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Every once in a while, you meet a really amazing person. A few of my "strangers" have impacted me in a way that's hard to describe, and Ted is certainly one of them.
Unfortunately, this is the only shot I snapped of him, and his eyes are closed. Gah!!
-Ted is 93.
-Ted is a barber in Royal Oak and has the oldest business there: "Widgrens"...60+ years (will come back w/ exact years when my recording secretary gets back w/ me).
-Ted was relaxing in his chair like this when we walked by. I was captivated by the scene and went in to chat w/ him. He was so ridiculously welcoming and sweet.
-Ted's barber shop was featured in the movie "Gran Torino", and he is actually pretty modest about that.
-Ted is so fun to talk to. We talked to him for about a half hour about his shop, his life, his experiences, etc.
-Ted grew up "up north" and was very athletic--all star basketball player. He shared vivid stories of his memories of this.
-Ted boxed in Hazel Park at gym where legends like Joe Louis were also boxing. He told us that he (Ted) has a mean left hook and can knock your teeth out.
-Ted was in WWII. again, vivid stories. chills. stories that make me want to go back and learn more. This man has so much life experience, it's just amazing.
-This is the first stranger shot that you can see ME in. LOL. yup. look hard. I'm there.
Thank you Ted. You are an amazing soul. We will most certainly be back to visit. :)
for the project: www.100strangers.com
The Rock Strangers take on a completely different character at sunset.
In daylight they are bold, bright red and playful. Here, reduced to silhouettes against the low sun, they feel almost ancient. Strange markers on the promenade, with small human figures moving around them like scale notes.
What drew me in was the graphic simplicity: the sun, the dark forms, the long strip of golden light across the ground, and that lovely sense of people quietly passing through the scene.
Public art changes with the light.
So does the story.
I haven't done a stranger shot for ages. I have met plenty of strangers, but didn't get round to finding out details. I met Martin on the mud-flats of the Gower while I was looking around for a scene to photograph. He was digging for bait and had been out digging for about two hours. It was cold, but he didn't mind as the digging kept him warm. He lived nearby and went out fishing most days. I asked if he had caught any cod recently but he said it wasn't cold enough for cod yet. I showed Martin the pictures I shot and he liked them.
This picture is #153 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
Explore #188 21 Jan 2013
This was another stranger I met and photographed at Whitby Goth Weekend. I came across her near the beach huts on the sea front.
She was surrounded by a few other photographers who were all shooting away. As they came to a natural break, I jumped in and asked if I could take a few shots, and she obliged.
I think she had some modelling experience, as she began to pose and raised her binoculars. At this point I asked her to turn her eyes towards me. This is the result.
The image is pin sharp, and I love the background of the blurred clouds and sand.
I'm very pleased with this, and I think it's the best stranger photo I've taken so far.
Any constructive criticism and advice is welcome!
This picture is part of my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.
Stranger #29 - Paweł - a very friendly guy whom I met in Wroclaw, Poland. He was doing something on his phone when I asked for a photo. I explained the project and he quickly agreed. I took a couple of shots and then showed him where my gallery can be found.
This picture is #29 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
Minolta 58mm 1.2 @1.2
This picture is #005 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
Two friends are taking photos at the Blob in Eindhoven. I stand quietly at a distance and watch. It's all very meticulous. After about 30 photos, they were done, and I asked if I could take a photo. Sure! That would be nice!
One together and one of each of them separately.
I also have the Blob as a background, but you have to look very closely to see it. (You can see it a little bit in the photo). The ladies were delighted with the photos. Have a nice vacation, ladies.
Daniel had a cigarette in one hand and a phone in the other. He agreed with a smile when I asked if I might take his photograph. He was glad when I said that I would send him a copy as he was short of up to date pictures.
Daniel works at Karen Christensen Hair and Beauty in Wells. He started as an apprentice, which was mostly cleaning up after everyone. Now he has learned all the skills required of a hairdresser. He has been there five years. I said "you must really enjoy it". He likes working with people. "I couldn't work in an office", he said. He agreed that it is good to work creatively with your hands.
In his spare time Daniel enjoys walking, running and shopping. I asked if he liked to spend his money travelling. Daniel likes Wells and would rather invest in clothes than travelling the world.
Thank you Daniel for allowing me to make portraits with you today. I hope that you like them.
You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
The “gang of 5” were mulling around Bourke Street Mall watching and waiting for the ideal stranger to come along and it wasn’t too long before I spotted a bright read beanie with headphones coming my way.
I made a bee-line for her and attempted to stop her to ask the question. The problem with this is that she couldn’t hear me and got quite a fright and lurched away from me as if I had the plague. The look on her face was priceless and I felt really bad for scaring the crap out of her. She quickly re-composed herself and took her headphones off and I immediately apologised to which she did the same. In the end we laughed about it and made our way to the centre of the Mall where there was better light to grab a few frames
.
Dianna was really cool about the project and having her portrait taken and I managed to easily get a few varied shots. I loved the combination of her beanie and head phones as well as her overall style.
