Stranger 1, Kenneth.

I was scared, no, terrified to begin the Strangers project. Being a shy high schooler struggling with publicphotographyphobia and an overall mild hatred of people, the prospect of approaching a random individual on the street and asking to take their picture was an idea that made me almost queasy with fear. Fear of rejection, or fear of coming off as a creep, or fear of getting mugged or kidnapped or murdered.

 

However, life is about overcoming fear, right?

 

I decided to go to a nice, quasi-utopian surburban community, in search of a smiley caucasian woman who preferably had children; to highly guarantee my safety and overall well-being.

However, the moment I stepped out of my car, the fear finally hit me, nearly melting all of my resolve to do this. I look down the street - nobody. Across the street - nobody. I decided to walk up the path a little more, and boom - I see Kenneth.

Kenneth was, forshur, an intimidating man. His dark eyes, sharp features , and military-like haircut showed that he was no joke, and he even wore headphones as if to say, “Don’t mess with me... or else.” Looking at him, almost every fiber of my being was screaming at me to turn around and walk back to the car. I almost did, too, when a little voice inside of my head politely told me: “Ryan, you wimp. Grow a pair for once and go get that man’s picture.”

 

Honestly, though I have absolutely no idea what convinced me to do this, it was the best decision I have made in a while.

I approached the man, and, stuttering pitifully and heart pounding up my neck, I told him about the project and how he was my first stranger and I asked if i could take his photo.

 

He looked at me, and then unexpectedly broke into the biggest grin I have ever seen. “Why, of course! Wait….You’re telling me that I’m FIRST? That’s such an honor!” He began breaking out into a variety of goofy poses, striking funny faces and asking me about where he should stand and what he should do, all while exclaiming what an honor it was to be my first subject. He seemed completely overjoyed and kept thanking me, and that melted away every ounce of my anxiousness.

Finally, I asked him to look at the camera straight faced, because that most embodied the first impression I had of him, the impression of intimidation and toughness.

 

Kenneth Jones has played a massive role in my Stranger project. I think that, if the first stranger I approached was rude or disrespectful to me (as I had initially feared), I may not have continued with it. Kenneth was a man that looked tough and scared me at first. However, my growth was in taking that first step to approaching a scary man and snapping a shot of him. I’m sure that there will be a number of rude strangers in the future, but for now, I’m thankful that God gave me a kind one (and assured that there are many, many more kind ones out there).

 

“Nice camera you got there!” Kenneth told me. “My friend once told me that digital cameras nowadays can take like 800 shots in seconds!” He leans in to whisper, “I was born in ’58, yaknow.”

We talked for a little bit longer, shook hands, and parted ways. While walking away Kenneth shouted at me, “First one, Best one!” I returned to my car laughing, with a bounce in my step and a new determination.

 

Thank you so much, Kenneth Jones, for teaching me how deceiving stereotypes and first impressions are. You were a joy to work with and the perfect first stranger.

 

 

This picture is #1 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

 

PS sorry for the long story. I promise future ones will be more brief.

=)

Done