The fundamentals of photography are very important to crafting an award-winning photograph, but I get a joy when I can capture the emotion of the moment, even if it breaks the rules. To me, a great photographer is a great observer, who can see and capture the fleeting moments of life. Maya Angelou once said that ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make the feel.’ That’s why I am a photographer.

The first photograph for Our Neighbors was taken in 1997 of a man who was literally starving to death. He died two days after I took the photograph. At that point I decided to start taking photographs of people who are less fortunate. I wanted to capture their image in a way that would bring more awareness to the problems of homelessness and poverty in our community.

This exhibit, sixteen years in the making, shows Our Neighbors.

-- Vincent