Dianna is originally from New Zealand and works as a Barista. I asked her what she was listening to at the time I stopped her and she said it was Groove Amarda which I’m a fan of as well. We chatted about her plans for travel and said that she really wanted to go to New Orleans which had me intrigued. I asked her why there? Her answer was that she had been watching the TV series called Treme and had really loved what she saw.
Thanking her for her time and the chat, I handed her my card as she headed off to meet-up with her boyfriend.
Thanks for being part of the 100 Strangers Project.
This picture is #144 in my 2nd round of The100 Strangers Project.
You can see my 1st 100 Strangers Set here
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Rachael came down from Salt Lake City with one of the several bands that performed at our local park. Silly me lost my pen and I can't remember the name of the band. It took me quite a while to work up the nerve to ask anyone, and I'm sure people including Rachael wondered why I kept looking at them.... lol. But Rachael was kind and didn't act like I was a weirdo. She was comfortable in front of the camera and says she recently did a fashion shoot with an 80's theme. It sounded like fun... :)
Find out more about the 100 strangers project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com
When I saw Camille, walking slowly in the street wih her big backpack, I though she was a foreigner. After hesitating, I approached her. Actually, she lives in Caen and she was going to holidays in Swiss with some friends. They will do trekkings in the mountain ! I'm sooooo envious ! I need holidays too ! Next year she will be resume her studies in sociology.
Have nice holidays. Thank you Camille !
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.
We met this lovely lady on the train at Bowen Hills. She lives in Landsborough and was travelling to the Brisbane Convention Centre for a Gluten Free Food Exhibition.
We spoke for a while about the travel (especially when the trains had been cancelled on most lines in Brisbane and replaced by buses over the weekend).
It was a very pleasant conversation and she was happy for me to take her photograph.
This picture is #94 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
"Really cracking soft expression; portraying a gently enquiring mind." - Will Gortoa
don't forget to view this large on black
stranger 09, stranger 10 & stranger 11; in front of an art-museum; düsseldorf (germany), 6th of September 2012
so I don't really know where to start with this. it's been a really long day, in fact, a really long week, and more and more I feel rather exhausted; still, I want to re-create this as properly as I can. maybe I should start off saying that Ilke and I had decided to go to the museum after sitting in a café with Leonie, and as we relaxed before getting in, I noticed these three sitting not far away from us. I had actually gone to the city in the hope of seeing someone, but as I wrote on another note, I thought things would never come when you expect them to happen. So, I sat there, wondering if I should ask them or not; frankly, these stairs in front of the museum are part of one of my favorite places in the entire town and now there were them sitting right there, enjoying the day just as I did. "You'll regret it when you don't do it.", I thought simply as that and suddenly noticed they were about to leave.
The twins are twenty, she's sixteen, and they're in one grade now. And one of them, the one with the glasses, is this photographer, julian wiegand fotografie. When he gave me his name, I was a little confused because this was the least I expected to happen. First of all, with this project I feel like I'm a radar for creative people - all of the people taken a picture of so far were either creating themselves or they are related to someone who does. And now, realizing I just asked a photographer whose work I highly enjoy myself ... I felt a little amazed by fate once again. Things like this happen too often lately.
However, I'm glad I asked them. It's kind of nice to see that people turn out to be as they seem so many times lately. We talked about who they are and who we are and what there plans are and what they are doing and what we are doing ... I don't like summing it up like this, but obviously, it fits. And I liked that. This day turned out to be a lot more interesting than I'd have ever imagined.
(day eighteen)
This picture is #84 in my 100 strangers project. See my other stranger portraits at "100 Strangers Album and find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
I met Steve in the centre of Glastonbury. He listened to me explain my project and said that I could take a couple of photos provided I was quick.
If you are reading this Steve many thanks for letting me take your portrait! Please get in touch if you want a copy or are not happy with the result and would prefer me to remove it from Flickr.
Leah was pushing a small buggy. There was a small child “helping” her. When I asked Leah if I could take her photo (Leah's not the child's) she said “yes”, with the same smile as the one in the photo. How encouraged I am when I get such a positive response.
It was a bit tricky because the girl needed Leah's attention too. I suggested that I walk with them until we found somewhere to take a photo or two. They weren't going very far. The child's parents were in a nearby hotel.
I managed to have a bit of a conversation with Leah and get one shot in focus before we arrived at the hotel. Leah is just starting up her own publishing company and is looking forward to working for herself. She has recently come back from touring Europe for a couple years in a van. Mostly Southern France and Portugal, I think. Before that she was snowboarding in the Alps for 6 months.
Thank you Leah for agreeing, so readily, to be in my project. I wish you well with your new venture.
This picture is 56 in my second round of 100 strangers. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Outside the SPJST Hall in Taylor, Texas, a barbecue cookoff was winding down. Inside people gathered around the bar to drink beer, watch football on an old-school television mounted on the wood-paneled wall and play some adult video games. Henry was one of the them. He joked about his hat that he is a distant relation of the Duck Dynasty folks on TV.
He is my 191st stranger in the Flickr challenge to shoot photos of 100 strangers: www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/. I've been a lot slower with my second 100, but I'm in the home stretch.
