jeremy, on our shoot together several weeks back. this was shot in a new location, in hillyard, wa., a suburb of spokane. i've been shooting near a lot of train tracks lately. when we got here, i had jeremy empty out his pockets, and i held onto his cell phone and keys for him. we then went about 50 yards down to where there was an empty boxcar sitting on the tracks (shown in picture). while we were shooting on top of the train, some kid came up to us, sweating pretty profusely, and asked us if there was a belt up where we were at (on top of the boxcar). we had seen it tied off on the top rung of the ladder while climbing up and thought that it was kind of odd that there was a belt sitting up there, but didn't think much more of it after that. anyway, we gave him the belt and he climbed up to where we were at and just stood there... WHILE i was trying to shoot. well i don't know how it is for any OTHER portrait photographers out there who might be reading this, but when some weird random guy comes up to you while you're taking shots, it makes it kinda tough to concentrate on your work, so we engaged the kid in conversation. i came to find out that his name was jason, he was roughly 24, and he was having a bad day, but he'd be doing better soon, he said. well after it was very apparent that jason had nothing else on his agenda aside from sitting right there, we decided to move on. several hours later, after running a little late on our shoot, i get a call from a very concerned mother. as it turns out, jeremy's mom had tried to call her son when she hadn't heard from him, only to have his cell phone answered by a police officer. the officer told her that they had found the phone in the field less than 100 yards from where some kid had committed suicide. as is a mother's natural instinct, she assumed the worst and called me in a panic. i later came to find out that a kid by the name of jason had hung himself from the very same boxcar we were shooting at, within a very short time of our being there. i believe jeremy and i were the last two people jason ever talked to before killing himself, and that's a pretty wild thing to think about.

you know, in the business that i'm in, you meet some amazing people, shoot in some bizarre locations, and have a lot of fun. but you don't ever expect to have the kind of run-in that i did with jason. just remember that these places, many times, are sick and dying, and your shooting there may come at a cost than is greater than what you really want to pay, or you may witness something you really would rather not. be careful as you go out and shoot. be prepared to protect yourself and the people you're with, and don't be as blind and care-free as me and go down the dankest, darkest alley, just because you're curious how it'll look on film. i guess i'm just trying to remind you of the potential hazard involved in shooting urban portraiture. its not always fun and games. sometimes you get a reality check.

so as you go on with your day, take a moment to pray for the lives of jason's friends and family. the Lord hears those prayers, ane they do incredible things. if you're hurting, maybe like jason was, maybe not, remember, there is a God in heaven who created you and loves you, and He's there to help all those who are willing to accept Him. He is better than any dad or mom, brother or sister, boyfriend or girlfriend. He's seen me through some pretty desolate times, and EVERY time i've needed someone, He was there to help me through. when i was depressed, He cheered me up with the people he's put in my life and thoughts He's implanted in my head, and when i needed money, He's always been there to provide me with unexpected income. don't forget about the greatest thing that ever happened to this life, its Creator. so thank you for taking the time to stop by, and God bless you as you go on.

~daveainley