For whatever reason, for a long time, I found it easier to photograph people in other countries than I did to photograph people in my own. What was I afraid of? So, I looked at how I approached people in other countries and I realized that because I was genuinely interested in them and their culture I could approach them. I genuinely wanted to make friends and learn about them and this feeling could be conveyed even if I didn’t speak the language. The task was to transfer this to taking people pictures in my own cities and learning how not to be cautious about approaching people. I tried it out in Washington, D.C. in Lafayette Square and on Black Lives Matter Plaza last fall. I engaged in conversation with people I met on the street and then took pictures. Wow! No one threw bricks at me! No one waved me off! Once a real human connection was made there was trust between the subject and me. I was back there this past week and even though everything was changed I found the person I had photographed before and he remembered me!
Felipe camped out at Lafayette Square 2020 in Washington, D.C. 
Felipe in another part of Lafayette Square 2021
Getting photos of people at events is a bit easier because you are not really engaging with them individually but getting the photo that records a moment of that event by capturing expressions, emotions, action, etc. In both situations you are making a connection and that connection informs your photograph. You are making a connection with the event by consciously or sub-consciously internalizing the atmosphere, mood, surroundings, etc. all of which contribute to the image you get when you push the shutter button.
As I work on my Jersey Shore project I am engaging directly with many people I have never met before. I have found that most people are very open to letting me photograph them, especially when I explain the project to them. I am excited to see where this photographic journey will take me and encourage everyone to start making connections to improve your photography.
Hi, this is Bob from cnrgsol. Really enjoyed this article and thanks for taking the time to write it. Regards,Bob Schuman