Human Connections: Who are you, who am I

Most of us live in a bubble. We surround ourselves with like minded people. We’re friends -- offline and online -- with those who share our interests, and political beliefs and economic status. We live in neighborhoods where most people are just like us.

I do that, too. But I regret it. It’s the root of our social, economic and political divisiveness. It narrows our perspective. And it denies us (and me) the knowledge, understanding and empathy that we can only find if we venture out of our comfort zone and into worlds where people aren’t just like us.

I’m not talking about taking a photo trip to Oaxaca, or Cuba, or Africa. I’m talking about trying to make genuine human connections, if only for a day or a week or a year, with people who aren’t like me.

That’s why I take pictures. To meet and (to the degree it’s possible) understand inner city kids who’ve been surrounded by gangs or drugs. To learn about young, self-taught famers who struggle to make a living. To get a sense of what it’s like to be an unemployed restaurant worker who has to wait in line every week for handouts of food to serve her family. To talk to tow-truck drivers, homeless veterans, young musicians and dancers and aspiring actors. To meet social and political activists. To explore what it’s like to live off the grid. To observe the parenting of someone who takes their four year old foraging for the family’s food. To actually listen to Trump supporters.

With a camera over my shoulder I have a lever to open doors that lead to new and unfamiliar places. And by entering into worlds (granted not always very deeply) where everyone isn’t like me, I constantly learn more about myself, for my encounters help clarify what I believe in, reveal biases I didn’t know I had, and constantly remind me what really matters. Human connection.

If I do it well, the photographs I take share both sides of that exploration. And if I do it really well, they might even teach a viewer something not only something about my subjects, but about themselves as well.