leigh . 48 years old / denver . colorado
after spending last night bombing around town and all of today adventuring with my friend, brandon, i found myself running out of time. i hoped to make it downtown to go to the movie theater with another friend, so i grabbed my gear and headed in that direction. i spotted an older gentleman coming my way and invited him to be today's stranger, but he gave me a look that suggested he knew i was attempting to trick him and then passed on the offer.
a few blocks later, a man in a green trench coat, a black hooded sweatshirt and torn black sweatpants asked me if i had a light. i had actually spend the entire day carrying one around because it made me feel cool, so i was delighted for the opportunity to use it. i searched every pocket and then my camera bag and then every pocket again, eventually finding it hiding under my keys. i gave him the light and then told him he could keep it. he seemed as pleased to receive the gift as i was to give it. i intended to continue on my way, but then stopped short and told the man what i was up to and invited him to be a part of this project. he agreed.
i asked where he was from and leigh told me that he was an "air force brat" and lived all over. he said that he even lived in germany as a small child and then told me about a vacation he took with his family to the tulip festival in holland. leigh was delighted to share the story with me and still had a childlike excitement over the many colors of tulips that exist. he told me that tulips come in every color he could imagine, including "purple and even green".
i was curious what he did with his time and he told me he was a part of the MHCD (mental health center of denver). i asked him how long he had been in that program. he thought about it and then said he first started in the program when he was 35 years old. i asked him if something happened. he admitted that something had indeed happened. he had been trying to start a relationship with a woman and one day decided to trespass on her property when she wasn't around. and then he said, "i did some things i shouldn't have". from there, he ended up in a hospital for a few weeks where he was diagnosed as bi-polar.
i was curious about leigh's life before the hospital, so i asked what he used to do. he told me he was "in the delivery business". apparently he worked for an italian restaurant and delivered pizza and other italian dishes to people. he recalled a few stories from that time and even spoke fondly of a few of his co-workers, referring to them by their names. leigh spoke in a very peculiar voice, much higher pitched than i would have guessed. the way he crafted his sentences was interesting, too. i need that recorder...
leigh was excited for the chance to be photographed in his black clothes. while i took his portrait, he held his green coat low on his shoulders and out of the frame. then, when i moved back to take the full-length shot, he said, "we'll do this one a little bit different". then he proceeded to take of his coat and put it aside. that is quite interesting, right? image is so important. for some it's a porsche and coach weekend bag, but for others it is a black hooded sweatshirt and some torn pants.
thanks so much for the conversation today, leigh.
after spending last night bombing around town and all of today adventuring with my friend, brandon, i found myself running out of time. i hoped to make it downtown to go to the movie theater with another friend, so i grabbed my gear and headed in that direction. i spotted an older gentleman coming my way and invited him to be today's stranger, but he gave me a look that suggested he knew i was attempting to trick him and then passed on the offer.
a few blocks later, a man in a green trench coat, a black hooded sweatshirt and torn black sweatpants asked me if i had a light. i had actually spend the entire day carrying one around because it made me feel cool, so i was delighted for the opportunity to use it. i searched every pocket and then my camera bag and then every pocket again, eventually finding it hiding under my keys. i gave him the light and then told him he could keep it. he seemed as pleased to receive the gift as i was to give it. i intended to continue on my way, but then stopped short and told the man what i was up to and invited him to be a part of this project. he agreed.
i asked where he was from and leigh told me that he was an "air force brat" and lived all over. he said that he even lived in germany as a small child and then told me about a vacation he took with his family to the tulip festival in holland. leigh was delighted to share the story with me and still had a childlike excitement over the many colors of tulips that exist. he told me that tulips come in every color he could imagine, including "purple and even green".
i was curious what he did with his time and he told me he was a part of the MHCD (mental health center of denver). i asked him how long he had been in that program. he thought about it and then said he first started in the program when he was 35 years old. i asked him if something happened. he admitted that something had indeed happened. he had been trying to start a relationship with a woman and one day decided to trespass on her property when she wasn't around. and then he said, "i did some things i shouldn't have". from there, he ended up in a hospital for a few weeks where he was diagnosed as bi-polar.
i was curious about leigh's life before the hospital, so i asked what he used to do. he told me he was "in the delivery business". apparently he worked for an italian restaurant and delivered pizza and other italian dishes to people. he recalled a few stories from that time and even spoke fondly of a few of his co-workers, referring to them by their names. leigh spoke in a very peculiar voice, much higher pitched than i would have guessed. the way he crafted his sentences was interesting, too. i need that recorder...
leigh was excited for the chance to be photographed in his black clothes. while i took his portrait, he held his green coat low on his shoulders and out of the frame. then, when i moved back to take the full-length shot, he said, "we'll do this one a little bit different". then he proceeded to take of his coat and put it aside. that is quite interesting, right? image is so important. for some it's a porsche and coach weekend bag, but for others it is a black hooded sweatshirt and some torn pants.
thanks so much for the conversation today, leigh.
0 comments:
Post a Comment