SNAPSHOTS.

In November 2007, I received an email from a man I had never met. There was no grand introduction. No dramatic origin story. No indication a nearly two-decade friendship was about to begin. Joe Brady simply wanted some help. Wake & District Public Safety Pipes and Drums was trying to improve its midsection scores, and Joe was reaching out looking for ideas. For anyone unfamiliar with the pipe-band world, asking another musician for an opinion about your band can be dangerous.

Over the years, I’ve photographed thousands of people—some during major milestones, others in quiet moments that may have lasted only a fraction of a second. But behind every photograph is a person, and behind every person is a story. The People Project is a new ongoing series where I’ll revisit photographs from across my years behind the camera and share more about the people in them—who they are, what made the moment memorable, and why their story has stayed with me. Some f