“this photo is my proof”

I’ve obsessed over this quote from a Duane Michaels photograph since I first read it as a young photographer. The black and white image from the caption is itself nothing extraordinary - a young couple sharing an embrace in a nondescript room. But the story the image and caption tell is powerful one - that moments are fleeting and that a photograph can prove that fleeting moments did once happen. That simple mantra has always inspired me to keep looking, staring, listening and keep documenting every friendly face, every fleeting moment… no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time.

In Vecino, I’ve tried to document a distinctive sense of spirit that, for me, defines the East Austin neighborhood I’ve called home for over 20 years. This spirit, the palpable cool vibe that has put a national spotlight on East Austin, for me has always been fostered by friends, acquaintances and neighbors with whom I share these sidewalks, and streets, the front yards and the back yards, the bakeries and gas stations, the HEB. The stories of these kindred spirits have shaped my sense of home, and collectively, they are the keepers of the spirit of this community. Over the past two decades, I’ve watched neighbors come and go, businesses open and businesses close, homes get demolished and new ones built in their place. Vecino is a way for me to chronicle and honor my neighbors and the stories that we carry communally. The portraits and interviews, both past and present, are a living narrative of the place I call home.

These photos are my proof… proof that something wonderful happened here. Look, see for yourself.