Taking the plunge | Scene Through the Lens

As even infrequent readers of this column will know, I devote a lot of energy trying to making different, interesting or even surprising images at familiar events and photo ops.

Finding fresh ways to photograph a ribbon cutting or ground breaking is great for keeping the creative juices flowing.

When a press release announced an empty indoor swimming pool would be turning into a micro-brewery I looked forward to taking a dive.

But first there were speeches, posing for group photos, then mingling, some finger food - and the sharing of samples of the craft-brewery’s product.

Eventually the board members, educators, architects, brewers, guests Sir Barry (the mascot of Rowan College at Burlington County), and news media were invited to tour the long-dry pool in the basement of the Moorestown Community House that would be renovated for what my colleague Kevin Riordan noted would be a first for the historically long-dry borough (a quaintly staid town with Quaker roots, Moorestown only ended its long prohibition a decade ago).

I have always been a rule follower. I tend not to rock the boat, or make waves. Even in an empty pool.

So as much as I really wanted make a different picture by jumping in and photographing the scene from the deep end, I respected the board members, educators, architects, brewers and guests (but not Sir Barry) as they were making (more) speeches and honored their boundary (heck, they had yellow “caution” tape).

I didn’t want a life guard blowing a whistle on me -- or make a spectacle of myself slipping (but definitely obeying the “No Running or Horseplay by the Pool” sign) -- until enough time has passed and enough people left the area. And I got brave enough to break a rule.

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