Dr. Jane Goodall.

Shooting in Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher is never easy. The lights aren’t bright enough and that red curtain is a difficult backdrop to work with.

I’ve covered enough events in the auditorium that I know how to work around it, but when Dr. Jane Goodall spoke last Wednesday, it was more difficult than ever. She has sensitive eyes, so in addition to prohibiting flash photography, they didn’t turn the stage spotlights all the way up.

Because it was so dark, I couldn’t shoot at a high enough speed to get bright enough images that weren’t also blurry. To compensate for the darkness, I awaited the quick moments when she was paused in thought. When those moments happened, I shot like crazy.

This was one of those pensive, telling moments.