourner holds a rose amidst
a crowd gathered at Caesar Chavez Park across the street from Sacramento
City Hall before a procession made its way from the park through the
streets of downtown Sacramento to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
for a funeral Mass for late Sacramento mayor Joe Serna Jr. in Sacramento
on November 10, 1999. The procession included pall bearers carrying
the casket of Serna. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers) |
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I stayed, and I'm glad I did. After the Mass concluded, doves were
set free in front of the cathedral. I was able to get a good position
despite the crowd to shoot them flying into the overcast sky. Instinctively
I made my way down the steps, and over to the hearse that was about to
take Serna's body to a private burial service. I saw a woman dressed in
black near the rear of the hearse crying. She was looking at photograph
of Serna on the back window, and looked unsettled. Its hard to describe
her demeanor, but I could tell she was holding back. She was going to
do something. I waited. Suddenly, as if she didn't want anyone to notice,
she lunged to the hearse, and pressed her face up against the glass. She
mumbled something. About ten seconds later, she moved away from the hearse
back to where she was previously standing. From a son-in-law, I later
learned that woman was Serna's younger sister, Maria Elena, saying goodbye
to her older brother Joe before the hearse sluggishly pulled away from
the Cathedral.
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Maria Elena Serna, sister of the late Sacramento
mayor Joe Serna Jr., grieves at the rear window of the hearse carrying
her brotherŐs body after a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed
Sacrament in Sacramento on November 10, 1999. A color photograph of
Serna Jr. sits in the window. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers) |
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Paul McGee touches rear window of a back hearse
carrying the body of Joe Serna Jr. as it leaves from the Cathedral
of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento after a funeral Mass for
the late Sacramento mayor on November 10, 1999. McGee is the son-in-law
of Serna's sister, Maria Elena Serna. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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