Kimberlee enjoys herself at the Bill Naito Legacy Fountain. Portland, Oregon.

Last week I went to Downtown Portland to shoot photos of a bike race. Little did I know the bike race had been canceled months earlier. Disappointed I walked through Old Town and contemplated my Plan B. It was late afternoon and traffic congestion would make getting anywhere a daunting task. I was beginning to think the afternoon was wasted.

I walked upon the Bill Naito Legacy Fountain along the waterfront and decided that I could at least practice shooting photos in open shade and perhaps walk away with some nice stop-action shots of water. Maybe a kid would ride through the fountain on her bicycle. All of that happened and it was nice, but nothing special. I was still mulling over the bike race shots that never happened.

Then she appeared. Without a care in the world she set down her bag, turned up the volume on her music player, and spontaneously started her own individual party in the fountains. She danced, struck model quality poses, and ran around in circles and diagonals. And all of it was in rhythm with the water fountain.

She had not a care in the world and was in a blissful, genuine moment to herself. It was unplanned. I had no idea what she would do next. It was great. And it was candid location portraiture that I could not pass up.

Afterwards I spoke with her. Her name is Kimberlee and she had just moved to Portland from Northern California. Her attitude was amazing and very friendly. She came across as self-assured which really went without saying. All of this just goes to show you that sometimes the best plans are the ones you don’t make.