31 december, 2008

tom . 49 years old  /  tulsa . oklahoma

this was a shoot to remember for all time. i took a walk by myself while my friend was at an appointment. the area we were in was not ideal for this project, but i decided i'd give it a shot.

after wandering for a while, i saw a woman climb out of her sport utility vehicle and start making her way towards some shops. i approached her and briefly told her about my project. before i had the chance to get too much out of my mouth, she interrupted me and told me she couldn't do it because she had "religious convictions". she wished me luck and i thought about letting her off the hook, but then realized i could not pass up the opportunity. i called after her and asked what her religion was, to which she replied, "oh, i'd rather not say." there's a can of worms if i've ever seen one.

so, i took to some more wandering. when i was about to call it a day and wait until later, i saw this '62 chevrolet pull into the parking lot i was standing in. a woman climbed out of the passenger side and then disappeared into an office building.

as i neared the truck, i saw tom locking the doors, so decided to give this a shot. tom put me through the ringer. he had all the southern skepticism of a bull on his way to the slaughter. he wanted to know about every part of this project, but in the way that he knew he was going to catch me in some lie.

he asked me why i couldn't just photograph his truck. that was a tough one to respond to without laughing out loud, but i managed. trucks are not people, and especially not strangers. they don't have eyes and certainly not eyes that shine light on the soul.

tom eventually agreed, but the light was just awful - very hard sunlight at high noon directly behind him. i struggled with the reflections in his glasses for the entire time. this combo is not as strong as i would have liked it to be, given the vintage frames and the classic truck, but it is the final shot of the 2008.

tom talked quite a bit about his truck. he likes it because it represents a simpler time of life. "it doesn't stop on a dime and it doesn't go from 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds."

30 december, 2008

jacob . 20 years old  /  tulsa . oklahoma

i just arrived in oklahoma to shoot a wedding. after grabbing a bite to eat with my buddy, we were going to head to a populated area so that i could meet today's new friend. on our way to the car, though, i spotted jacob and another man (his boss?) behind a restaurant on a smoke break.

i approached the duo and the boss (?) made some comment about being on a where's waldo hunt - a comment warranted because of my stripes, i am assuming. i gave them the rundown and asked jacob if he'd be interested in participating. he lit up like a christmas tree.

for the next few minutes, i photographed jacob and he really seemed to enjoy every second of it. i struggled with the light in his glasses for a while and ended up with this combo.

if i had to, i would go out on a limb and say that jacob is an oklahoma football fan.

29 december, 2008

lindsy . 31 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

this took a lot out of me today. for some reason the search for today's new friend was much longer than normal.

i had gone around the block a couple of times, specifically looking for a woman, and was once again beginning to worry about not finding someone before the light completely disappeared.

i saw a womanly figure in a long brown coat walking alone in the same direction as i was heading, but quite a bit ahead. i quickened my pace to something that resembled olympic speed walking. when i got just behind lindsy, i lost all of my courage, so i just walked by her. scrambling to pull myself together, i waited on the corner for a few seconds, until lindsy caught up to me.

i walked up to her and gave her the run down. she agreed to it, but hardly looked impressed. i did not get much from her, she stayed closed during the whole process. i often feel refueled after i shoot - the energy from the other person rubs off on me and i feel indomitable for a few minutes. but today that did not happen.

i feel like a serious creep sometimes. this guy standing on the corner, waiting for people to come by so he can take their portraits for a "project" and then scribble some notes in some notebook. name? age? "oh sure, would you like my address and key, too? social security number, perhaps?" i wonder how many of these strangers go back to look at the photo... what are they expecting to see there?

28 december, 2008

michael . 53 years old  /  cambridge . massachusetts

today was laundry day. i like to clean my clothes at a place called "the lost sock". it does not have any character at all. it borderlines on dingy, but manages to stay just on this side. laundromats are relatively easy to make into something interesting, but really, this place has somehow taken on no notable characteristics whatsoever. but, it has a perfect name and for that, i love it. i am that shallow.

the lock sock happens to reside in between a couple of intersections where one can most likely meet another one. i inserted my quarters and secretly hoped that the lost sock would not live up to its name and then hit the streets in search of this unusually warm day's stranger.

by the time i made it up to the first intersection, i saw michael making his way across the street towards a 7-eleven. i cut through the parking lot to intercept him. his face showed genuine interest in the project. he was happy to help. he had a few questions about the project, logistical stuff, time frame stuff, and what-not. then he wanted to know why i asked him.

i think if i had white hair, a white beard, a miniature rat-tail hair cut, and several earrings i would wake up every day fully accepting the fact that someone would want to photograph me. in fact, i would probably go to bed disappointed every day someone did not ask me to pose for them. i answered michael by explaining that his beard and hair were striking together and his shirt went well with the colors of the wall. he snickered a bit and said something to the effect of, "yeah, the whole santa claus thing."

