Chapter 1.

"Claudia, please!" Janine put down her fork. "I would prefer not to be recorded for posterity in the act of chewing a mouthful of Shredded Wheat."

"It’s not for posterity," I said, still peering

at my older sister through the viewfinder of

the camera, "whatever that is. It’s for Mr.

Geist's class." Janine is always using words I

don't know, but I don't let it bother me.

"Claudia, please put that camera down and eat your breakfast," said my mother, passing me a plate with two pieces of raisin toast on it.

'But Mom, Mr. Geist says, we have to learn to 'catch the moment.' It’s what all the best photographers do." I turned to focus on her through the viewfinder. She looked a little peeved.

"That may be so," said my father. "But the Kishi family at breakfast is one moment you're

not going to catch. Besides, you're going to get jelly on my camera if you're not careful." He reached out for the camera. I put the lens cap back on and handed it to him. He turned it over in his hands. "What a great piece of equipment,” he said. He squinted through the viewfinder. "This Minolta and I go way, way back."

"I know," I said, "and I really appreciate your lending it to me, I've been super careful with it." I had, too. My dad's old Minolta doesn't have the most up-to-date features, but it is a terrific camera. "Mr. Geist says it’s a classic," I told my dad.

Mr. Geist was my photography teacher. He was one of the best teachers I'd ever had at SMS. (That’sStoneybrookMiddle School, which is inStoneybrook,Connecticut, the town where I live.) Taking photography with Mr. Geist made going to summer school not just bearable, but totally great. At first, when my parents insisted I take math over again this summer, I was very bummed out. But then we made a deal. If I had to take math, I would also be allowed to take another course, just for fun. At the time, I didn't know just how much fun photography would be. But the fact is that Mr. Geist had opened up a new world for me, and lately I couldn't think about anything but photography.