As an ongoing project, I am engaging with and photographing strangers across the Nashville area. There is often a fear surrounded around talking to people we do not know. Over the years, I have learned that when strangers talk to each other, each individual feels like their existence as a person has been noticed and is worthwhile. Many positive skills and opportunities emerge, biases are broken, lessons are learned, and stories are told. Science tells us how interacting with strangers has a positive effect on our overall well being.
I am using a 4x5 large format film camera to photography these encounters. The time it takes to set up the camera creates space for authentic human connection. Due to the nature of the camera, I cannot hide behind it, but stand eye to eye with the subject as the shutter releases.
My project is simple in meaning and in call to action. I merely noticed and interacted with strangers and together created work about it. The stranger is complicated, complex, and not always transparent. I do not know or understand these individuals any better than the next, but each one of them is tremendously important to me.
Each photograph is named based on the conversation I had with the individual.
