601/700 - Wally
I couldn’t have asked for a nicer encounter to launch Round 7 of my project.
I saw him standing in line on King Street for a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I saw an open friendliness in his face and liked his hat. As I walked up to him I felt his interest and curiosity rather than fear and anxiety. I gave my name and a brief explanation of my project followed by my request. He seemed bemused to have been asked and was glad to participate. We shook hands. Meet Wally.
While most of my encounters move to the photo at this point and are followed by the conversation, this one went in the reverse order. Wally was interested in the project and in getting acquainted so we went about getting to know one another which proved to be a positive experience for both of us.
Wally is 77 and lives in Alert Bay, British Columbia. He explained that Alert Bay is a village of 12-1500 residents on Cormorant Island which is a short ferryboat ride to Vancouver Island. For those not familiar with Canadian geography, Vancouver Island is off the west coast of British Columbia. Wally explained that more than half the residents of Alert Bay are First Nations people so I’m sure Wally’s retirement location is a very interesting place to live.
Wally explained that he has done many things in his 77 years (Including several years spent as a Jesuit) but his longest tenure was as an educator, with most of his career spent at Atkinson College. Atkinson is within Toronto’s York University and is best known as a home for the university’s programs for mature and part-time students. My impression is that it specializes in progressive education and Wally told me that he spent the final five years of his career in their distance learning program. “What subjects did you teach?” I asked. “Well, not to be picky but I prefer the term ‘educate’ to ‘teach.’ I’m not sure I taught anyone anything but I did try to enrich their learning experience. Most of my work was in the Social Sciences – mainly because my resume contained absolutely nothing in that area.” Ok. I knew right away that Wally was an interesting man.
He came to Toronto partly as a birthday present to his younger sister Sandra (who was making a coffee run) and he is also visiting his daughter who lives in Toronto. He was in line to get tickets to a Festival film. Our conversation touched on many subjects in the twenty minutes we spent together. Wally had a darkroom when he was in high school and did black and white photography. “Are you still involved in photography?” I asked. He smiled (his natural expression) and said “I married an artist and she took such great photo with her point and shoot that I gave up.”
When I asked Wally if he had a few words to describe himself for the project he said “I choose, therefore I am.” I asked him to explain. “I’m fascinated by choices. Life is a series of choices and each choice we make sets the stage for what choices will follow. I think a book should be written about this. You made a choice to return to photography in your retirement and you made a choice to do your 100 Strangers project. You made a choice to walk down this street and you made a choice to approach me. If any of the previous choices had been different, we would not have met.” Hmmm, Wally is a very thought-provoking guy. It was a great conversation.
“I bet if you had any idea how much fun retirement was going to be, you wouldn’t have worried about it beforehand. Am I right?” I don’t think I’d said anything to Wally about how I approached retirement but he hit the nail on the head.
“I love the project you’re doing, Jeff. Projects like yours, and documentary film-making is such a democratizing process. It takes the attention off the movie stars and famous musicians and places it on much more typical people. I think every politician running for office in Toronto should ride the Queen streetcar on a regular basis to find out what is important to the real people of the city.”
When I asked “What is the most interesting thing that’s happened to you on this visit to Toronto?” Wally thought for a moment and said “I don’t know about the most interesting thing but I’ll tell you the worst thing. I’ve been looking forward to visiting a couple I’ve known for ages and have discovered that her cancer has returned. I’m afraid the visit is going to wind up very negative.” I suggested that it might wind up very positive for her – having him visit and feeling his support. He replied “Actually, it might be more positive for her husband than for her.” “Well, then, equally important” I suggested.
The photos were almost a minor aspect of the encounter. I took them in a minute or two, on the street, a step or two from the lineup of festival-goers and this photo was an easy choice because it looks exactly like the bright, friendly, and interesting man I met today.
Wally’s sister Sandra returned with her coffee and we met. She seemed just as open and friendly as her brother and she was interested in the photo project that had taken place during her brief absence. I understood that she’s a social activist who has done volunteer work in the community.
The movie they are going to see is titled “Red Rose.” When I googled it, I was not surprised to see that it reflected progressive social and political themes:
“A politically complacent middle-aged man and a young pro-democracy activist debate about the future of their country while hiding from the police, in this fascinating drama that blends scripted scenes with on-the-ground footage from Iran’s 2009 Green Revolution.”
I felt we could have chatted for hours and both enjoyed it but Wally and his sister were nearing the front of the line-up and I was getting short on time so we wished each other well and said goodbye. Thank you Wally for participating in 100 Strangers and for exemplifying the best that the project has to offer – a rewarding street encounter that would never had happened but for the project. You are Stranger #601 to lead off Round 7 of my project. Happy Birthday to Sandra and I hope you both enjoy the movie.
Update: I received a very nice email from Wally telling me that he, Sandra, and his daughter all liked the photos and were pleased with how I had described our enjoyable meeting. He closed with good wishes for my retirement. Getting feedback like this always rounds out a project encounter with such a nice feeling. Thanks Wally. The pleasure was mine.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by the other photographers in our group at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.
