"Papercuts."

This is a short story. It is told through a quote and a little bit of papercutting:

"To be a sailor of the world, bound for all ports."

-Walt Whitman

"Couplets"

I decided to revisit photographs that were taken over the course of about five years. With these photos I have made a series of couplets. Some are in direct correlation with one another, meaning that they are of the same people, place, and time. Others are not as obviously related, such as the one of my nephew and niece. Although they were both taken during their first moments of life, they are of different people, a different place, and most importantly, a different time.

The faces of strangers that I capture in photographs are extremely important to me. I can hardly contain myself from taking pictures when I have a camera in hand. And to clarify, I am no professional photographer by any means. I do not understand the technical characteristics of the camera I use, nor have I ever taken a formal art course. I simply feel the need to take photographs of strangers, places, and things because I am weary of my horrid memory. I am uncomfortable with the realization that I may never see these faces or places again. This is what I mean when I say that the faces of strangers are extremely important to me, they are a vital part of my life history and I am forever grateful that they have let me be a part of theirs, even if it is just for the duration of a click on my camera.