27 december, 2008

steve . 37 years old  /  cambridge . massachusetts

well... this is not my favorite shot. today was a bit of a stress. i went down to harvard square because the weather was lousy and i didn't want to wander around my 'hood for a long time. the sky was so dark and the clouds were stealing all of my light. i drove around looking for a parking spot for a few too many minutes and started getting pretty nervous about not getting out in enough time.

after finally finding a place, i dropped my mom off at a bookstore and then hit the street with a vengeance. i was going to shoot another woman today because the numbers are once again becoming unbalanced, but steve walked by me singing. i am not sure what he was singing, but the fact that he was singing made me smile.

i turned around and called after him and he cheerfully stopped and turned around. i gave him the pitch and he agreed right away to be part of this project. our location was not prime and the sun was seriously protesting for a day off, but given the circumstances, it turned out ok.

steve sings on the street and that is rad.

26 december, 2008

alison . 24 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

i saw alison pedal by on her super-rad old bicycle. her coat and hat caught my eye, but i figured i wouldn't have the chance to photograph her as i was on foot. but i came up to an intersection and saw her locking raleigh in front of the bank.

i walked up to her in a hurry and started in with the routine. her face lit up right away and she agreed to be a part of the project.

as we were talking, a couple of... nevermind... a couple walked across the street in front of us, screaming at each other. the woman was yelling at the man and i am not sure how he responded, but it clearly wasn't in the way she was hoping for because she slapped him (and hard!) in the face right there in the street. there's nothing like a little domestic violence to get me distracted.

then, just as we were wrapping up the photos, a vagrant of some sort walked by and started giving a guy near us a pretty rough time. there was a lot of barely understandable swearing going on and i started feeling tense. i walked near the chaos and took up my camera bag from the ground and asked the guy causing all of the commotion if he was doing ok. he must of loved that because he started yelling at me about what i could do to myself.

to avoid the mess, alison and i ducked into the bank where we continued our conversation on her up and coming trip to india where she will be working with some people to figure out a waste-water treatment system using desert plants as an aid. she plans on traveling to india by boat, but the boat she was supposed to be on just had a bit of a wreck down near rhode island. i started talking with her about my trip halfway across the atlantic and now it seems we have some more to talk about it.

25 december, 2008

joe . 34 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

the streets were bare today. i went for a stroll with my mom as my accomplice. we had a two part mission - 1) find a stranger to photograph and 2) buy aluminum foil. both seemed unlikely to happen on christmas day.

after walking my normal route for a while, i started feeling pretty nervous about not finding someone. and then there was joe. he was standing outside of his house, having a smoke and drinking something i assumed was coffee.

i approached him and initiated my shpeal with "i'm a photographer", to which he started chuckling. i thought i was in for a definite "no", but he agreed. he has recently been accosted for other artists' projects and was asking me why. i told him that i asked him specifically because he was standing outside on christmas day when i walked by. but i think the real reason is because joe is extremely photogenic. look at this guy! them eyes are gorgeous!

merry christmas, joe. merry christmas, everybody. 256 days to go...

24 december, 2008

lorna . 36 years old  /  cambridge . massachusetts

'twas the night before christmas and all through boston, all the creatures were stirring and getting wet from the rain. "rain?", you say? on christmas eve? yes, RAIN. on christmas eve. sad, but true.

my mom is visiting me for the holiday. as tour guide, i took her into harvard square to see what there is to see. then i dropped her off at a little store so i could go find today's stranger. i walked a few paces to an intersection and before i even stepped onto the crosswalk, lorna came up behind me. i saw her outerwear first - a gorgeous winter jacket / cloak / comforter. she looked warm and well protected, so i didn't feel at all guilty asking her to help me out.

she was happy to help and pleasant to photograph. she looks determined to me. maybe determined to have a good holiday. maybe determined to be the most fashionable woman on the street. maybe just determined to make the best out of this photo experience.

after the shoot, my mother and i went into a bookstore to look at some... well... books. as i was flipping through the pages of another photography book, i happened to notice a portrait of a black woman who went by the name lorna. and there was a striking resemblance.

i'm just saying...

23 december, 2008

mika . 20 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

it was an absolutely gorgeous day today. the air was very cold, but the sun felt like a personal space heater. i went for my walk, taking the usual route, keeping my eyes peeled for today's new friend.

the sidewalks in somerville are all a complete disaster. many of them are not shoveled and nearly all of the intersections offer slushy puddles as presents for all the pedestrians to enjoy. as i was making my way across one such intersection, i noticed that mika was trying to make her way across, too. i offered for her to go first, but she said she was trying to figure out how to make it happen. i walked through and then asked her about the project.

she was happy to help. the light where we were standing was not my favorite, but there was a slim shadow that i positioned mika in. the sun was to her back, as you can probably see. this is very rarely the light source i use for my portraits, but i felt like going for something different today.

i noticed that mika had thin canvas slip-ons on her feet and asked her about the not so perfect footwear for the weather. she explained that she recently hurt her toe and couldn't be bothered with the restrictions that adequate footwear present. anyway, this is hardly the point i am trying to make - i brought it up to say that after she walked away i wished i had photographed her feet as the alternate shot.

