I traded my work cameras for personal ones Saturday night.

My wife and I walked with a stream of people into the Wenatchee High School auditorium Saturday night for the Washington Trust Bank Royalty Selection Pageant and on my shoulder was a camera bag. Those who know me might think there is nothing unusual about this, since I usually have a camera with me. Only this time it was my personal camera that dangled along my side, not the big, beautiful Canons issued to me by The Wenatchee World. Nevertheless, I was armed and ready to record history -- family history -- as my niece competed for a spot on the royal court.

I must admit, I was shaking a bit as the curtains opened and each candidate took a turn at the microphone introducing themselves. Pointing my camera, I took a deep breath and braced myself against the arms of the seats as the final young woman walked briskly and confidently to the middle of the stage. "Hi, I'm candidate Piper Gillin!" I pressed the shutter button making several exposures before cheering with other family members sitting next to me.

For the next couple of hours, I sat with hundreds of others in the audience watching the 10 girls give speeches and answer impromptu questions.

Had Piper not been a finalist in the pageant, I would have been wearing a different hat. The four photographers employed here at the newspaper rotate weekend duty and, according to the schedule, it was my Saturday to work. I did cover two unrelated events during the day, but when the house lights dimmed and curtains opened for the pageant it was Photo Editor Don Seabrook who stepped in to relieve me of a potential problem -- conflict of interest. In the newspaper business, that means removing yourself from a story if it could be perceived as being slanted by your personal involvement. Part of The National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics reads, "Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's own biases in the work."

Managing Editor Gary Jasinek wrote about this in a Jan. 31 column with a headline that read, "Uncle can't get you on Page One." In part, he wrote: "As with most ethical decisions, there are many variable factors and few absolutes in these equations. How close is the relationship? How important is the person to the story? Can we handle it simply by disclosing the potential conflict? The answers can be squishy."

So, a decision was made -- a pretty simple one, actually. I would not be covering the pageant. In hindsight it was the right decision. Five judges voted and concluded that Piper, along with Princess Pamela Alvarado and Queen Anika Grubbs, would make a perfect ambassador for the Wenatchee Valley.

This opens up a whole new can of worms for the next several months that will cause my editors some grief. But one thing I am sure -- the trade-off of seeing my niece crowned princess of the 2005 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival Royal Court will far outlive a few months of being pulled off festival-related stories that I really enjoy covering.

Congratulations, Piper. You made this uncle very, very proud.

Did I mention that Piper has a younger sister?

Gillin can be reached at gillin@wenworld.com