Picture Personal

By Wendy Faunce

On the streets of New York City, Richard Renaldi combines photography and a social experiment, creating a very unusual project. Renaldi composes shots of two or more off-the-street volunteers who have never met intimately posing as friends, family, or lovers. The resulting photos are astounding. While some convey the awkward closeness of strangers, most of the photos reflect the weak yet genuine bond created between the volunteers within minutes. Responses like, “It was a good feeling” and “It was nice to feel that comfort” are very common among the participants despite their initial hesitation to participate. A thirty-something poetry teacher responded, “I felt like I cared for her,” when posed with his arms around a 95-year-old fashion designer. The photos often move Renaldi himself. He states, “It’s kind of lovely.”

 

One volunteer read further into her experience, reflecting, “We are probably missing so much about the people all around us.” And she is completely right. Though it may seem clichéd, we have the responsibility to acknowledge the inherent beauty of each person we encounter. We should not require a person with a camera to enable that acknowledgement. As renowned writer C.S. Lewis stated, “it is hardly possible for [people] to think too often or too deeply about [the glory] of [his/her neighbor].” He goes on to claim, “It is in the light of [the] overwhelming possibilities [of our neighbors’ glory]… that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.”

Our greatest asset and source of life is each other. There are so many people in our lives that it seems impossible to even acknowledge, much less revel in the glory, of each and every person we encounter. However, considering the number of people stretched throughout time, culture, and place, one realizes that a relatively small and specific group of people is present in one’s life. 

Though it is impossible to create and maintain deep and meaningful relationships with every person we encounter, it is possible to recognize everyone as being of significant value to our lives and vice versa. Renaldi’s photos remind us that, in the words of Lewis, “[t]here are no ordinary people…” and that, even if in very small ways, we must treasure and celebrate the miraculous and remarkable existence of the human person.