08/17/2026
People forget that I do portraits of people! I love people! There is nothing more interesting than watching the soul of a person emerge in front of your lens. Sure, headshots are fine, but if you want your senior in high school or your senior citizen to look like them, talk to your photographer, be honest, take risks. You may find the better photo was inside you, not inside the camera.
I met this guy on the waterfront in Plymouth. He was hard to miss — tall, blond, goatee, traveling by bicycle with a pit bull mix who had a huge goofy smile and seemed delighted by absolutely everything.
I asked if I could photograph them, and we got talking. He was riding from New Hampshire to New Jersey, taking whatever route worked. Behind his bike was a flatbed-style trailer carrying his backpack, gear, and, most importantly, a dedicated space for the dog to ride. I don’t know whether he bought it, found it, or built it himself, but it was a pretty great contraption.
At first glance, both of them might have looked a little tough. They were absolute sweethearts.
Then, a little over a year ago, he found me on Instagram and sent me a message to tell me that she had died. I was genuinely sad to hear it. But I was also touched that, after all that time, the encounter and the photograph had meant enough to him that he wanted me to know.
That’s one of the things I love about photographing people. Sometimes you meet someone for only a few minutes, take a picture, and move on. But every once in a while, that small encounter stays with both of you.
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