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Scene Through the Lens | May 11, 2020

Inquirer staff photographer Tom Gralish’s weekly visual exploration of our region.

May 11, 2020: A Pennsylvania State Police Trooper puts on a Philadelphia Flyers face mask before they escort Gritty on a coronavirus quarantine parade through Delaware County. See link below for photos of the mascot's first public appearance since the stay-at-home orders began in March.
May 11, 2020: A Pennsylvania State Police Trooper puts on a Philadelphia Flyers face mask before they escort Gritty on a coronavirus quarantine parade through Delaware County. See link below for photos of the mascot's first public appearance since the stay-at-home orders began in March.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

When I got into photography in junior high school it was because it gave me a way to share with my friends the things I saw and experienced. Our classmates might sing at the talent show, or write poetry for our annual literary journal — I passed around 5x7 inch black and white glossy photos from our field trip to the zoo (that I developed myself in a community camera club darkroom).

I’m extremely fortunate that I’ve been able to continue that personal expression while visually reporting on the news of the day over a career in newspaper photojournalism. I’ve taken my role as a communicator seriously; more so now as the governors of almost every state have deemed journalism an essential service.. Like everyone here at The Inquirer, I am (quoting our publisher) “committed to producing reliable, dispassionate, relevant news and information about the virus and its impact on our community.”

And even with so many coronavirus stories to illustrate, I’m always looking for stories that can be told with photo essays and galleries like the suspension of military honors burials at national cemeteries or efforts of sewer-treatment plant workers to battle the onslaught of flushed disinfectant wipes, latex gloves, and face masks.

But I still see non-coronavirus things every day I want to share, especially knowing that many people are abiding by the stay-at-home orders.

One of the things I looked forward to every spring is my first sighting of what — when my kids were little — I called “fluff balls” (actually I still do). It seems to always happen right around the time of the Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill — newly hatched Canada geese making their arrival, looking like fuzzy yellow ducklings. The canceled regatta would have been held this past weekend, but I did, as usual, spot the goslings.

So click here and allow me to share some of the cuties with you (or here for Gritty on parade). Just like in my eighth-grade classroom all those years ago.

Since 1998, a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s photo column in The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:

>>SEE MORE: Previous blogs and Twenty years of a photo column