100 Strangers
From my 100 Strangers Project - I’d seen Karl walking around town for years with his blue and gold macaw. When I finally caught up with him and asked to take his portrait, he agreed only on the condition that I also take a picture of my wife and Lucky, the bird.
From my 100 Strangers project - As is often the case, I started by taking a few pics of Sherry’s dog who wasn’t really much to look at and wouldn’t stand still. I kept taking pictures and talking before moving along. She was one of the friendly folks who sometimes thank me.
For the past six weeks I’ve been on a manic tear, cranking out 16-17 blog posts a week – seven app reviews, seven personal, non-technical posts, a few technical articles on productivity and sharing a photograph from my 100 Strangers project each day. I also started a links blog. Here’s my workflow
From my 100 Strangers project - Joseph let me photograph him after I explained the project in detail and gave him a card with the address of where he could view it online, but he never really believed that I didn’t work for the newspaper, although I told him repeatedly that I didn’t.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Carlos and another security guard were standing on the front steps of the library when I asked to take the photos. I think they are so used to dealing with street people that it would be impossible to phase them with any request.
From my 100 Strangers project - I photographed Fred’s friend first and really didn’t have any intention of asking for anything else, but the friend told him “Let this guy take your picture” and he obliged.
From my 100 Strangers project - Alan was standing outside a fancy hotel smoking a cigarette. We talked about the weather for a minute. He told me he was from California. He took his glasses off before I made this portrait
From my 100 Strangers project - When I asked Curtis if I could take his picture for my project he readily agreed and then struck this “gazing into the future” pose that was just perfect.
From my 100 Strangers project - Esteban was in a city park in Columbia, SC taking a walk with his dog. The dog was not walking. He was. I didn’t get the dog’s name, but she was only two years old, so she and her owner hopefully had many more years together.
From my 100 Strangers project - John, in the black fedora, looking every inch the jazz musician he is in real life. I caught him having a smoke and a coffee break from his usual busking downtown. I have had this photo hanging in my living room for a decade. I love it.
From my 100 Strangers project - Teresa and Peter proved that people will accommodate you if you have a camera. The frame was not my prop, it just happened to be leaning against a table at the flea market where I was scouting for subjects. I handed it to them and asked them to pose and they did.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Hippie Mike was hustling t-shirts at the flea market and had no problem having his portrait taken or giving me a free shirt so I could use it and the picture to remember the experience.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Bethany was playing a Neil Young song I could hear before I saw her. She didn’t even have an open guitar case for people to throw money into. She was pretty good too.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Leon, the fish whisperer, taken on North Carolina’s Outer Banks in the fishing village of Buxton. I like to take pictures of people working as long as there is no need to hassle them to ask a couple of questions.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Bobby from New Jersey (with the accent to prove it), who I met while he was in the city for the day on unspecified business. The backwards baseball cap is part of the Jersey Shore uniform.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Kenny, manager of a skateboard park, lover of haters
From my 100 Strangers Project - This gentleman’s name is Thor. He repeatedly cautioned me to stay safe “out here”.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Officer McGuire, taken right after he made a big show of scolding a woman for taking two steps away from her suitcase. She didn’t even speak English. He could have handled it differently.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Doug, the old-time rock and roller. I took some pictures of him and his friends jamming at a local park (Steppenwolf covers were tops!) and then talked with him later. He’s been playing guitar for nearly 50 years. He looks the part.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Larry - This is the difference you can make in someone’s attitude in just a few seconds if you smile at them, say “thank you” and give them a thumbs up. Shortly after I took this is when I started talking first and photographing second.
