I stepped out of the ophthalmologist’s office into cloud covered defused light that passed pain through my dilated pupils. Squinting, I stumbled down the stairs to the sidewalk, where a smiling gent walked up and asked for a “favor”. My apologetic tone conveyed clear response: No cash. I meant to bring a five-dollar bill, in case somebody asked, but left it behind when rushing out the door to walk to the doctor’s office.
But he didn’t ask for money. He wanted me to bless him. To wish him happy birthday. He is 37 years-old today. I did both. We separated, and I regretted not asking to take his photo. How often does something so straightforward occur? He wasn’t grifting or panhandling. The fellow simply sought birthday wishes.
We met on Third Street in San Diego neighborhood Hillcrest. I pursued the fella and caught up with him on Fifth, where an older woman he appeared to know sang the Birthday Song. I asked to take his portrait and to write about him; he obliged.
Quick bio: Adrian moved to San Diego in 2019, at the suggestion of a relative (brother or cousin, I don’t recall) who is in the Navy out here. The climate wooed the Louisiana-native to stay. His two-year-old daughter, whose birthday is next month, is the other reason Adrian won’t leave.
The Featured Image is one of three taken, using Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. In post-production, I applied the B&W Warm filter in Microsoft Photos. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 25, 1/400 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 11:07 a.m. PDT. Composed as shot.