People

Seymour

"All the girls used to tell me that they loved my eyes. I got them from my grandmother. Let me tell you something about my grandmother...she was whiter than you." -Seymour of One Stop

Definition of a Brothel

John David Montgomery, sitting quietly outside the Mark Twain Guest House Bar, where taverns, gambling halls, and brothels once lined the banks of the Mississippi River, where he himself bartended for 33 years, looked me dead in the eye (after giving me the little history lesson above) with one question, “What’s your definition of a brothel?” I looked away…”uhhhh.” Firmly grabbing my arm, “No, look me in the eyes like a man.” Staring into his tiny beady blue eyes, “Uhm, well, it’s a place where men come and pay women for sex.” With the slightest smirk, “You know what my definition is? It’s where you go to get your pickle tickled.” Without another word, letting go of his tight grip, he stood up, turned, and walked into the bar.

Front Porch Sittin'

Boyhood

Boyhood

Street Dancer

Riley!

On the scale of photogenicticity (sure, it's a word), we're on opposite ends of the spectrum. Within 10 minutes of meeting Seth's little brother Riley, I asked, "Would you mind if I took your portrait?" Years ago, when I first started shooting, the same fear I have when I consider dancing in public would fill me and stop me from taking the photo I wanted. I feared how others would judge me laying down in the middle of the road, contorting my body to get the composition I wanted, or approaching them - a stranger or newly met person.

Life Perspective

“When I make these sketches, I think from a life perspective. Like water flowing down a river, we will all encounter obstacles. We can choose to deal with them and grow from them like water erodes rock.”

Lin Jiang

As the sun was going down, a car pulled up near my campsite. I noticed the man driving was alone and began to pull out unopened camping equipment. So, being the boy scout I am, I decided to go over and offer him some assistance setting up his tent. Turns out, it was his first time to ever camp and had just bought the tent that day because the hotel bills were adding up and sleeping in his car was getting old. His name was Lin Jiang - 江林 ("forest near the Ying River"), a sculptor from Shanghai, China, and is currently on a 3 month journey across the USA completing 20 sketchbooks as part of his study. In his sketchbooks, he is capturing textures and patterns he sees in the earth, water, and sky. I learned all of this about him after we set up his tent and sat at the campsite front office flipping through a couple of his completed sketchbooks.

Seymour of One Stop

“Let me tell you, I know all about photography. I used to love to take pictures and would do double exposures. I have a 35mm camera at the house; I’ll bring it up here and show you next time you come.”

C.L. of One Stop

"Y'all are always welcome to come hang out here. We treat everyone like family. Except teenagers. I don't invite no teenagers out here. They listen to that music, what's it called...rap...you can't even understand what they saying. It's like hap poh kap ree goo ah."

Simpler Time

Part of me wishes I was born at a simpler time. Instead, I do my best to choose and pursue passions that strip away distractions and allow me to experience a nearness to God and His creation. And through that, I pray God is glorified.