The Forms of Silence [ street photography ]

The Forms of Silence: Street Photography began many years ago with a simple but life-changing piece of advice from three dear friends-Tim, Shaba, and Paul-all experienced artists, publishers, and photographers. They saw something in me I hadn't yet recognized: that I had "the eye" for photography. Their encouragement led me to pick up a small camera and wander the streets, capturing fragments of life and experimenting with the way light and shadow converse. This journey, now approaching a decade, has been sustained by the unwavering support of those closest to me-my parents, siblings, my wife, my children, and friends like Johannes and Dave of the CEC family, who have walked beside me through every stage. Their belief in me, through seasons of uncertainty and wonder alike, has been a quiet but constant anchor.

As a sociologist and theologian, my professional life is rooted in listening to the struggles and hopes of marginalized communities-work that often brings me to the edges of human vulnerability and resilience. Amid this intensity, I found myself longing for silence. Street and urban photography became that silence: a way to stand still, to breathe, and to find beauty in the overlooked corners of the everyday.

I have always been drawn to the quiet transformations of the city - the way rain turns streets into living paintings, or how fallen leaves scatter like the soft kisses of Mother Nature upon the earth. These are the gestures that remind me there is poetry hidden everywhere, waiting patiently to be noticed.

I don't see this book-or my work-as a masterpiece, for there are true masters of photography from whom I still have much to learn. Rather, I see it as a trace of my search-a personal record of listening for stillness in a world that rarely stops shouting.

Sam Lee