You can see my full set of Stranger photos (so far) here: www.flickr.com/photos/joemoconnell/sets/72157627547511612...
I saw her cleaning the grounds of a buddhist temple I was visiting. I asked this lady if I could take her photograph but she didn't understand until I pointed to my camera.
Peraliya, Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka.
This picture is #22 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
Laura is busy saving up to go travelling in South America with her boyfriend.
I met her as she was working in a new deli/coffee shop in Hexham. She was so friendly and polite, and had such a positive 'sparkle' of optimism and confidence in her eyes.
Laura had recently come back from Milan, Italy where she'd worked as a nanny. She was enjoying her job in the deli, but couldn't wait to get the money together to take off on another adventure.
'Why travel? Why South America?' I asked.
'I've just always wanted to go there, and now is the time to do it when I'm young.'
Seems like a good enough reason to me :)
It was lovely to meet you Laura. Best of luck with the saving, ENJOY the travelling (take a decent camera) and thank you for helping me with my project :) :)
Oh, and if anyone finds themselves in Hexham, please check out the deli. They're a nice friendly bunch in there, and the spiced winter berry mulled drink was delicious. Hit the spot on a cold Jan day :) www.deliatnumber4.co.uk/
This picture is #15 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
This picture is 1/100 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
WoopWoop, I did it! After scanning the groups photos, tips and interviews, spending two non camera days spotting `targets´ today was the day... I was determined to shoot my first stranger. I found a shaded corner with a plain, safe background and waited - the scarf caught my eye. Lucked out - such a cool relaxed lady and quite happy to pose for me. Lots to learn - so flustered I forgot to ask her name, had no clue how to direct her and rushed the whole thing but happy to have got a few shots, Number one out of the way!
Matiu agreed to be part of my strangers project. I gave him my name but he didn’t give me his. Instead he said that he would give his name after I had taken the photo – otherwise he wouldn’t be a stranger! I explained that I would like to know him at least a little before we made the portrait, so he gave me his name.
I asked if he had come to the Tor with the intention of chanting (see the write up of Anthe, my stranger 482). He said, yes “and to feel the land”. I had noticed that Matiu and his friends were barefoot. The way of those who want to feel the connection as they walk.
We were sitting under the bright midday sun. I wondered if Matiu would be willing to have the photo somewhere else but he told me that they had limited time.
There were strong shadows on his face and I tried to reduce these using a reflector; Carolina, who will be my stranger 484, held the reflector for us. The light was bright and Matiu closed his eyes, opening them when I was ready to make the portrait.
Thank you Matiu for being part of my project. I enjoyed meeting you and seeing the strong bonds of friendship between you and your companions. Best wishes.
You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
30/100 : Let the universe tell you.
It's so easy to lose track of things. Life is like water, and it can get in the way of everything. Sometimes it simply washes over things and you lose sight of them for a brief moment. Sometimes, if you don't act within the right timing, the simple and harmless washing over starts stacking and all gets submerged.
But the real problem is when, if you leave things in that state for too long, they drowned.
This is what happened with my [100 Strangers] Project.
The last photo I published for this project goes waaaay back to September 2014. It's been almost a year!
Since I moved here to Melbourne, I used every waking second to work on my career, to find new gigs, to meet the right people and especially, to make sure the right people know I exist.
The price that I ended up paying almost unconsciously is leaving behind all my ongoing projects, included this one.
But last week, the universe felt like it was time to wake me up from my stasis.
I was walking down the road with my camera, scouting locations for a portrait shoot that was going to take place in a couple days. My camera was hanging at my side and for some reason, I had just mounted on my 85mm.
I was standing in the middle of the road, all focused in reviewing the pictures from the camera LCD. When I lifted by eyes, this guy was in front of me.
I didn't have time to think. It all came naturally out of my mouth.
"Hey, sorry, can I take a portrait of you?"
"Sure!"
Click.
All it took was one frame to remind me why I love this project and how incredibly stupid I was to leave it to the side, covered in dust for so long.
Thank you, Stranger.
Seriously.
[This picture is #30 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 ]
Camera Info: Nikon D700 | 85mm (ƒ/1.8D) @ 85mm | ƒ/2.8 | ISO 200 | 1/250 s — Camera Handheld
It’s not a secret. I love curly hair ! That’s why I approached Abdou. He accepted quickly, but he was in a hurry so he asked me to be fast. After the third photo he started to walk towards me, so it was quite difficult to take sharp pictures. I then had just the time to show him the result, take his email address and give him my card and he gone away. Ok, this such encounter are quite hard, but the result is often good. That's the case: I love his expression. By the way, he is artisan and he was going to start working at 7pm, that’s why he was in a hurry.
Thank you Abdou !
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.
Part 4 of my Frankfurt encounters. Here I met the two friends, Aylin and Fatma. How we met, I have already described in Aylin's story. So here is the summary of our conversation. It was a bit of a challenge because I interviewed two people at the same time. But Fatma and Aylin were very patient and it worked well.
Fatma has been living in Frankfurt for a year. Before she was at home in Dresden. There, Fatma did not feel very comfortable, because she was struggling with resentiments against her person. Here in Frankfurt, however, a different political climate prevails, which makes life much easier.
