chance encounters

Chance Encounters is a series of street portraits made in San Marcos Square. These photographs range from a girl looking alone in a hectic crowd to a small prayer group creating a sanctum in a small part of the city where an array of people can come together and have a good time. I am enamored with everyone around me; their differences, similarities, and their uniqueness. I aim to preserve quality photographs to be kept, reflected on, and memorialized forever. I captured these moments by keeping my camera close to my body with my screen at a 90 degree angle to hide the camera from the subject's view. I would continuously look through the screen and walk around the square for hours, taking pictures that caught my eye. Out of thousands of pictures I’ve taken in the Square, I narrowed them down to less than twenty because to me they held an otherworldly presence. The subjects offer a glimpse of their lives shining through a physical barrier. I hope the viewers can see through my photographs that  we are more connected than we know. Photography is a form of art with physical restraints yet has liberating abilities that translate a beautiful chance encounter into something that could outlast them, and can be perceived by more than just those around them. I hope my photographs give people the chance to look at others around them for longer than a second, empathize with them, and appreciate the time to witness life moving outside your own.