Photography
From my 100 Strangers Project - DJ was fishing off the pier at Sunset Beach in Brunswick County, NC during the annual blue fish run when I interrupted him long enough to take this portrait.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Meg was sitting at a table on the sidewalk outside a bar, doing a little day drinking and having a smoke on a crisp December afternoon. Her comment when I explained my project - “How fun!”. And, she said it with a big smile. I love the reflection in the window.
From my 100 Strangers Project - I met Shawn and Erica at a demonstration jump by the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team who are stationed at Ft. Liberty adjacent to the town where we live. Erica was happy to pose for me. Shawn was a little reticent and reserved, but a good sport, nonetheless.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Stone (his name) manages this tattoo business. A few days after I shot this, I saw him again and we had a conversation. Turns out he is a photographer too. We talked about it for a while. He looked me up on Facebook and we’ve now been friends for 10 years.
From my 100 Strangers Project - I met Jenny at a craft fair, where she was smoking this big old stogie and composing poetry on a cloudy spring Sunday. How could I not get a picture of that?
From my 100 Strangers Project - Eric and his partner were waiting for breakfast outside a busy diner when I approached them. He seemed kind of grumpy and I didn’t think I was going to get this one, but she told him it was OK, so in the end I got my man.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Office Scott. I couldn’t tell if she was flattered or embarrassed, but she was cool with having me snap a photo. I take picture of police officers because it’s good for them to get used to it. I’m not pushy or confrontational about it and most of them don’t mind.
100 Strangers Project - This lovely lady sold newspapers on an off ramp near my house for years in all kinds of weather, always smiling. I bought from her whenever I had cash.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Jessica - a member of an anarchist pacifist theater group dating back to 1947. I saw them rehearsing in a park in NYC and struck up a conversation. The didn’t just talk at me though, truly curious they asked about my project and my own artistic history.
From my 100 Strangers Project - This guy wanted to remain anonymous. I met him on the street in Charlotte where he was busy selling tickets before a Panthers football game, but not too busy to pose for a quick street portrait.
From my 100 Strangers Project - Miranda, a real-life Roller Derby Queen. I thought Roller Derby died in the 70s and she told me that it had in fact done so but the 21st century has seen a revival. Miranda was a slight, if athletic woman with a definite energetic presence and a sense of enthusiasm.
Another sticker for @maique - The building this is stuck too belongs to American photographer Jay Maisel in NYC and it serves as an impromptu art gallery in the neighborhood.
“I’ve been an artist myself. Anything I can do to promote art, I will. Art says things about its creator, whether it is good or bad.” - Robert
100 Strangers - Robert is an artist & philosopher. I saw him sitting on a bench, legs crossed beneath him on the periphery of Central Park reading a book he’d just purchased from one of the stalls along the street. He wore a quirky pair of glasses that drew my attention. His reaction to my portrait request was a huge smile and 100% cooperation. I knelt on the sidewalk and gladly listened to his thoughts on art for several minutes.
A street portrait from my 100 Strangers Project. This is Joey, an aspiring actor I met at a street festival. He was an agreeable model and we had a nice chat after I took his photo.
From My 100 Strangers series of street portraits - When I told her that she had a beautiful smile, she thanked me. I meant it.
Everyone has their favorite moments, their favorite memories. These are mine. None of them are particularly monumental and thankfully some of them are downright commonplace. Lucky me.
Hiking in New Hampshire is scary at times. There’s a weather station on top of Mt. Washington where there’s a plaque to all the people who have died on the mountain. The scary part? They left room on the bottom of the plaque to add more names!
π· #mbApr Bonus Day 32 - Unputdownable My granddaughter, Jolene, named after the Dolly Parton song (note: I eventually did, in fact, put her down. She is a teenager now.)
π· #mbApr Bonus Day 31 - Bubble At the North Carolina Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville
