Portland

When I was taking this picture a man came up and asked me what exactly I was trying to take pictures of. I told him I didn't have a specific plan just that I was trying to look at things that caught my eye in all different perspectives. This led to a long conversation about anything from architecture, to perspective, to life choices, to goals…he told me about his military service, and the love he had for Portland. It is interesting to me because some days I feel like being behind a camera creates a barrier, like I am interacting more with the camera than the people around me so I loved the reminder that the camera creates connections. It gave this man a way to talk to me, he didn't walk past me like he would have otherwise. I don't know his name but names were not important, we made a connection in that moment that was very human, very real. This is where art and real life combine-to create these brief moments of feeling connected, feeling valid, feeling a part of something that is bigger than yourself.