I had a good conversation with Jason today while hanging out outside of the Borders at the Block of Orange. Jason made eye contact. I said hi and invited him over to talk. He guided his complex wheelchair over to my table and introduced himself. We spoke of Camus, Sartre, and the role of existentialism in our lives, and then briefly devolved into the ultimate loneliness of the human experience. He blew me away.
I asked him if I could make a picture of him. His only concern was that I do not show his body. I explained that I was working on my portraiture because Ferocious Cheese was blowing me away with her work, he agreed. I am happy with the results.
Jason is at the Block every weekend between 10:00 and 4:00. It’s how he gets his social time. He said many people were afraid to talk to him because of how he looks, and thanked my son and I for taking the time to speak with him. I encourage anybody who enjoys good conversation to look past the troubling outward appearance, you will find a witty and kind man.
My son asked him how he “go this (referring to his condition) happened to him”. Jason replied that he was born that way. I explained what a birth defect was while my son fired questions at Jason – who answered them all kindly. My son then connected the dots and said “oh, your body is like my eyes! (my son has very bad vision), “and… like my dad’s color blindness!”. Jason laughed.
Focal Length: 240mm
Exposure: 0.002s (1/640)
Aperture: f/5.3
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