Never met a stranger.

#065

Looking back in my archive this morning, I found this picture I made in May 2012 in Coalwood, West Virginia (think Homer Hickam and Rocket Boys). I’d stopped to get gas on my way back from War and saw this couple pull up on their four-wheeler. I knew I had to make a picture of them.

I introduced myself, asked I could make their picture, fumbled a bit with my camera, and made several pictures before talking with them for a bit longer. I never did get their names. Before writing this, I pored over my notebook from 2011/2012 hoping to find a note with their names, but no luck. That’s my only regret about this picture.

Photography has given me incredible opportunities to meet people and be in spaces I might have never otherwise been. It has allowed this introvert to be less so. The older I get, the more curious I’ve become. While approaching a stranger to ask if I can photograph them still causes some stomach flutter, talking with people has become one of my favorite things to do.

There are so many stories out there and I find that most of the time people want to tell someone about them. I think that’s fundamental to our humanity; being seen and heard. Today, perhaps more than ever, I think it’s important to talk to strangers. I think that’s how we’re going to find our way back to a semblance of community. I’ve grown tired of the echo chambers I’ve constructed over the years. What is a world where we all agree on everything all the time? Boring is what it is.

“A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.” - Will Rogers.

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Check on your neighbors and don’t be a stranger.

- Roger