I’ll have some portrait work up during the Click! Photography Festival, in the tasting room at Counter Culture Coffee. Show runs through the end of October and the exhibit is open to the public during Counter Culture’s regular business hours (8-4:30pm, M-F). Two other artists, Susan Patrice and Michael Ligett, are sharing some beautiful work in the space as well. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by! (812 Mallard Ave., Durham)
These are a sampling of photos taken over the course of two days during the lunch rush at Mr. Gene’s hotdog stand, in the South Cumminsville neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.
I believe that this kind of spontaneous interaction often allows for a more honest exchange between photographer and subject and can result in a deeply personal portrait. I only had a few minutes to connect with each person photographed, but I wanted that time to feel collaborative and so rather than trying to have each person sit or turn a certain way, I let each individual’s personality and movements guide the session.
My hope as you view these faces, all likely strangers to you, is that a bit of each person’s essence shines through. That I captured not just an outward image, but a bit of interior life, too.
What do these folks care about, what are their struggles, what brings them joy? These are the things at the very heart of the human condition, and I was just trying to get there one hotdog at a time.
