As a seminarian with a Master’s degree in Theology,
I deeply believe that God has called us to love our neighbor.
I’ve photographed for many NGOs, non-profits and charities.
But if I could only tell you one story,
it would be that of how I came to shoot the whole town
of Helena, Arkansas.
Here’s how it happened.
In October 2016, I was praying about the year to come
and I heard, "Arkansas."
Helena was the only town that I knew of in Arkansas and when I visited the town,
I was deeply impressed at the need for good stories about these people so uniquely cherished.
In 2017, I went once a month for six months to stay in this little town in the Mississippi Delta.
I stayed there once a month for six months and drove the streets, photographing the people who lived there; searching for Helena.
Through many adventures, I met mechanics and retirees, preachers and drug addicts
children and blue collar workers, businesspeople and artists...
but mostly storytellers.
I believe that photographs have the ability to break down socioeconomic walls and cause people to get close and connect with other folks they otherwise never would have met in person.