Everyday People (ongoing)

In this work, I’m responding to a desire to develop a mutual exchange with the people I photograph, to engage with and establish a relationship, momentary as it may be, based on curiosity, trust, and respect. In a time when our country appears deeply divided, Everyday People seeks to highlight what we share in common. The people pictured are strangers in Seattle’s neighborhoods I’m drawn to because of the unique way they carry themselves. At times it’s a couple distinguished by their quiet affection toward each other, by a meditative moment, or an arresting gaze. Before making a portrait, I talk with each person, ask for permission, and listen to what they are willing to share. That engagement is central to the work. The photographs are not candid observations, but brief collaborations built on openness and mutual recognition. This work celebrates Seattle’s diversity, not as an abstraction, but as something encountered person to person. It asks viewers to pause, look closely, and consider the dignity, presence, and connection that are easily passed by as we hurry through our day.