Common Ground
We met at a campground sink in Iceland. They were from Hamburg, Germany, and as we stood there with the water running and the sound of silverware clattering together, we started talking.
Because of the language barrier and their thick accents, I couldn't quite make out their names—but it didn’t really matter. The struggle to explain things forced us to actually pay attention to each other’s facial expressions and the tone of our voices. It was a common ground that invited us to really listen.
We talked about our trips, our kids, and where we lived. It was a reminder that even when you're in an epic location, the adventure is also about the people you meet along the way. When I took this portrait, I wasn’t looking at strangers anymore. I was looking at two people from a different part of the world who aren't actually that different from me.
