This is easily one of my favorite photos I have ever taken.

I saw her on the side of the road somewhere between Addo and Gqeberha, South Africa while driving past one of the largest shanty towns I have ever seen.

She was on the other side of the road, picking through trash and we made eye contact and she smiled.

I pulled over and offered he all the cash I had on me. Her surprise quickly turned into a warm, appreciative smile, and I asked if I could take her photograph.

She agreed.

It wasn't until I really looked at the photograph, that I noticed everything.

The red head piece under her perfectly placed hat.
The blue scarf that reminds me of the New England Patriot’s logo, draped under her worn green jacket.
The bright yellow turtleneck underneath.

It dawned on me that she woke up that morning knowing she was going to the side of the road to pick through what other people had thrown away.

And yet, she had dressed with care and pride.

There was intention in those colors. There was pride in the way she presented herself. She dressed for herself, even knowing no one was necessarily going to notice her.

But what stayed with me most wasn't the clothing.

It was her gaze.

That gentle, appreciative smile. The quiet way she looked directly into my camera. There was no self-consciousness in it. No performance. Just a brief moment between two strangers on the side of a South African road.

I will always remember her.

And I remember thinking how easy it would have been to keep driving.