During the summer of 2016, I traveled to Scotland the Northern Ireland for a study abroad trip on photography and media in tourism. On our last full day in Scotland, our photography professor took the class to George Square, Glasgow near our hotel. We were allowed to take only 20 photos in the area with no deleting on our camera. 

I decided to get my telephoto lens out (Nikkor 70-300mm 4.5-5.6) and practice capturing people. I circled George Square many times waiting for people to do something remotely interesting besides walking. As I walked around, I frequently passed two young Muslim women sitting down and talking. I was interested because one, there are hardly any Muslims where I go to school - none at all where I grew up. I was curious and just liked to glance over. Secondly, I recognized the emotions on their faces. 

The first woman, showing her back in the above picture, was consoling the other woman. Obviously, the second girl was upset and was talking it out with her friend. Many times that I passed, she had a blank stare on her face - like something too big had happened to her and she was upset/mad/numb. The first woman was trying her best to console her. She was hunched over, trying to look into her eyes, pleading for her feel better. 

I never heard a word they said, but I could tell what was going on by their body language. See, photography teaches you to be so in tune with what people, landscapes, or creatures are doing. Timing is everything. So, when you pick up on subtleties, you're able to craft a better picture, and story, with your camera. 

Empathy is a strange thing. When people tell you to "walk a mile in their shoes," that's impossible. No one will experience the same thing in the exact same way as someone else, but we try to do that with empathy. It's not a bad thing at all! What incredible about it is that empathy is you and me trying to do the impossible. 

Not only do photographers start to recognize these emotions on others, but they evoke memories in ourselves - times that we felt and looked the same way. I connected with the second woman who was upset. I have depression and anxiety and have had many conversations with people that no matter what they said, I couldn't feel better. 

Finally, during the last time that I passed them, they got up to hug, and this is where I noticed the biggest part. The face that you see in the picture, the second woman, hugged her friend without smiling. It was a "thank you" hug with no real emotion. I cannot tell you how many of those I have given. That emotion struck me, and I'm so thankful I captured it. Seeing that interaction play out and being able to take a picture of it is my ability to have empathy with my subjects. 

Photography allows me to be a quiet observer always picking up on new feelings, emotions, and interactions of others. I could see beyond their heritage and their faith and see the same emotions I've experienced and capture that. There's a story to tell, and even if you don't see the full picture, you can relate to what they're doing - and that's enough. 

So, next time you pick up a camera, try to notice the people around you - what they're expressing, doing, and maybe even feeling. That will craft your story more than anything because we all want to experience that human empathy for ourselves. You will begin to see past what they look like, where they're from, or who they are, and realize that we're all the same trying to navigate this world.