Actually Fatma is currently doing an apprenticeship in health and nursing.
How would Aylin describe Fatma? Fatma is cheerful, always in a good mood and open to new things.
Like Aylin, Fatma would do away with poverty with a magic wand. Important for Fatma is the family and the cohesion with her loved ones. If there is the theoretical possibility, Fatma would like to meet Arda Erel, an author who, in a sense, also reflects Fatma's life. In his words Fatma finds herself. Fatma's biggest dream is to become independent and to be independent. To live a life completely as she imagined it . The life motto of Fatma is, do not let yourself be bent and do not eat humble pie. The desire and advice for the whole world is: be free from racism and respect the other.
Thank you, Fatma, for taking the time to do my photo project. I wish you and all of us a world without racism and hatred and all the best to you in Frankfurt. Thank you for your support.
This is my 72nd post to the group "The Human Family". (Before 100 postings I have had in the group "100 Strangers") More photos of other photographers of the group "The Human Family" can be found here:
www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily/
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Teil 4 meiner Frankfurter Begegnungen. Hier traf ich die beiden Freundinnen Aylin und Fatma. Wie wir uns trafen, habe ich bereits bei Aylin beschrieben. Daher hier die Zusammenfassung unseres Gesprächs. Es war eine gewisse Herausforderungweil ich mit zwei Personen gleichzeitig ein Interview geführt habe. Aber Fatma und Aylin waren sehr geduldig.
Fatma lebt seit einem Jahr in Frankfurt. Vorher war sie in Dresden zuhause. Dort fühlte sich Fatma nicht sehr wohl, weil sie dort mit Resantiments gegen ihre Person zu kämpfen hatte. Hier in Frankfurt herscht jedoch ein anderse politisches Klima, was das Leben sehr sehr erleichtert. Fatma macht gerade eine Ausbildung im Gesundheits-und Krankenpflegebereich. Wie würde Aylin Fatma beschreiben? Fatma ist lebenslustig, immer gut gelaunt und offen für Neues.
Genau wie Aylin würde Fatma mit einem Zauberstab die Armut abschaffen. Wichtig im Leben ist für Fatma die Familie und der Zusammenhalt mit ihren Lieben. Treffen würdr Fatma gerne einmal Arda Erel, ein Autor, der in gewisser Weise auch Fatmas Leben widerspiegelt. In seinen Texten findet sich Fatma wieder. Fatmas größter Traum ist, selbstständig zu werden und einmal unabhängig zu sein. Ein Leben zu führen, komplett so wie es ihr vorschwebt. Das Lebensmotto von Fatma ist, lass dich nicht verbiegen und krieche nicht zu Kreuze. Der Wunsch und der Ratschlag für die ganze Welt ist: seid frei von Rassismus und respektiert den anderen.
Danke, Fatma , dass du dir die Zeit genommen hast für mein Fotoprojekt. Ich wünsche dir und uns allen eine Welt ohne Rassismus und Hass und alles Gute in Frankfurt. Danke für deine Ünterstützung.
Dies ist mein 72. Beitrag zu der Gruppe "The Human Family". (Vorher hatte ich bereits 100 interessante Begegnungen, im Zusammenhang mit meinem Projekt und der Gruppe "100 Strangers") Mehr Fotos von anderen Fotografen der Gruppe findest Du hier:
The real world house along with Hoppers police truck.
Lego Netflix Stranger Things Upside Down set 75810
This picture is #002 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
My stranger number two is Kat although I thought it was Kate so replies refer to Kat as Kate; thats my fault. Sorry Kat.
Kat works at a well known jewellers that makes customised jewellery along with their own designs.
I signed up for a photography course and was given a homework task of portraits, landscapes, street photography and a few others. I opted for Street Portraits with the intention of killing two birds with one stone. Homework and joining the 100 strangers group.
I was walking around and looking for someone that stood out. I spotted Kat having her photo taken by a colleague of hers and I guess she was modelling the chain and cross seen in this portrait.
As she was about to go back into the shop I quickly asked if I could take her portrait. It was all very quick and I didn't really have time to think about how I was going to approach her or even what to say.
Its all very new to me and I haven't even really thought about how to approach people or how to ask them to stand/sit/pose…….
I asked her to step into a doorway that was black as I thought it would be a good background and there were lots of people around that would have been walking between her and the camera.
I would like to say that I considered the light but I have to confess that I just got lucky.
The conversation was very brief, she was obviously at work and I didn't want to hold her up. I also think she was as shocked to be asked for a portrait as I was to be asking.
I'm also very pleased I didn't have time to think about the situation because afterwards I was wondering if a 44 year old man asking a young woman for their portrait is maybe a bit weird.
I guess I am just going to have to get over that if I want to take images of interesting people.
Kat is very pretty and with her style stood out from the mundanely dressed crowd (I include myself in that description). I had to have the images printed for college so told Kat that I would drop of any prints I made. Luckily Kat is aware of Flickr as it turns out she was previously photographed by another member of the group Arnab Ghosal (www.flickr.com/photos/arnabkghosal/10407818943/in/set-721... )and she kindly agreed for me to take her portrait to be post it here.
