It’s often in the unexpected moments when life blesses us with our best ideas, reveals to us our greatest talents, introduces us to our most beloved passions.

In March of 2021, I was trying too hard. One year into the pandemic I was unemployed, two-thirds of my way through a design bootcamp, heartbroken, and feeling sorry for myself. Like many people during the pandemic, I had lost my job, was overwhelmed by the news, and was struggling with the uncertainty that lay ahead - personally and globally.

Early in the morning, after another sleepless night, I grabbed my camera and walked out to the beach. When I’m overwhelmed by life I find solace in long walks and noticing quiet moments of nature. I had spent 7 years taking photographs of landscapes, mountain scenery, and bodies of water. I figured the palm trees and empty beach would offer some beauty to help get me through the day.

Then, I noticed a young woman taking a selfie and not looking particularly pleased with how they were turning out. In a moment of unexpected boldness, I approached her and said “Hey, I’m pretty good at taking photos, would you like me to take some for you?” She agreed.

“Wow, you’re really good at this,” she said. “You should do this.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You should take pictures of people on the beach. You’re good at it.” She replied.

So I did. I walked up and down the beaches of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica and approached complete strangers, asking in complete sincerity if they wanted their pictures taken. To my astonishment, tons of people said yes. In fact, more than half of the people I asked said yes.

People can pick up on intentions. They know whether you’re approaching them because you want something from them or if you’re trying to sell something, or if you’re coming from a place of genuine offering.

But here’s an important detail- I had almost no experience photographing people. In January of 2021, I had done maybe 5 portrait photoshoots in my life. By the end of 2022, I had done over 300. Before this, my photography was almost entirely of nature and architecture.

So while I was thrilled that people were willing to let me take their photos of them, I had to learn how to direct a photoshoot. I had to learn how to pose people, many of whom had no idea how to stand in front of a camera, what to do with their hands, or how to keep from smiling out of sheer nervousness.

This is when I discovered my superpower. “How are you feeling this morning?” I’d ask them. When people heard this question, their whole body language shifted from posing to embodying how they felt. The answers varied from “tired and sleepy” to “kind of insecure actually” to “So happy to be here!”

I encouraged them to let their body show that feeling. “Let me focus on what it looks like, you focus on what it feels like.”

“Think about a time when you felt powerful,” I would tell them. “What were you doing, what was that moment like"?”

These photo sessions were not superficial. They were not about showing off, portraying some idyllic moment of time. They were rooted in genuine human connection. They showed people coming to a part of their world that focuses on healing, leisure, and connection with nature. After a year where life was stifled by quarantine, social distancing, and global-political conflict - people were getting their first opportunities to breathe, to expand, to restore.