Our human nature. Helping a friend with her scholarly application, I volunteered some time to lend her a hand. Knowing fully well that shooting a dancer has always been tricky, I'd even say a skill. Yet as I gazed through the lens hoping to do her a solid, I was gravitated by her body, her pain, her anguish and her determination. 

This cut, in particular, reeled me in, I felt like I was part of the dance and had to pull my own weight just to keep up. It was fluid, difficult and at the end worth it. 

We needed to find a location that would have been fitting for the solo. It was by luck or perhaps a universal pull that brought us to the rooftop of this building. The crunch of the gravel, gleaming lights and the unnerving challenge of scaling ourselves up four flights using a rickety escape ladder left us a memory that will last a lifetime. My dear friend, I hope you see your worth. No matter the cards stacked against you, you fight, you struggle, you try.

Capturing a dance or pursuing a dream. I look through these lenses with admiration and humility. Digging deep to figure out what is it within ourselves that perseveres.