View allAll Photos Tagged Strangers
It is with the greatest of pleasure that I introduce you to Charlotte, Stranger #4. We should all hope we live to the age of 97 and still exude such joy! I met Charlotte at her mailbox. The story goes likes this...
I wasn't on a Stranger hunt. I was at a local bike shop taking pictures for my weekly photo challenge. (That in and of itself is another memorable story which I will share with those pictures.) Our paths crossed as she stopped her car in the driveway and walked with a cane to her mailbox, which I was blocking. The scene that she had stumbled upon required some explanation so I began to give her one. She just smiled at me and said, "It's OK. I'm 97 and I've seen lots of things." Of course, I knew then that I wanted her to be my next stranger. Unfortunately I did not have my camera ready to snap her photo at the exact moment that I asked her if I might take her picture. Her face just beamed with surprise and excitement. She didn't stop long for the picture, but was happy to continue to talk to me as I walked her back to her car.
There was nothing uncomfortable at all with this stranger exchange. As all of my strangers to date have been very friendly, I would attribute this ease to the fact that I was already warmed up with my camera and that the encounter was unplanned. I'm so glad that Charlotte was out for her bi-weekly drive to town for groceries, and that our paths happened to cross.
This photo is included in the group 100 strangers:
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/pool/
This photo is included in the Human Family Group. To view more street portraits and stories visit:
Facebook keeps counting up the days (You haven't posted in 434 days") and seeing the number rising was one of the reasons to continue the project. The urge to go out and photograph strangers grew again more and more. Some things have changed in my life since the last time like graduating from university and going to work every day. But the nervousness and shaking arms when raising the camera in front of the "first" stranger is still there :)
Meet Theresa. She was walking quickly which in my experience is a bad sign because most of those people tend to say no. As she was hesitating and stating that she didn't have time since she was already late for work. But as you can see, I luckily managed to convince her to spend another two minutes and got her portrait.
That's the reason I don't know much about her except that she studies in Bamberg and apparently works in Munich in the evening.
Theresa, thank you very much! It was a pleasure meeting you, even though it was very quick. If you like to have the full versions, just contact me.
This picture is #52 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.
Please check out my Facebook page, leave feedback and like if you like :)
Instagram: instagram.com/100strangers_muc
Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!
“If we are both going crazy, then we will go crazy together.” #StrangerThings
💡 Nose blood ELEVEN EvoX - Evo
📷 T-shirt STRANNGER THINGS [Maitreya]
Hi I met Jay recently as she was crossing an intersection. Although I was reluctant to approach as she was going home after work, the lights turned red (luckily) which gave me the opportunity to strike up a conversation about the project. It was a brief encounter. It was my third attempt in getting busy people on board. Here are the other ones .
And the associated blog
and the
and its associated blog
If you are interested about the whole episode, please head over to my website following this link as it contains much more information and many more images.
----------------------------------------
(Constructive) Criticism is welcome as usual
This picture is #51 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
----------------------------------------
For similar stories please click here
Follow us on instagram @blissfulpenguinofficial
When getting to know somebody, the first impression guides the way. However, reasonable opinion can only form gradually. In doing so, time is a crucial factor as it determines the desire for further contact.
If things work out well, we like the little nuances and details reflected in the interaction, and strangers grow friends. As such, they become part of the personal life, enrich it, and at some point, they are indispensable. While bonding, we built up memories, sharing the good and the bad.
But life frequently consists of decision making, and its consequence is change. As transient as happiness and sadness feel, as temporary is who we are. In the process of time, friends might take too many different turns that no longer merge.
Though this is a sad realization, the memories will always remain. Finally, the process of grieving slowly guides to the conclusion that this transience also means that new strangers will cross the way.
I spent the last morning of my summer holidays hunting new strangers: I headed downtown and walked around the main square of Genova when I saw Alessandra and Chiara taking pictures of each other in front of the S. Lorenzo cathedral; I immediately noticed Alessandra's big eyes. I took a look around for a decent background and found some alleys a few meters away, just when Alessandra and Chiara were walking in my direction, in the company of Ivan. I sgowed my card and did a quick presentation of my project: fortunately the trio listened and expressed interest in what I was doing.
