"Petit Theatre" Jessica Hester, street musician, plays soulfully one early morning in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having played the violin for eight years, she picked up the fiddle about three months prior to me taking this image. When I approached her, wanting to learn more about her and asking her permission to photograph her, she was thrilled because she didn't have a single image of herself playing her instrument. I am so excited to be sending her these images I captured in January 2012. ©2012 Lisa Langell. All Rights Reserved.

"Heart Strings" Street musician, Jessica Hester, has played violin for eight years. She played the fiddle today--having picked it up three months ago. Originally from Missouri, Jessica sings with a wonderful, soulful, old-soul type of voice that resonated beautifully along a corridor in the French Quarter of New Orleans. ©2012 Lisa Langell. All Rights Reserved.

"Jessica & Cloud" Jessica Hester, street musician in the French Quarter of New Orleans, played her fiddle soulfully one early, chilly morning in January 2012. Langell came upon Jessica and Cloud on a clear, cool morning in January 2012 as she photographed the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Jessica, barely 18, sang with a raw, soulful sound well beyond her years. Langell heard her before she saw her. Accepting Langell’s request to photograph her, she conversed and sang song after song while Langell shot image after image. A wanderlust and free spirit, her personality carried over the notes Jessica played. She was animated and youthful, but Langell also sensed she was an “old soul” who lived the experiences of one hundred lives. Langell later sent Jessica the photographs from their time together. She told Langell that she captured “Cloud,” her dog, in her favorite little pose and expression, and that these were her favorite images ever taken of herself. Her departing message stuck with Langell and encapsulated Jessica’s approach to life beautifully and simply: “Blessings on the path…” ©2012 Lisa Langell. All Rights Reserved.