As far a photography technique goes, I am still coming to terms with the exposure and focusing. Although using a fixed 85mm lens and having to use my feet to alter the composition was all reasonably new. Again I guess as we all progress we get used to judging distance and it should all fall together a little more fluidly? (I'm hoping).
Thank you Kat for not telling me to bog off!
Katie said “Hello again” when I approached her. I had forgotten that we had exchanged a “good morning” as I had passed her stall earlier. As I greeted her again, she gave me a cherry and a strawberry.
I asked if it would be alright to take her photo and explained my project. Taking my card, she agreed. I offered my hand and said “Andrew”, she shook it and said “Katie”.
Katie made two or three sales in the short time that I was with her – cherries and strawberries. I was concerned that I might be in the way but she said that people would let her know when they wanted something.
At the moment Katie's favourite activity is to go out with her mates. She had been to Glastonbury Festival but did not have a good time. She enjoyed some of the smaller events that she had been too: like Secret Garden and Wilderness Festival.
When I asked if she had gone to the local college and school, she told me that she had moved here from Yorkshire about 4 years ago. I had lived in Leeds, West Yorkshire for 3 years and asked how Katie finds it living here now. Katie said that she like it here “it is flat”, “Yorkshire was colder”. I agreed, the reason I had moved south from Yorkshire to London was because there had been a cold winter when I was there. I wonder why Katie thought that living somewhere “flat” was good – I regretted not asking her.
Katie asked me “what would you like me to do”, as I took a photo. “Just what you are doing, you look fine” I replied.. or something like that. I took 4 shots as Katie smiled then I asked if I could take a couple with her mouth closed. I turned the camera to portrait orientation for these last 2 photos – to get her hair and hat in the picures.
Thank you Katie for agreeing to be in my project. It was good to meet you today.
This picture is stranger 210 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
Stranger #26 - Marlena - a very friendly person whom I met while she was walking through the centre of Wroclaw, Poland. When I asked her for a photo she was extremely surprised, more so than usually people are when I take portraits for the project. As you can see, she agreed to pose after I explained in detail what's going on :)
This picture is #26 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
I could tell right off the bat that Stranger #30 was a real character. He was bewildered that I wanted a photo of him, and told me I 'should be taking these pretty girls photos' as a group of 3 friends walked by. I showed him some of my previous shots and he agreed to pose and told me he wouldn't charge me.
I had in mind to ask Ken if he would be part of my strangers project. Generally I approach someone and begin with “Would it be alright to take your photo?” With Ken however, he started the conversation with a "Good morning, bit hazy this morning isnt it?"
We had been together for a while, before I mentioned my project, of photographing strangers. He was willing to be photographed and we continued to chat for a while before making the portraits.
Ken is a local but he had not been up Glastonbury Tor for some time. He told me that he hadn’t been up since he had a heart operation and part of a lung removed. Ken and his wife had the Tor as part of their training territories when they were both keen long distance walkers
Admiring the view he commented how underrated it is. He said that many locals have never been up here and many making holidays in the South West of England will disregard Somerset altogether, bypassing it on their way to Devon or Cornwall. Ken said that he was “Jolly glad to be here”.
Ken is very fond, proud even, of the west country and Somerset in particular. He spoke highly of the countryside behind Westernzoyland. The battle of Sedgemoor took place there and it has a “different feel”. He mentioned the feel of the place a couple times; he had walked there with his wife. I must investigate it myself.
Thank you, Ken, for being part of my project. It was great to meet you.
You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
I noticed Mitch as he exited the doorway of a well-known restaurant. He had a rather worried & pre-occupied look on his face as he stared down the road at a group of people who were, believe it or not, in the middle of a model photo shoot. I stood there watching Mitch walk slowly but intentionally towards them and wondered why he was so interested. Then he stopped and walked back towards me and that’s when I made the approach.
He quickly agreed to be part of the project and so I asked what caught his attention down the road and he said that it was his black 65 Chevy Pickup truck (see comments shots) that the model was using as a back drop and he was just checking if it was OK.
By the time we had finished with his portrait the crew around his pickup had moved on so I guess he was feeling a little more relaxed.
Mitch is the Chef at Bloodwood Restaurant, which co-incidentally the manager, Eric is stranger #215.
Don’t be fooled by his rather mean looking expression he was actually a nice guy.
Thanks for being part of the 100 Strangers Project.
This picture is #221 in my 3rd round of The 100 Strangers Project.
You can see my 1st round of 100 Strangers photos here
Round 2 is here
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Sophie was doing the charity shops in Street today, with her grandparents, who she was visiting. I asked if she had managed to find anything. She had got a dress. Sophie told me that she liked that you could pick up something special, that you wouldn't be able to find in other shops. This might cause others to ask "where did you get that from?". I said "..and for next to nothing". Sophie replied "..and the money goes to good causes".
Back in her home town, near London, Sophie works as a hairdresser. She has been doing this since she was 15. I asked Sophie about her creativity and whether she had studied art. Sophie told me that she did art to GCSE but did not get a very good grade. She enjoyed colouring in but rather than continue with art, she completed her training in hairdressing.
