An Ordinary Grace

It was hot that day in Las Vegas, walking the Strip with my rangefinder camera, looking for whatever might catch my eye or quietly tell a story.

Street photography is challenging.

You want a candid moment, not something scripted. You want to freeze time and people and life, without intruding, without breaking the spell.

And sometimes, you simply accept what the day gives you.

That happened when the young woman said, ‘Take my picture,’ as I walked by. She worked for a company offering bus tours around the city. She was young and energetic, carrying a lightness of being that I felt immediately.

I smiled and said, ‘Sure.’ But in my excitement I took the photo too quickly. Almost cropped the top of her head.

It didn’t matter.

Because the smile said everything.

And she reminded me of something simple and important. Each morning, we get to choose. To be a light, or a black hole.

She was a light.