I’d spotted the group when I first arrived at Victoria Park. The sun was reflecting off their clothes and radiating light with brilliance as equal to the group’s energy. You could feel the warmth of their closeness and excitement of being together, like an adventure. It never occurred to me that they might actually be amenable to being photographed. Having tried, respectfully but always unsuccessfully, to request to photograph muslim women wearing a hijab, I’ve learned that it is unproductive energy that risks making someone feel uncomfortable, no matter how sincere and politely the request is framed. So it came as a wonderful surprise when, just as the sun was lowering in the sky and the group was enthusiastically making portraits, they actually asked me to photograph them.