Although Sophie's grandma and granddad were waiting, she was happy to chat and was patient while we made portraits. She offered to fold up my reflector when I gave her a pad on which to write her email address. I said just to leave it and I put it away when I had finished.
I was doubly pleased to meet Sophie today as a photography group that I belong to has a fortnightly challenge. The current topic is "red" and I had been on the look out for someone with the appropriate lipstick. Sophie was pleased to have been able to help me with both as a stranger and in meeting the red criteria.
Thank you Sophie for allowing me to photograph you today. It was good to meet you.
You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
This picture is #11 in my 3rd round of the 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
I spotted her from across Piccadilly Street and luckily the lights were in my favor so I was able to intercept her before she disappeared into the crowds.
She was walking with a friend and after a little deliberation between themselves, kindly agreed to head back the way they'd come for about a block to a spot that I wanted to use for a background.
We tried a few non smiling shots too and the last one is awesome but unfortunately I didn't nail the focus well enough to use it. I'm a little gutted. It's funny that I practice shooting sharp at wide apertures loads (using text on a wall for example) and never have a problem but when it's a person, and you're chatting and directing and avoiding crowds of people (London gets busy in places like this) then it suddenly becomes a little harder to remember to not move etc. Still, this is why we do this, to learn, and I'm really thrilled that Natalies said yes to my request. I think this is a lovely portrait of her as it shows her bubbly personality perfectly.
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This is picture #2 in my 100 strangers peoject. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page. This is Rachel. I met her at the local bar here in my home town. I found out that she is an observer for NOAA. She travels with the F/V Morning star for their entire fishing season. I approached her and she was very welcoming and enjoyed being photographed. After that we just discussed her life on the boat and mine as a mechanic.
My LEGO Stranger Things cars so far.
I was asked to build Steve’s Beamer for LEGO 11370 Creel House, but the LEGO Icons team went with a different design.
Since I don’t really care for the real car, I built it in a few days maybe, and after my version was rejected, I didn’t spend any more time on it.
Usually I will build a whole fleet of these 6 wide cars (I have at least 10 Blazers in craziest colors), trying out different solves, colors, whatever. Here I built only one extra in blue, and that only because I wanted to see how the trunk will look like using the new 1x3 2/3rd slope, and the dark red paint I have doesn’t match the bricks at all, and looks terrible.
My grey paint matches perfectly though, and I spraypainted some white 11mm rims from the collectible F1 cars, turned them spokes out and although I’m not a great fan of that wheel, I think they would look okay on the BMW.
The WSQK van that I built for myself looks quite a bit like the one that made it into the box. Actually they only differ in small details, I prefer my mirrors, and I could use the ancient chromed exhaust.
I also keep tinkering with the Blazer when new elements appear that make it possible to fix some issues. The new wheel painted black (it’s out in light grey right now, and will come in dark grey in the LEGO City Garbage Truck), makes it possible to add hubcaps, although I don’t know if I should rather have used saucers instead. They are too big, but look better than the 1x1 plates.
Sometimes, the Stranger I meet is everything but a stranger. I was swept up by Michal's energy and openness, her kindness, her natural beauty and the easy way it was to connect.
"I believe everything happens for a reason," she said and embraced our wonderful encounter on the Tel Aviv Beach Promenade.
She is a lawyer, yet she thinks she won't stay that for too long. She's ambitious, spontaneous and a most charming person.
She enjoyed answering my questions as I enjoyed getting to know her.
"Michal, what inspires you in life?"
"I get a lot of inspiration from people who manage to make their "crazy" dreams come true. When I meet a person who has reached his goals, I am always interested in hearing about the path he has taken, the difficulties, the challenges and receiving tips and tools from him."
"What do you love about yourself?"
"I like my emotional intelligence and my ability to look mostly positively at any situation."
"What would you say to the world if you could send a message out there?"
"Our competition is only against ourselves. There is no room for comparison or envy of others. Try to be the best version of yourself and see how you get to wonderful places!"
"What would you advise your younger self?"
""Let go." I would advise myself to free myself from thoughts and the desire for constant control."
"Is there an inspirational figure in your life?"
"Following my goal for the next three years - I have my eyes on all those successful men and women who reached a worthy achievement that earned them to reach the FORBES 30 UNDER 30 list."
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Dance! After years of not dancing, I've returned to Latin dances (salsa and bachata). I also like to bake and can spend hours in the kitchen, quality time with friends and sports."
When we parted we hugged and wished each other the best and hoped that we would meet again.
This is my 880th submission to The Human Family group.
Visit the group here to see more portraits and stories: The Human Family
James has many jobs. In the summer he worked as an entertainer in Zante. He has a fire act and has to take care that his long hair is not lighted by the flaming torches. Back in England he works on the family farm, near Birmingham. Today he was in Street with Genevieve. They initially got to know each other online.
I had been heading home when first saw them. The couple were on the opposite side of the road from me. The were headed in to the town. The afternoon sun was strong, with a clear sky. I knew that there was some shade outside of Boots the chemist. I wondered about continuing on the opposites side of the road, then I could cross and approach them nearer to Boots. I decided instead to just cross and approach them. Thankfully James said yes and he was happy to walk along to the shaded location for the photos.