Before and after the shooting, we had a pleasent conversation ranging from the project itself, to Genova and the typical attitude of local people and the differences with Sondrio and the Valtellina, the places where they come from.
Thank you guys for your help: hope you've had a great time in Genova and you enjoyed the food!!!
______
This picture is #108 in my second 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
This portrait is included in the The Human Family Group. To view more street portraits and stories visit
AAW September 27 - October 4: Cinematic Photography
WIT: I had this idea to make a dreamscape photo for a cinematic look. It was a dreary day, which helped. I set the camera on a tripod, and put it on a 10-second timer - I ran up ahead, in time for the camera shutter to go off. I had to do it several times, so I got good exercise, lol! I used a Lensbaby, which gave the edgy blurriness, to make it more dreamlike - which could have been done in Photoshop, but I like the idea of it happening organically, in camera. In post, I adjusted the colour and cropped to 16:9 for a more cinematic look.
The Strangers Project or "What's it like being you?"
A fifteen plus years project where anonymous handwritten entries tell the project (and readers) what it is like being them.
Seen hanging on the wall in one of the terminals in JFK.
Photography For Everyone , Express Your Emotions ...
Contact Us :
Skype : luckystar.mac
Email : maconlstudio@gmail.com
a really lovely woman and one with an amazing story, met by chance and turns out that she had been in the music business all her working life as a backing singer. Herself the daughter of a band leader of the 40's.
Strangers he gulls, but friends make fun of him.
Phaedrus
Harbor Park, Grand Marias, MN
By the end of a week in Grand Marias, you actually start to get to know the individual Sea Gulls. This one we named "Stanley" and seemed to be part Captain, and part comedian.
I took this picture only a few hours ago. I spotted this guy in an empty street, and approached him. He agreed to the portrait without caring about what was it for. He said he was going to work, so i tried to hurry and quicly took two pictures, and then he left without telling me his name. So... less than 1 minute, the quickest portrait i've ever made...
Thank you very much, i like your portrait... stranger!
This picture is #16 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 my only entry for the RebelLug 2021 vignweek. The prompt was mixed themes, so i decided to mix lotr and Stranger Things. I built Frodo's encounter with the ringwraiths on Weathertop. To mix in the Stranger Things aspect i had Frodo disappear into the Upside Down when putting on the ring.
Hope you like it!
There were so many things about Stranger #164 that I found photographically desirable that I knew the moment I spotted him that I wanted to include him in my project. However, I must admit I felt a little trepidation at the thought of approaching him. He was standing on the sidewalk clearly promoting a political movement. He had set up signage and literature, but his purpose seemed to be more focused on targeting potential candidates to join the movement rather than indiscriminately campaigning his cause to all passing pedestrians. I parked myself about ten feet away from him in hopes of getting his attention as a way to commence our encounter. This tactic did not appear to be working as he seemed to be entirely disinterested in my presence. My guess is that he had sized me up as someone who was not sympathetic toward his movement… and he would have been correct in that thinking as I do not agree with the ideology that he was representing. In fact, I was a little concerned that a portrait request might be met with a severe rebuff. That said, I was determined and I stood my ground. Finally our eyes met. I jumped right in with a smile and a cheery “Can I take your picture?”
It seemed that I had successfully deflated our stand-off as he returned the smile and replied “Sure.”
So began our encounter. I explained my project to Art as we were setting up the shot. I also used the project as a means to address the obvious political divide between the two of us. I mentioned to him that one year prior I had photographed a political rally/protest/march that was part of his movement, and that I had obtained a few stranger portraits from that event. He expressed interest, so using my phone, I showed him some of the shots from that protest. He immediately recognized the subject of one of my most memorable stranger encounters; Stranger #144- Sergeant-Major Herbert from the Black Man Army (of which I think Art was a member as well). I believe sharing those images served to legitimize my standing as a photojournalist in Art’s mind, and we wound up having a very cordial and successful photo shoot. We wrapped up and wished each other well. I am entirely pleased with how the portrait and the meeting turned out. Once again, a potential stranger encounter that had me full of anxiety and trepidation turned out to be a pleasant experience. It was simply two men, albeit from opposite sides of the spectrum, sharing a few minutes of respect and good will on a cold December day. This project never ceases to amaze me.
