$10 Portrait -
I was able to have a nice dinner tonight cooked by my wife. I was surrounded by my family and children, and we had a family sit-down dinner. I had the warmth of my home and more importantly a sense of being connected. The fog lead me out to shoot some of the lights of the plaza. That was where I met Pervis Nelson. He crossed the street as I walked along, and asked if the thing I was carrying wrapped in plastic was roses. 

I told him it wasn’t, and he asked if he could talk to me for a moment. He explained that he was recently out of prison, and was trying to get his life going. He asked if I could help him out.

I looked at him and explained I would not “GIVE” him anything. However, he could earn something. He looked at me with a cocked head. I explained he could earn some money by letting me shoot his portrait. He asked again, “You are going to pay me for you taking my portrait.” I explained that I never thought anyone should have a hand-out, but he could earn the money. This was going to be a hand-up, not a hand-out. I explained he was a grown man, and he had a way to earn money.

He explained that he had done time for felony Domestic Violence charges. He said he never had any criminal history before that charge. I explained with his knowledge and his ability to talk, he should look into counseling or probation services. This would give him standing with the people he would be talking to.

We shuffled across the street to a business window I saw lit up. He said he didn’t know how I was going to do this. I assumed as it was dark and the air filled with fog. I had him slide up to the side of the window, lit by a strip of white LED’s. 

Here was his $10.00 job… and my $10.00 portrait.