Thank you James, for being part of my project. It was great to meet you and Genevieve today.
You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
Finally back on this project again!
Finished shooting some prom photos for a couple of friends and after decided to grab some tea at this sweet shop.
Meet the beautiful Renata. She and her husband, Daniel owns an amazing "t" shop called T By Daniel. As a coffee drinker, once drinking their beverages makes you addicted to their teas.
Their shop is located Downtown Brampton, Ontario Canada.
Thanks for the T and thanks for the photo, Renata!
p.s Aren't their cups freaking amazing!?!?
I was attending the Bristol TN/VA Rhythm and Roots Reunion Festival and one of my favorite local bands, Sigean, was kicking things off on Saturday morning. I didn’t know it at the time but there was to be an added attraction that morning. In addition to the great Gaelic music the Stardust Irish Step Dancers were performing too. Irish Step dancing has become popular since the ‘Riverdance’ show.
Vanessa was dancing and the troupe put on a great performance. In addition to her dancing it was her great smile that caught my attention.
After the performance I walked over to compliment the troupe and began talking to Vanessa because I had video of their performance and told them I would send them copies if they would give me their email address. Vanessa was elected, everyone else stepped back.
We talked a bit and I gathered up the courage to tell her about the project and asked her to be my #02 Stranger.
Since I hadn’t planned on shooting any strangers at that point I had not considered background, lighting and since I had been shooting pictures of the band I just hoisted up the camera and shot with the automatic setting.
Lessons learned: (a) always be aware of the area you are shooting in; (b) Take your time and set up the shot; (c) try to be as at ease as your subject. Lots of rookie mistakes here but the subject overcomes them. Thank you Vanessa.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
This picture is #05 in my 4th round of the 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
The light was beginning to go in Brick Lane and our thoughts were turning to beer. We were in side street called Quaker Street and the sun, low in the sky, was pumping beautiful golden light down into a brick wall at the side. I thought I'd best try for one more before heading for a pint.
I'd spotted Becky here earlier and loved her look but didn't have a suitable background nearby at the time. Luckily I spotted her again and didn't pass on the opportunity this time. She was happy to participate so I asked her to lean into the wall and face into the light. I don't often shoot with the sun directly behind me like this as I don't want either harsh shadows or squinting subjects but it was low enought to be able to get away with it.
Becky was wearing a beautiful necklace and I did want to include it in the frame but I didn't manage to compose a decent shot with my 85mm to include it so went for this version instead. I would have liked to have used my 50mm for this. I think I need to get one of those belt clip things for storing lenses close to hand so that one can change quickly!
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I had so much fun doing the original 100 strangers challenge that I couldn't stop. The first 100 I took a while to find my feet, I think. When I got a few that I liked, I kind of stayed shooting that way for the rest of the series and tried to get better and better at doing that.
There are so many things that I wanted to try when I finished that I don't think I will be able to stop at 100, 200 or even 210. The fisrt thing i wanted to try was to get a full length shot in some nice light.
Jesper shoots sheet film and gave me a bit of info about Alienbees. I do want to get into some wireless flash, but due to my perpetual non-wealth, will probably have to make do with Yongnuo stuff from Hong Kong.
This picture is #01 in my second 100 strangers project.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
My 100 Strangers #52 is Ice Queen, which may or may not be her real name. She is a barista at my favourite haunt. I rolled up to her window and saw her make-up and just had to get her portrait. She hesitated for a second and then said, "what the heck, may as well". So here she is in all her frozen splendor...Ice Queen
check out the 100 Strangers project a thttps://www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
Follow my 100 Strangers project on: My Website | Twitter | Facebook or view the whole set here on flickr. COMMENTS & FAVOURITES very much appreciated. **No sparkley banners or awards please.
One of the great things about the 100 Strangers Flickr group is its community aspect, with everyone who participates in the project always willing to learn from one another to help make us better photographers. On this particular day I had gone along for my first ever Melbourne Meetup, where I was joined by fellow photographers Evan, Pete, Ant and Neil as we went about finding and photographing every interesting person in Melbourne. I must admit, I was extremely slow in finding my first stranger of the morning and I'd already seen Pete and Ant find a couple of strangers within the first 20mins - I'd barely even got my camera out of the bag and Ant was snapping away! Seeing other photographers go about their approaches and how they work with the strangers when photographing them was amazing and it pushed me to start going about my business as I would normally.
So with four other photographers spurring me on I was determined to find my first for the day, and whilst crossing the street in Melbourne's CBD I had spotted Lloyd - officially Stranger #30. I had spotted his hair bobbing above the crowd of people walking infront of him, and then when seeing his overall style I knew I had to ask him for a photo.
Lloyd was from Perth and had flown over to Melbourne for the weekend with a friend (stranger #31 coming up next) to see some events. This was one of the rare times in the series so far where I had actually approached two people at once, so trying to talk to them both and convince them both to be apart of the series was a little challenge in itself. After a few seconds describing the project to Lloyd he agreed to participating and I went about my normal routine, first finding a position out of the hard light and secondly in a position where the background was interesting and clean.
