Watermelon Queen

“The girl in the picture is called Courtney. Her family lives in Conesville. If you blink when you pass through the town you can miss it completely. I happened to drive by the trailer where she lives with her family, and I got talking with her father. Later on, I took pictures of the family and of the children in particular. Courtney’s sister showed me a tiara she was given when she won the Watermelon Queen title. Watermelons are the main crop in the area around Conesville, and Watermelon Days are a community festival. Courtney also dreams of becoming Watermelon Queen one day. Her sister put the Tiara on Courtney’s head. Courtney suddenly placed her hands together and I quickly made this frame. I didn’t even bring the camera up to my eye – I just tripped the shutter release while the camera was still around my neck. Later on, the picture was put on the cover of Driftless. I drove to the family with one of the first copies. They were all delighted; only Courtney didn’t react. Later she explained, “The picture makes us look poor.” I’ll never forget that moment when she first looked at the picture.”

You will find the full-length essay in LFI 8/2014.