Portraits Of Boston: 'We Used To Fight All The Time'

“I’m so proud of the man he’s become. He’s one of the kindest, hardest working, most awesome men I know. But when we were kids, we didn’t get along. We have another brother, and we used to fight all the time, and not with words, but with fists.”

“When did you start to see him in a positive light?”

“At one point I left home under not so great circumstances, and he told me that no matter what decision I made he would always be there for me.”

“What happened to make you leave home?”

“My parents are very religious and very conservative, and I look like this, so we didn’t really get along at the time. It was only when I left home that, for the first time ever, I saw him not as an antagonist but a best friend. He was the first one to call me the very next day and tell me ‘I love you and I’m here if you need help.’”

Portraits of Boston is a project of independent photographer Ivan Velinov. He is regularly sharing some of his favorite portraits with WBUR. Visit his website to see the hundreds of portraits he has taken on the streets of Boston.