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Laura J. Gardner - The Journal Gazette
Milton McLain, 84, with wife Erma, 85, are still in love after 62 years of being married. Erma never had a boyfriend until Milton and her first kiss was from Milton in a car on their third date. Milton laughs, his first kiss was in September of 1948 when he was in the army. He kissed a girl in a park. That doesn't matter though, now. The two live together at Heritage Park. They have two daughters that still live in Fort Wayne and a son that lives in Colorado.
Published: February 14, 2012 3:00 a.m.

First Kiss Photo

Laura J. Gardner and Lara Neel

Camera: NIKON D2Hs

Shutter: 1/100 s

Aperture: f/3.5

Exposure Setting: Manual (Spot Metering)

ISO: 800

Strobe Flash: Did Not Fire

Lens Focal Length: 36 mm

White Balance: Manual

Shooter's Comments: The assignment was to come up with a photo illustration for a story on first kisses that runs on Valentine's Day. My first idea was to do something in the studio, maybe a tight shot on just lips, but then I thought this could be tricky, especially if I can't find anyone with good lips!

Thenm I thought maybe a photo of two cute kids kissing, but this seemed to corny and fake. I wanted something real.

So, I called a few nursing homes and a lady from Heritage Park called back and said she had a couple. I went to the assignment thinking, "I hope this is a nice, cute couple." Sure enough, it was perfect, little Milton and Erma couldn't be more adorable.

They have been together for 62 years and Milton was Erma's first boyfriend and first kiss. So, I did a few shots of them kissing. I did have them do this for me. I am not used to telling people what to do in photos. As photojournalist, you try to capture what is going on, not make it up.

As I was taking photos of the two of them, there was a nice little moment when Milton kissed Erma's forehead. I thought, "this is the shot." I am glad I met these two!

- Laura J. Gardner, Photojournalist

© Copyright 2012 The Journal Gazette. All rights reserved. Neither this material nor its presentation may be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
1Shot is our attempt to capture a part of life in Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana through the creativity of Journal Gazette photographers. The technical information and any personal stories provided are meant to offer a glimpse into how we do what we do.
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