While I\’d like to say that shooting events like Pillow Fight Day in Toronto requires great photographic skill, I\’d have to be lying. An 8 p.m. start time means ISOs cranked up high, or a lot of time spent waiting for your flash to recharge. I don\’t actually own a flash, so I expected a lot of ultra-grainy shots at best. But either way, you spray and pray.

The breakdown of participants at Yonge-Dundas Square yesterday evening was roughly as follows:

60% good-intentioned pillow fighters having a good time

20% photographers

17% good-intentioned pillow fighters hitting photographers by accident, then apologizing profusely (I forgive you guys)

2% questionably-intentioned pillow fighters hitting everyone willy-nilly

1% sick freaks people with serious anger management issues TARGETING and VIOLENTLY ATTACKING photographers

I saw a member of this last 1% holding little more than a bit of fluff in his hand. He then proceeded to beat up a nearby photographer with it, using more fist than fluff, as people around him watched, disgusted and shocked. Soon after he spotted me and swiped me in the face a couple times, almost knocking my glasses off before I got away from him. Then I went and shot for another half hour, despite getting stepped on or whacked in the face a few more times after, accidentally or not. How\’s that for dogged determination?

Honestly though, I have a ton of respect for any photographer who put themselves in the middle of that war zone for the sake of documenting it. If they got out of that mess with a few good pictures, that\’s even more amazing.

If you ask me, you\’re not a real photographer until you\’ve exercised your peripheral vision and dodging abilities while on the job.