Quiet Moments

Despite being dressed in neutral colours, Justin first caught our eye while we were shooting Camille at a back alley along the streets of Chinatown. Usually busy with foot traffic on the weekends, Chinatown on a weekday afternoon embodies a different vibe. The roads are quieter, the sidewalks emptier. All we hear on a day out like this one is the clicking of our camera, and the muffled clinking of Justin’s lighter as he takes a quick smoke break outside the small bar he works at.

As we approached him for a chat and to snap some photos, he seems pensive at first, but warms up to us gradually. “I don’t really think I’m fashionable, actually,” Justin tells us with a shy smile, but he still humours us anyway as he poses casually for our shots.

If you ask us what first drew us to Justin, we’d tell you it’s his tousled hairdo, reminiscent of a modern-day Einstein, and the simple tattoos that adorn his neck and arm. But as we begin shooting him, other parts of Justin start to shine through—his warm, crinkly-eyed smile, and his unique silver bracelet, which he tells us he made himself out of a fork.

As we said our goodbyes and let Justin enjoy the rest of his break in peace, we left with a greater appreciation of the slow, quiet moments that we often overlook in life.