Check out the rest of the stranger street portraits in my project at Paco's 100 Strangers Project and find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.
Lucy was sitting outside the library when I asked if I might take her photo. She agreed and I asked if she was waiting for a bus. She said that she was and that she was a bit early. I was pleased that her bus would not be arriving imminently, as we would be able to chat a little and would not need to rush the portraits.
Lucy is in her third year of college. She has been accepted into Cardiff University and will be starting a degree in english literature and music next year. Lucy sings and plays clarinet and piano. I mentioned that liked those instruments. I had shared a house with musicians during my time at university and had been to a concert where one of my friends had played Mozart's clarinet concerto. I also had fond memories of my dad's god daughter playing the Moonlight sonata. Lucy told me that she could play this, it had been a performance piece for one of her exams.
In her spare time, Lucy also enjoys horse riding. I asked if she knew Sorrel my stranger 274, who also enjoys horse riding but Lucy did not. We then made a few portraits, switched places twice and chatted a little more between shots. I saw Lucy's bus arrive and we exchanged words of thanks and goodbyes.
Thank you Lucy for being part of my project. It was good to meet you today. Best wishes for your studies etc.
You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
I was after a photo session with some friends on my way home when i saw Natalie with one hand leaning on the floor behind and with the other smoking a cigarette. I immediately was impressed from the scene, like in a hollywood movie. I approached her and asked for a portrait. She agreed, but the pose i saw we didn't manage anymore. I made some more shots with her friend and her dog and sent it to her. I was at the end happy to get a positive feedback from her.
Thanks for your visit, comments, faves,....
Website | Blog | 500px | Instagram | Tumblr | Ello
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
While waiting for my next stranger, I was approached by this man who showed me a sheet of paper while speaking some mixture of borken English and broken Italian.
I think he's original from Afghanistan and when he spelled his name I could not understand.
If you followed my work, you'd know that I usually don't take portraits of beggars, I dont usually shoot men and I find it extremely difficult to ask for portraits to people of a certain age: this time I broke all the above rules.
I got very much interested in this man's eyes and it felt almost natural to exchange few money for a few shots: we both got something for almost nothing.
The result, on my camera screen seemed rather dark, but all the few images looked great after some minimal adjustments: I love my 85mm lens!
I just tend to get too close to the subject most of the times...
I thought I would not post this for my strangers project, but at the end I think it's worth it
_____________
This picture is #124 in my second 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
Hi
I recently met Helena while she was travelling Sydney (Australia) from Frankfort (Germany). This was my first encounter of 2023 and as I was taking a stroll inside Hyde Park, I came across her and after explaining the project she happily came along. We discussed about her many likes and dislikes including book reading and travelling and swimming. Her mom is also a photographer who loves to take pictures of people incidentally and often thinks her daughter is very photogenic. During this discourse I totally forgot to mention if her mom should also participate in this project however, as you can understand we had a lot of fun talking and it was an excellent session overall.
-----------------------------------------
And there are a lot more to this and if you want to see the remaining image of this encounter pls click here.
-----------------------------------------
If you are interested about the whole episode, please head over to my website following this link as it contains much more information and many more images.
----------------------------------------
(Constructive) Criticism is welcome as usual
This picture is #59 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
----------------------------------------
For similar stories please click here
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouPic @BlissfulPenguinOfficial
After I took several pictures of Cosmo (stranger #36) he suggested to ask his girl friend Leila to be part of the project. She works in a fashion store around the corner and she will sure agree.
So I entered the empty store and saw Leila. I explained the project and showed her a photo of Cosmo on the display of the camera. She was really surprised and accepted. We left the store to shot a few photos in natural light.
Shortly after I gave her a moo card and said good bye.
