Originally posted 10/22/2012
TID:
What a wonderful image. I remember when this image first appeared, it was very strong and stood out to many people. Great work. Can you tell us a little of the backstory?
ERIC:
Hi Ross, thanks for having me on TID. Video journalist Meg Loucks and I were assigned to cover the funeral of Cpl. Joshua Molina for the Houston Chronicle. I remember seeing a photo hanging in the photo room made by friend and fellow photojournalist Johnny Hanson of a back window of a hearse that emphasized the raindrops resting on the glass. I had it in the back of my head that I wanted to try something involving the back door or window of the hearse when the time came. I was also fairly new at the paper and this was my first funeral for the Houston Chronicle so I really wanted to knock the assignment out of the park. So many funerals are shot through long glass so I wanted to try and get closer for this one. It was a well-attended funeral and lots of people had cameras so I felt fairly comfortable getting close. No one objected to my presence until the very end after the burial.
TID:
How did you get yourself into position to make such an image?
ERIC:
At the time, shooting a funeral filled me with a mix of dread and excitement. Dread because it's typically a very private moment and you never know what kind of reaction you'll get from the family with your presence. Excitement because something deep and emotional is going on and there will almost certainly be powerful moments happening. As for preparation, I made sure to wear a shirt and tie, have all my batteries charged, extra cards - the usual. As for getting in place, I tend to get as close as I can to where the moments are happening until someone in authority tells me to get back or to stop. As the casket left the church and was being moved to the hearse, I was always within 15 to 20 feet of it. When they started moving the casket into the hearse, I moved around to the backside of the back door to try and frame something with layers through the window. I didn't really have time to chimp (edit from looking at the back of the camera), so I wasn't sure what I had until I got back to the office.
TID:
What challenges did you encounter while working to make this image?
ERIC:
It might come as a surprise, but the family and friends in attendance didn't seem to have any problem with my proximity. I'm a bit of a pusher but I didn't have to push at all. In my mind, it seemed like they were happy to have the event documented. Every other person seemed to have a camera so I was in good company.

TID:
How did you handle and overcome these problems?
ERIC:
Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't really have any issues with access or proximity. It was just one of those days when everything was working in my favor. I came in knowing I wanted to better my friend's photo, so when the casket was heading for the hearse, I headed straight for the hearse's back window.


Kayne is a freelance photographer based in Houston, Texas. He attended graduate school at the Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication. He attributes that experience to turning him on to new ways of thinking about photography, it’s application and potential. During school, he did internships at The San Antonio Express-News, The Seattle Times and The Dallas Morning News. Kayne's also worked as contract staff photographer at the Houston Chronicle.
You can view more of his work here: