Gary was my grade 10 locker partner. He was crazy about planes. At 16 he got his pilot's licence. A year later he invited me up in his little Cessna ostensibly to take pictures of a high school football game.

I took this shot of Gary as we were taxiing for take-off. The plane was so tiny it defied the minimum focus distance of my lens. I still think the photo captures the quiet intensity Gary possessed as a person, the maturity that allowed him to be such a young pilot.

I sepia toned this print to add to its gravity and distract from its focus problem.