100 Strangers Portraits

I have started a new project called 100 Strangers. It was something I saw on Flickr and knew that it was something I had to try. The idea is to take portraits of 100 strangers and get to know something about them while you’re doing it.  I intend to add at least one stranger a week to the collection.
Every one of us has a story.
Every one of us is interesting.
And every one of us is beautiful in their own way.

I have always shot street portraits of interesting looking people. When I do this, though, I do it from afar and most of the time these folks never even know I’ve taken their picture. This is a way to improve my skills in photojournalism and shooting portraits, but it is much more. I am by nature an introvert; I don’t do well in talking to strangers. I sometimes don’t do too well talking to people I know. Doing this will force me to move out of my comfort zone, get permission to take their photo, and actually interact with people I don’t know. People I would have never had the chance to know. So, this is as much about me as it is about them. It’s another in my yearlong quest to approach life with GUTS.

You can find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the website, 100 Strangers or on Flickr.

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Stranger #10: These guys are my tenth in the 100 Strangers project. When I first saw them, they were busking on the edge of a little pocket park and surrounded by a bunch of young ladies. That was the shot I wanted. But by the time I had gotten over there, their fans had lost interest because the guys were more into their music than the girls. They were serious musicians. And getting them to actually smile and look up from their playing was difficult. When I introduced myself and handed them my business card, they got a little excited because they saw that I was a music photographer. Then I got them to smile! I explained the project to them and told them I’d have a copy for them next time I saw them. Nice kids and good musicians too. Who knows, someday I may be shooting them on stage

Stranger #9: Lil is my ninth in the 100 Strangers project. Lil did not have much to say. She was too busy enjoying her ice cream cone on a beautiful day. I saw her come out of the ice cream shop when she first got it, and then I saw her again as I walked back down the street when she was about half way through it. When I saw her face, I melted as much as the ice cream. I asked her mom if I could take her picture and Lil looked up and I got this lovely smile and then she was back to work on her ice cream. Some things are just more important than having your picture taken!

Stranger #8: My eighth portrait in the 100 Stranger project is Mary Holt Bagwell. She told me with a huge smile that her family insists that she use all of the names when she introduces herself. But she’s not sure quite why. Ms. Mary grew up in Fernandina, but left many years ago. She has come back to her hometown as she told me so many of her friends have. As she said, there’s just something about this town that never leaves you. She loves running into all of her old friends and catching up with them. She has such a lovely way about her and we had a great chat for almost a half hour. And as others passed by, she greeted all of them. It was evident that she’s one of those folks who just enjoys other people. She even started a conversation with another gentleman that will be one of my future strangers, as she got a good bit of the info for me. Mary comes down to the Marina just about every day now to check on things and count the pelicans to make sure they’re all still there. Ms. Mary is a lovely lady that I know I’ll get to see again as I spend many days down by the marina myself.

Stranger #7: This is my seventh for the 100 Stranger project. I was walking down the other side of the street when I saw this young man cradled in the arms of his father. I had to go over and capture the moment. I asked if I could take the shot and Dad said yes, but as I began to introduce myself and say more, the little guy started to squirm a bit at the sound of my voice, so I just shut up and took the picture. Obviously, touristing was a hard days work on the little guy and I was not going to disturb his slumber. Took me back to the time when my kids were that little and I got to hold them that way while they slept. Priceless.

Stranger #6:This young lady is my sixth in my 100 Strangers project. Her name is Anastasia. I was sitting in line at the drive thru at the local McDonalds with my camera sitting right next to me. So I thought when I got to the window, I’d ask if I could take that person’s picture. I got up to the window with my money and camera in hand and asked. She looked at me kind of funny, laughed nervously and said OK. “What,” I asked, “Hasn’t anyone ever taken your picture before?” “Not in here!” was her reply. I didn’t get to ask her much as the line was very long and the guy behind me was inching up on my bumper and hitting his horn. Maybe next time I should do it when it wasn’t quite so crowded.

As I was pulling away I realized I had just done my first Drive Thru Shooting…..I think I see another project in the works!

Stranger #5: This gentleman was actually my inspiration for starting the 100 Strangers project, so I thought I’d include him here, although I took this photo awhile ago. I met Papa Olu at the Riverside Arts Market in Jacksonville as he was instructing children in the art of wood carving. It was so wonderful to watch this man and these children, whose lives may have never crossed, interact as teacher and pupil in such a tender way. I was literally touched by seeing it. You can read the entire story here.  I am still touched by what I witnessed that day and I hope that I never forget the lesson I learned.

Stranger #4:  These ladies are the fourth in my 100 Strangers project. Unfortunately, I didn’t get their names. Like many visitors to Fernandina, they were downtown for dinner and to watch the sun go down over Tiger Island. They asked me to use their camera to take their picture, so naturally, I asked them if I could take one of them for me, too. They were down in Fernandina because they just had to get away from Ann Arbor. Can’t say that I blame them for that! Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating as it was still pretty chilly for the time they were here. They did get to the beach, but they had to find a place between the dunes to shield them from the wind. One was going home the next day, and the other gets to stay until the weekend. The one sister owns a condo at the Amelia Plantation, so I may be seeing them again sometime.

Stranger #3:  This is Number 3 in my 100 Strangers Project. These guys are a musical act trying to get their start, FTL (Fo The Ladiez). We met them in downtown Jacksonville when we were doing a street shoot with Andy and Mikey of Lightenupandshoot.com. They were working on their first release and were looking for some shots for the album, so they were very willing to be photographed. They told us that they’ve had several photoshoots, but didn’t like anything they’ve seen so far. I hope you guys like some of what we shot and that you’re CD goes platinum.

Stranger #2:  This is the second person to participate in my 100 Strangers project. This is Roger. Roger moved to Fernandina Beach 26 years ago from Chicago. And he loves it here. He has worked at the Marina for the last 9 years and he can’t think of a job he’d like more…being outside in such a beautiful setting, meeting people from all over. He used to work with federal and state prisoners in corrections, but this is much more enjoyable. Roger wasn’t at all surprised when I asked to take his picture; he says it happens all the time. Not as much as when his mustache and beard were much longer and more distinctive, but he’s always happy to do it. If you get down to the Marina and you see Roger, tell him I said “Hi”. I really enjoyed talking with Roger and I know that I’ll be seeing him again soon.

Stranger #1:  This is the first in my 100 Strangers project. This is Gloria. She is a longtime resident of Amelia Island. Gloria was downtown today to photograph the old and faded painted sign on the side of a building in downtown Fernandina. She wants to chronicle some of the past of our darling little town. She was surprised that I would want to take her picture, but was quite willing. And at her request, I let her take one of me. While I take street portraits all the time, I wasn’t too sure about going up to someone on the street and asking if I could photograph them. It was easier with Gloria because she reminded me a lot of my mother. It was so nice to speak to you Gloria…I hope to see you again soon.