Stern Grove Festival Street Photography

To me, street photography is about much more than taking a picture of an interesting person. It's about capturing a moment in their life and imagining what becomes of it. It creates a connection that brings me closer to the people around me, even if it lasts for just a short amount of time. When I go to the city for street photography, a passion ignites inside of me that settles into a strong sense of belonging. Many that I know don't seem to understand the importance of street photography to me, but nothing can destroy the deeply rooted passion I have for it.

San Francisco

Strangely enough, the city makes me feel more connected to humanity and individual persons. I live in a fairly small town that literally translates to Cow Town, which is basically what it is, and have been going to an even smaller private Christian school all my life. Whenever I'm around people at school, youth group, or anywhere else, I feel isolated and out of touch. It gives me that gutted out sense of loneliness, even with my friends. But when I'm in the city, especially Portland, Oregon, I am free of the expectations of my stereotype given to me by all the narrow-minded people. I can be alone without the empty loneliness, and that's a wonderful thing. The people around barely notice me, but it doesn't hurt me. Maybe it's because, even through all the years, I'm still rejected by my peers. It's not that they don't like me; I'm just unimportant to most. I can't wait to finally graduate and move to the city to start my life. Occasional day trips remind me of this future. For now, I'm just grateful to be leaving my suffocating school next year.

Here are some photos from Sunday. I attempted street photography for the first time, so I was a bit nervous to ask people to take their photograph. I missed out on many good photo oppurtunities, but I learned. The others are of my little sister and my father.

(I know it's not the best picture, but I have been in love with this dress from Free People for a while now. So when I saw this girl wearing it, I just had to snap a quick pic.)

(Also not the best photo, but my sisters and I always hold our breath when we go under tunnels for some strange reason. I wanted to capture this age old tradition.)

-Have a wonderful day
Sierra Joy