Sept. 19, 2012 – A kite resembling a shark flies above Boston Common Wednesday in Boston, MA. The kite belongs to Roy Gould, a 58-year-old former commercial fisherman from Brockton, MA. Photo by Billie Weiss. Sept. 19, 2012 – Roy Gould, 58, of Brockton, MA, flies a kite attached to a fishing rod on Boston Common in Boston, MA Wednesday. Currently unemployed, Gould says he frequents the Common with his kites nearly every evening. Photo by Billie Weiss. Sept. 19, 2012 – Roy Gould, a former commercial fisherman, attaches a kite to his fishing line in Boston, MA Wednesday. “If I had the means, I guarantee you right now I would be in a sailboat somewhere…but I basically live hand-to-mouth, day-to-day,” says Gould, a Brockton, MA native. Photo by Billie Weiss. Sept. 19, 2012 – 58-year-old former fisherman Roy Gould of Brockton, MA flies a shark-shaped kite attached to a fishing rod on Boston Common in Boston, MA Wednesday as he expresses his views on the American economy. Gould is currently unemployed. Photo by Billie Weiss. Sept. 19, 2012 – The sun sets over Boston Common in Boston, MA as 58-year-old former fisherman Roy Gould flies a kite attached to his fishing rod. “The cutest thing is toddlers…I’ve seen them come running at me screaming. It’s pure joy, you know? They are able to articulate out loud the feeling I have when I am flying,” says Gould. Photo by Billie Weiss.
Here is my first photo story of the year for the Advanced Photojournalism course I’m enrolled in at Boston University. Our assignment was to file a five photo story of anything happening on Boston Common. I was there quite a bit this week.
This is a simple but beautiful story about a gentle soul who finds peace every evening by flying his kites – which happens to be attached to a fishing rod. Read the captions. They actually matter this time!
Roy Gould is currently unemployed. A former fisherman who has been out of work for several years now, Roy takes to the Common regularly to fly his kites. “This is really my way to connect with nature,” he said.
We chatted for quite a bit, and I hung around and took photos of him for several hours. I thank Roy for being so friendly, and I wish him all the best.
