456/500 - Maxx
I saw him a block from my home in Toronto as I went downtown to my meditation class. He looked like he would make a wonderful addition to my project but I was short on time and couldn’t afford to stop and meet him.
Several hours later, on my way home, I saw him and a co-worker on the steps of the house, taking a break from their work. How could I pass by a second time without asking? I approached and explained my project and almost before I finished he said he’d be glad to. Lucky me. Hands were shaken. Meet Maxx.
Yes, that’s with a double x. Maxx explained that when he was in grade school there were two students with the same name so he added an x to his name to keep their assignments from getting confused and he has remained Maxx ever since. (He must have been getting better grades than the other Max!)
The afternoon spring sunshine was powerful and the only spot I could see to escape it was between the houses. We had to clamber through torn up sidewalk and navigate around large paving stones stacked in the narrow passageway between houses. The location offered nice light but many challenges as the space was cramped and cluttered and there were numerous cables and drain pipes making it hard to get a clear background. Maxx could not have been nicer in helping me clamber around to try and get a good photo and he seemed to understand my objective. As soon as he stood up I realized he was taller than I thought so I resorted to holding my camera high and directing the viewfinder to the lcd for this photo. Maxx then had the idea of moving to the rear of the house where we did the comment photo. I chose the main submission based partly on Maxx’s fondness for this photo.
Maxx is 24 and is a carpenter by trade. He was doing this job of grading the property around a house and laying new paving stones because he likes to be busy and productive (and earning money) when he doesn’t have a carpentry job on the go. It looked like tough, dirty work but he didn’t complain and I could tell he is a hard worker.
I discovered that Maxx has lived at the nearby co-op ever since he was a few months old. When I told him I photographed a Stranger at the 100th anniversary celebration at that co-op last summer he told me he was the person who had organized that event! We were both surprised by this “it’s a small world” discovery.
When I told Maxx what had drawn me to him as a subject was the fact that he looked like a pirate he said “Cool! That’s the look I was going for. I LOVE pirates!” I couldn’t resist asking about his amazing dreadlocks. He told me he has been growing them for 10 years (“these aren’t weaves”) and he formed and cares for them himself.
Maxx was enthusiastic about 100 Strangers and said he’d like to mention our encounter on his Facebook and give the link to the project to help spread the word. How nice of him. When I asked him if he had any words of wisdom to share with the project photographers or a personal philosophy he laughed and said “I don’t have any big life plan. I lead one day at a time.” I said “It sound like you’re a free spirit” to which he replied “Hey, I’m just a hippie at heart.”
I didn’t want to prolong his day further so I told Maxx I should let him complete his work. He said not to worry, that they were just about to knock off for the day and would be back in a few days to start laying the new paving stones. I’m sure we’ll meet again as he finishes up the job.
Thank you Maxx for participating in 100 Strangers. You are now Stranger #456 in Round 5 of my project. It was great meeting you.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
To browse Round 1 of my 100 Strangers project click here: www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157633145986224/
To browse Round 2 of my 100 Strangers project click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157634422850489/
To browse Round 3 of my 100 Strangers project click here: www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157635541434065/
To browse Round 4 of my 100 Strangers project click here:
456/500 - Maxx
I saw him a block from my home in Toronto as I went downtown to my meditation class. He looked like he would make a wonderful addition to my project but I was short on time and couldn’t afford to stop and meet him.
Several hours later, on my way home, I saw him and a co-worker on the steps of the house, taking a break from their work. How could I pass by a second time without asking? I approached and explained my project and almost before I finished he said he’d be glad to. Lucky me. Hands were shaken. Meet Maxx.
Yes, that’s with a double x. Maxx explained that when he was in grade school there were two students with the same name so he added an x to his name to keep their assignments from getting confused and he has remained Maxx ever since. (He must have been getting better grades than the other Max!)
The afternoon spring sunshine was powerful and the only spot I could see to escape it was between the houses. We had to clamber through torn up sidewalk and navigate around large paving stones stacked in the narrow passageway between houses. The location offered nice light but many challenges as the space was cramped and cluttered and there were numerous cables and drain pipes making it hard to get a clear background. Maxx could not have been nicer in helping me clamber around to try and get a good photo and he seemed to understand my objective. As soon as he stood up I realized he was taller than I thought so I resorted to holding my camera high and directing the viewfinder to the lcd for this photo. Maxx then had the idea of moving to the rear of the house where we did the comment photo. I chose the main submission based partly on Maxx’s fondness for this photo.
Maxx is 24 and is a carpenter by trade. He was doing this job of grading the property around a house and laying new paving stones because he likes to be busy and productive (and earning money) when he doesn’t have a carpentry job on the go. It looked like tough, dirty work but he didn’t complain and I could tell he is a hard worker.
I discovered that Maxx has lived at the nearby co-op ever since he was a few months old. When I told him I photographed a Stranger at the 100th anniversary celebration at that co-op last summer he told me he was the person who had organized that event! We were both surprised by this “it’s a small world” discovery.
When I told Maxx what had drawn me to him as a subject was the fact that he looked like a pirate he said “Cool! That’s the look I was going for. I LOVE pirates!” I couldn’t resist asking about his amazing dreadlocks. He told me he has been growing them for 10 years (“these aren’t weaves”) and he formed and cares for them himself.
Maxx was enthusiastic about 100 Strangers and said he’d like to mention our encounter on his Facebook and give the link to the project to help spread the word. How nice of him. When I asked him if he had any words of wisdom to share with the project photographers or a personal philosophy he laughed and said “I don’t have any big life plan. I lead one day at a time.” I said “It sound like you’re a free spirit” to which he replied “Hey, I’m just a hippie at heart.”
I didn’t want to prolong his day further so I told Maxx I should let him complete his work. He said not to worry, that they were just about to knock off for the day and would be back in a few days to start laying the new paving stones. I’m sure we’ll meet again as he finishes up the job.
Thank you Maxx for participating in 100 Strangers. You are now Stranger #456 in Round 5 of my project. It was great meeting you.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
To browse Round 1 of my 100 Strangers project click here: www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157633145986224/
To browse Round 2 of my 100 Strangers project click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157634422850489/
To browse Round 3 of my 100 Strangers project click here: www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/sets/72157635541434065/
To browse Round 4 of my 100 Strangers project click here: