Behind the Lens: Sidewalk Prophets With WOMT Radio

Some photography jobs are just another day behind the camera. Others end up meaning a little more than you expected. Photographing Sidewalk Prophets with WOMT Radio was definitely one of those experiences for me.

My job that day was pretty simple: show up, photograph the event, and tell the story through my images. I was honestly pretty locked in on getting the shots I wanted. I wasn’t there to get lost in the music or become part of the show. I was watching the lighting, looking for reactions from the crowd, finding different angles, and waiting for those moments that only happen for a second.

At the same time, being there was a little uncomfortable for me personally. As an Indigenous person, I have a complicated relationship with Christianity, and it’s not really a part of my life today. Being in that environment brought me back into a world that I had previously stepped away from, and one that wasn’t necessarily something I chose to be a part of in the first place.

But there was something different about being there this time. I wasn’t there because I was being told I had to be. I was there because I had a camera in my hands, a job to do, and a reason to be there that I had chosen for myself. That distinction actually meant quite a bit to me.

Photography also gave me something to focus on. Rather than getting distracted by the music or the things that made me uncomfortable, I could concentrate on what I actually enjoy. I was thinking about composition, timing, light, expressions, and how I could capture the feeling of the event without necessarily needing to be personally connected to what was happening on stage.

Looking back, I think that’s what made this shoot more meaningful than I expected. Sometimes growth isn’t some huge moment where everything suddenly changes. Sometimes it’s simply walking back into an environment that once had a lot of meaning or control over your life and realizing that you’re there on your own terms now.

For me, that felt like a little bit of character development.

I’m grateful to WOMT Radio for having me out and giving me the opportunity to document the event. The music itself may not have been my thing, but I can still appreciate the people who came out, the work that went into putting the event together, and the opportunity to tell that story through photography.

At the end of the day, I wasn’t there because I was part of that world. I was there because I was a photographer, and I was there to do what I love.

And I’m pretty damn happy with the photos I walked away with.