Because you allowed me to photograph you during my walk around Talat Noi and Song Wat the other day in Bangkok, your spontaneously captured portrait may begin a journey that outlives us both.

The image will remain in my camera only briefly before I transfer it to my computer. There, I’ll study it, asking whether it does you justice: Have I caught a hint of your soul, or only your likeness?

Can the photo reveal some of who you are, what life has asked of you, the wear of years, and the tears and joys your eyes cannot conceal?

If it feels true, I’ll keep your portrait as a record of our paths crossing: two people sharing nothing more than the same stretch of ground. And if so, we will remain connected long after we’ve gone our separate ways.

But who knows, one day you might see your portrait included in one of my books…