601/700 - Wally
I couldn’t have asked for a nicer encounter to launch Round 7 of my project.
I saw him standing in line on King Street for a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I saw an open friendliness in his face and liked his hat. As I walked up to him I felt his interest and curiosity rather than fear and anxiety. I gave my name and a brief explanation of my project followed by my request. He seemed bemused to have been asked and was glad to participate. We shook hands. Meet Wally.
While most of my encounters move to the photo at this point and are followed by the conversation, this one went in the reverse order. Wally was interested in the project and in getting acquainted so we went about getting to know one another which proved to be a positive experience for both of us.
Wally is 77 and lives in Alert Bay, British Columbia. He explained that Alert Bay is a village of 12-1500 residents on Cormorant Island which is a short ferryboat ride to Vancouver Island. For those not familiar with Canadian geography, Vancouver Island is off the west coast of British Columbia. Wally explained that more than half the residents of Alert Bay are First Nations people so I’m sure Wally’s retirement location is a very interesting place to live.
Wally explained that he has done many things in his 77 years (Including several years spent as a Jesuit) but his longest tenure was as an educator, with most of his career spent at Atkinson College. Atkinson is within Toronto’s York University and is best known as a home for the university’s programs for mature and part-time students. My impression is that it specializes in progressive education and Wally told me that he spent the final five years of his career in their distance learning program. “What subjects did you teach?” I asked. “Well, not to be picky but I prefer the term ‘educate’ to ‘teach.’ I’m not sure I taught anyone anything but I did try to enrich their learning experience. Most of my work was in the Social Sciences – mainly because my resume contained absolutely nothing in that area.” Ok. I knew right away that Wally was an interesting man.
He came to Toronto partly as a birthday present to his younger sister Sandra (who was making a coffee run) and he is also visiting his daughter who lives in Toronto. He was in line to get tickets to a Festival film. Our conversation touched on many subjects in the twenty minutes we spent together. Wally had a darkroom when he was in high school and did black and white photography. “Are you still involved in photography?” I asked. He smiled (his natural expression) and said “I married an artist and she took such great photo with her point and shoot that I gave up.”
When I asked Wally if he had a few words to describe himself for the project he said “I choose, therefore I am.” I asked him to explain. “I’m fascinated by choices. Life is a series of choices and each choice we make sets the stage for what choices will follow. I think a book should be written about this. You made a choice to return to photography in your retirement and you made a choice to do your 100 Strangers project. You made a choice to walk down this street and you made a choice to approach me. If any of the previous choices had been different, we would not have met.” Hmmm, Wally is a very thought-provoking guy. It was a great conversation.
“I bet if you had any idea how much fun retirement was going to be, you wouldn’t have worried about it beforehand. Am I right?” I don’t think I’d said anything to Wally about how I approached retirement but he hit the nail on the head.
“I love the project you’re doing, Jeff. Projects like yours, and documentary film-making is such a democratizing process. It takes the attention off the movie stars and famous musicians and places it on much more typical people. I think every politician running for office in Toronto should ride the Queen streetcar on a regular basis to find out what is important to the real people of the city.”
When I asked “What is the most interesting thing that’s happened to you on this visit to Toronto?” Wally thought for a moment and said “I don’t know about the most interesting thing but I’ll tell you the worst thing. I’ve been looking forward to visiting a couple I’ve known for ages and have discovered that her cancer has returned. I’m afraid the visit is going to wind up very negative.” I suggested that it might wind up very positive for her – having him visit and feeling his support. He replied “Actually, it might be more positive for her husband than for her.” “Well, then, equally important” I suggested.
The photos were almost a minor aspect of the encounter. I took them in a minute or two, on the street, a step or two from the lineup of festival-goers and this photo was an easy choice because it looks exactly like the bright, friendly, and interesting man I met today.
Wally’s sister Sandra returned with her coffee and we met. She seemed just as open and friendly as her brother and she was interested in the photo project that had taken place during her brief absence. I understood that she’s a social activist who has done volunteer work in the community.
The movie they are going to see is titled “Red Rose.” When I googled it, I was not surprised to see that it reflected progressive social and political themes:
“A politically complacent middle-aged man and a young pro-democracy activist debate about the future of their country while hiding from the police, in this fascinating drama that blends scripted scenes with on-the-ground footage from Iran’s 2009 Green Revolution.”
I felt we could have chatted for hours and both enjoyed it but Wally and his sister were nearing the front of the line-up and I was getting short on time so we wished each other well and said goodbye. Thank you Wally for participating in 100 Strangers and for exemplifying the best that the project has to offer – a rewarding street encounter that would never had happened but for the project. You are Stranger #601 to lead off Round 7 of my project. Happy Birthday to Sandra and I hope you both enjoy the movie.
Update: I received a very nice email from Wally telling me that he, Sandra, and his daughter all liked the photos and were pleased with how I had described our enjoyable meeting. He closed with good wishes for my retirement. Getting feedback like this always rounds out a project encounter with such a nice feeling. Thanks Wally. The pleasure was mine.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by the other photographers in our group at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.