Photographer Zoë Rodriguez and writer Amy Albo invite the audience into the lives of a fantastically diverse group of people and then challenge us to deconstruct the layers of potential biases and stereotypes behind our initial glance. The what I thought I saw project is a photo-essay book and traveling exhibit that highlights the fascinating stories we miss every day because we see people through an imperfect and highly visual lens. Along with their collaborators—writer Peta Owens-Liston and photographer Sasha Polak—the speakers challenge us to stop for a moment, to question our visual certainty, and to begin noticing the fascinating what I thought I saw moments all around us.

Zoë Rodriguez is the co-founder of Zoë Rodriguez Photography, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has exhibited her work in Salt Lake City, Denver, and New York City. Rodriguez began learning about photos at a young age from her professional photographer father, John Gilberto Rodriguez & credits her mom for teaching her about love, kindness & design. She is eternally grateful to her children -- James, Thomas, Gabrielle, Marren, Kate & Robert, her partner, for teaching her the most important lessons in life -- how to love and how to be loved.

Amy Albo has worked as a magazine editor and freelance writer in New York City and Salt Lake City for more than twenty years. This project has challenged her to notice how easily we insert our own ideas, beliefs and judgments not only into the way we see others but also how we tell their stories. Albo has a B.A. in English from Georgetown University and an M.A. in nonfiction writing from Johns Hopkins University.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)