Northeast Indiana is evolving. These are the people and places shaping its future.
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Fort Wayne is full of life, and
Jared Christiansen is capturing it one picture at a time on his street photography Instagram,
@candidfortwayne. There, you’ll find people working, playing and living in Downtown Fort Wayne.
“I try to capture the goodness,” says Christiansen. “I fell in love with it, capturing moments– capturing humanity, I guess. I do a lot of portrait stuff where we work in different poses, but the candid stuff to me, that’s the real shit. That’s where it at. That’s life happening without any filters.”
For anyone who finds themselves the subject of one of Christiansen’s candid photographs, he offers to send a digital copy. This has led to some fulfilling interactions for the photographer.
“There’s this one,” he recalls. “I’m walking by the Landing with my zoom lens and he’s standing on Harrison Street. He sees me from a block away and I see him. As I point the camera at him he just turns and gives me this big smile and puts his hands up. It’s the most genuine picture.”
Christiansen says later, as he was looking through the photos, he started to wonder if anyone knew who the guy was, so he posted on Facebook. Through numerous shares and conversations, he was able to track down the man in the photo.
“We started talking and he told me that day was a rough day for him but that picture symbolized that even if you’re having a rough time, you can still look for the good,” says Christiansen. “I got chills when I read that.”
He’s been a full-time photographer for three years, doing a little bit of everything– portraits, events and commercial work. (
@jaredchristiansenimages) He first picked up a camera on a trip to Miami in 2014, where he says he just started clicking. After working in real estate for 10 years, he describes his photography career as a second life.
While Candid Fort Wayne is a side project for him, he says he hopes the photos he’s sharing live long enough to create a sense of nostalgia around Downtown Fort Wayne.
“For me, it’s like there’s so much good out there, here it is, take a look,” he says. “If it makes you smile– cool.”
Follow Candid Fort Wayne to see Downtown Fort Wayne candidly! #PeopleofNEI
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