Lloyd is also a photographer by day, loves shooting on film and a very artistic and creative person by nature. He dabbles in film as well, which is part of the reason he and his friend were in Melbourne for on this weekend. He was actually quite hesitant about having his photo taken at first (possibly because there where other guys shooting behind-the-scenes shots at the same time), but once I told him I was after a shot with no smile he was immediately at ease. "Oh, no smile, that's easy then. I can do that". It was actually quite difficult getting my usual crop with all of his hair in! Haha.
So a big thank you to Lloyd for being apart of the series. Hopefully your trip to Melbourne was well worth it and I hope this experience made it that little more exciting.
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This picture is #30 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100strangers.com/ or the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Jay (Stranger #96)
14″x11″
Acrylic on Canvas
It’s been exactly a year since I last painting something. I did this stranger portrait yesterday as a way of brushing off the cobwebs. It’s amazing how much you forget in just a year. I’m hoping to ramp back up and create some more work soon.
This is a bit of a fudge. I met Allen about 6 weeks ago as I was traveling along a country road. Allen had been out for a ride with his bicycle and it threw the chain. It got lodged in a manner which made roadside repair impossible. I pulled over and offered Allen a ride. We had a nice conversation, including me telling him about my photography and the 100 Strangers Project. He agreed that we would get together and I could make his portrait, but it never happened. Luckily, I ran into Allen at an oyster roast Saturday night and we finally got the shot.
This is picture # 20 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.
This young woman was spotted in a street crossing on her way towards centric Plaça Catalunya. When I saw her coming I knew I had to try to get her into the 100 Strangers project, and lucky me, she accepted.
Laia is a Graphic Design student, optimistic to my judgement, that seemed to be specially happy to oblige to my requirement because in a couple of hours she was attending a long-awaited Miles Kane concert in the city.
A brief exchange of musical tastes, british bands and interests, all of a sudden. So glad to be able to immortalize her happiness and that storm of pink hair over her shoulders :-)
This picture was #47 in my 100 strangers project. Check out the rest of the stranger street portraits in my project at the 100 Strangers Set or find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.
Stranger #90 - Ewa - this is my second stranger with a slightly different story than most of the people involved in this project. Ewa is a women's rights activist from a group called Dziewuchy dziewuchom ("Girls for girls"). This group was formed in April this year when an amendment restricting the already strict Polish abortion law was proposed. The new law would allow terminating a pregnancy only if continuing it would cause an immediate threat to the woman's life - e.g. a fallopian tube bursting in an ectopic pregnancy, until it bursts though, the pregnancy would not be considered an immediate threat and therefore would not be terminated. A raped woman terminating a pregnancy and the doctor who performed the abortion would be punished more severely than the rapist... I could go on... In response Dziewuchy organized several protests and in cooperation with other groups came up with an amendment of their own - a change that would make abortion law less strict, so that women could decide to terminate their pregnancy not only because of health issues. This project was rejected by the parliament this Friday, while the other one was not. It was referred to a legislative committee for reviewing and recommendations before putting it to the full vote. The bill sparked nationwide protests. I attended one of them today with my wife in Wroclaw, Poland.
Ewa is also a member of the Polish left-wing party Razem ("Together") just like stranger #74 - Adrian. Razem with its social-democratic programme is one of the few groups in polish politics that cares about women's rights in Poland. Unfortunately, they don't have even a single seat in the parliament, which is dominated by the conservative right-wing party Law and Justice.
I approached Ewa after the protest today and asked for a photo. She agreed with no hesitation at all, but I explained the project anyway :) I took a few photos and was happy with the results I got :) Ewa is a very nice and clearly dedicated person and I consider this encounter to be very productive :)
This picture is #90 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
So I have been away for a while and was kind of in a bit of a rut with my 100 strangers project. The solution? Go on holiday!!! I went to Sri Lanka and Kerala for a friends wedding and had time afterwards to do a little bit of a whirlwind tour of Southern Sri Lanka.
One of the most beautiful parts of the country was in the Hill Country. Nuwara Eliya was the place to go for Tea Plantations and we were able to go on a tour of one of the tea factories.
The ladies who work at the factories usually work from 8.30 - 4.30 during off season, and it upto 6.30 - 7.30 during peaks season.
I asked our guide if it was okay for us to take a picture of these two ladies and he (and the ladies) happily obliged.
Although this was probably a bit of an easy approach in terms of the project I am putting this up here because of what I learnt from a photographic point of view.
The room was extremely dark but did have some window light coming in although from some distance. As I wanted to avoid using the on camera flash, it was down to pushing the D610 to its limits. I was using my newly acquired 24-70mm and was limited to using the widest aperture of 2.8. Even then I had to bump the ISO up to 6400 to get the shot.
The other consideration I had was exposure. I used spot metering on the skin and put in exposure compensation to -2 to account for the darker skin of the ladies.
I am really happy to see how D610 coped with these conditions.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the
100 Strangers Flickr Group Page
Connect with me on my facebook page: Shooting the Streets
As always any critique welcome.