Thanks so much for being in my project Leila, and I hope you like the results!
So here is my stranger number 37.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com
Stranger #96 – Marina – I met her in the centre of Wrocław, Poland. She was taking pictures when I approached her and asked for a photo. I briefly explained the project and she agreed without hesitation. I took quite a few pictures and than we chatted a bit. It turned out Marina is from Spain. It was really a nice encounter :)
This picture is #96 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 find my stranger portraits are a bit like buses, I don't get one for ages and then three come along at once!
I met Glen at the food and drink festival at Holkham in Norfolk, last weekend. He works for a company that produce rapeseed oil which apparently has half the saturated fat of olive oil...I find it lovely for roasting potatoes. Glen is interested in photography but currently mostly uses his phone to take photos. I told him about the stranger project and he kindly agreed to take part. He is quite tall so I asked him to perch on a table with the company banner as a backdrop. Glen told me he has done some modelling so he was comfortable in front of the camera.
This picture is #42 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 found this "stranger" in the garden. I haven't seen this color before, but it is a nice poppy too ;-)) It was just one flower, so maybe next year there will be more, we just have to wait and see.
Me the stranger, not the deer! This beautiful guy just popped up this morning while I was hiking the Dakota Ridge Trail in Boulder. You've got to be ready for anything when hiking. The camera was preset for the overcast conditions so I got 2 shots off and he was gone!
I have posted a strangers photo for so very long but....
Today I met Rafael and that reminded me of this project.
Rafael came to this country 18 years ago on a work visa. He was born in Monterrey the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico but grew up in Ciudad Juárez. He came to New Mexico originally for the hiking and skiing.
He is an engineer but more recently decided that real estate was his forte.
The gash on the bridge of his nose was from the car hood coming down and hitting him whilst out on a hiking trip with his two sons, ages 8 and 4. Rafael's hair is growing so he and his sons can donate it to a cancer charirty organisation. His eight year old son's idea and isn't that most admirable.
I loved talking with Rafael and no doubt we will meet again. Thanks Rafael for taking time to chat about so much.
I must admit I love the 100 strangers project and will do my best to complete it in 2022,
This picture is #37 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'm the strangers number 21 as it was said to me … I'm actually strange not only in the city, but to the whole life. Not only that, but I'm the stranger who doesn't belong to this age. Sometimes I feel like I'm a cloud overloaded by emotions, and sometimes I feel that I'm a sad letter, and sometimes as a woman of fragrance time.
I found myself between the covers of books… Involved in the writing of people and their stories In the heroes that I don't know.
I wrote about « Sahar and Ibrahim » and « meetings that untangled the sky buttons ». I wrote about « anticipation and twisted feelings roads ».
I never hide writing to my deepest soul. Furthermore, I walk between the lines with a head held high and a heart of iron and silk.
I craft my fingertips with characters and I solidify my relationship with people tears and the beat of their hearts.
I'm the stranger writer, who self-isolate to write. & because of the strangers are just passing through, I choose to write … to stay.
I always had the power of seeing something different in people. I had the idea of creating this project in 2014 when I realize I’m shooting a lot of portraits for my friends, clients, people on the street… So I transformed this passion into an artistic project where my goal wasn’t take just average pictures of strangers, but make portraits of them that reveals something.
It’s an on-going project which I want to take 100 portraits stories.
This, my third round of 100 strangers is a slow burner. I managed to get out shooting today for the first time in months. My intention with this round is to use off camera flash (OCF) in my portraits as a learning curve.
As is my usual fashion mostly, I found a background I wished to use and waited for a suitable stranger to come along. This background is Christmas lights at London's Covent Garden.
I noticed Chara walking along suitably wrapped up against the cold weather and thought that she would be a perfect match against the lights in the background.
Chara is from Turkey but lives in the UK. She was out shopping with a friend (whose name I never got) but thanks Chara's friend for holding the light boom with my flash and shoot through umbrella.
This is included in the group 100 strangers:
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/pool/
This is included in the Human Family Group. To view more street portraits and stories visit