22 december, 2008

david . 29 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

although david looks pretty comfortable, it was very cold when i took this shot. i was miserable. i walked the block a few times, looking for that look in someone's eyes that said, "yeah, i'm down for a photograph." sometimes i know they'll say yes before i even ask.

i asked an older black woman, wrapped up in a classy coat, but tears were forming i her eyes from the sharp wind. she declined, but wished me luck. i bet she would have said yes if it weren't for the weather.

i came up to a corner and saw david walking down the street towards me. i decided to wait. waiting in anticipation of someone i know is coming towards me makes me feel a little bit creepy, but sometimes i just have to do it.

david was happy to help. as you can see, he was content. he had this very serene look on his face the whole time i photographed him. i imagine him having this face on all the time. he must be a really pleasant person to be around.

i bought a new domain name last night - it will be the future site of this project. i can't believe i have to wait to share it with you, but it must be done to perfection before the unveiling. keep your fingers crossed.

21 december, 2008

gregory . 31 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

i'm back in new england. i'd say "obviously", but i guess it could also be confused with the himalayas, based on this photo. i had a super breakfast with my roomie and then went out for my stranger hunt.

it took me a long time today. some people were out - a surprisingly high number, actually - but no one was doing it for me. i was getting wet and cold and tired and was walking the same route over and over. i found a dog that i had a pretty good connection with and debated using him as my stranger, but only briefly.

i eventually saw gregory. he had a big winter hood on, but he took it off for the photo. that's ok, right? i like the snow in the photos. i was hoping for an environment that was a bit more quintessential new england winter, but this is what i got.

20 december, 2008

larry . 56 years old  /  denver . colorado

larry marks the last photo in denver for this trip. i am flying back to boston today and felt like i should get my shot before arriving at the airport. the last thing i need is to have my camera confiscated for shooting portraits in airports.

i had a really interesting morning. i was locked out of my friend's place a bit before 6 am. i could have used the time to shoot the photo, but it was completely dark. i wandered through the quiet streets of south denver in search of a diner. i figured a feast and some coffee wouldn't hurt. i managed to come across swift's #4 and devoured the biggest burrito i've ever seen and swallowed the worst coffee in history.

it was still too dark to shoot, but hearing from my buddy and realizing the place was now unlocked, i decided to gather all my belongings and get ready for the big travel day. after making sure everything was in order i went out into the now bright and clear denver day.

i asked a woman with a little dog if she'd like to be part of the project. negative. onward... then i saw harold sitting on the ground, smoking a cigarette, waiting for a bus. he was more than happy to be my stranger of the day. his eyes just about floored me. so blue. i complimented him on them and he replied with, "that's what the girls tell me."

larry was great. i'm pleased with this final denver shot. i felt pretty heavy today, but during our short conversation, larry triggered something inside me... helped to set me on a better course for the day.

19 december, 2008

tammy . 40 years old  /  denver . colorado

not much of a story here. i was out for a walk with a friend. i had been keeping my eyes open for today's stranger for quite a while. as we walked through the grounds of the denver art museum, i spotted tammy. she was serving as a chaperone on her son's field trip. they had all made the trip down from cheyenne, wyoming.

i asked her to look in the lens, but she was not too interested in that. her eyes wandered a lot. she was very distracted, which made me nervous. so, another lesson learned.

18 december, 2008

pedro . 59 years old  /  denver . colorado

i saw a new part of town today - colfax street - and a new diner called pete's. if you come to denver, go to pete's. this is pedro. he pulled his jeep into the parking lot outside of pete's while i was standing on the corner waiting to see someone interesting.

pedro was talking with a waitress from pete's for a while. i waited for a few minutes, but eventually walked up to the pair and interrupted. pedro was a good sport about participating, but was not overly enthusiastic about the project. in fact, he did not even take one of my cards. oh well. people do not need to be interested, but i guess i would like them to be.

pedro also wanted to know why i took all my shots with the person looking into the camera. i told him i like eyes, to which he respond with something like, "there's a saying about the mirrors of the soul." yes, there is indeed.

17 december, 2008

mason . 24 years old  /  fort collins . colorado

i took a day trip up to fort collins with a couple of my friends. after a bite to eat on the main drag up there, i took the opportunity to look for my stranger.

mason was the third person i asked today. a couple others said no on account of being busy. oh well. mason was super nice. he didn't have much to say, but was very accommodating and friendly.

16 december, 2008

lacey . 26 years old  /  denver . colorado

day 100! i guess it is like another day, but it has a nice ring. i feel like it gives me a little credibility when i approach potential strangers.

i went out for a walk, taking the usual route, and saw this girl on a bike pass me by a couple of times. the big hat was probably catching my eye more than anything, well, the hat and the bike. i have a thing for bikes. lacey rode by me and then parked her bike outside of goodwill, not far from where i was standing. so, i went for it.

she was all about it so we took some pictures. she was out doing some thrift store shopping and seemed to have some time to kill. she said that her family comes from the boston area, but she's not yet had the chance to get up there. and she is also a photographer. this is like a giant game of connect the dots.

15 december, 2008

dawnyel . 36 years old  /  denver . colorado

if it doesn't look cold then we did something right. it was about 7 degrees... miserably cold again today.

i was waiting in front of a grocery store here in denver, looking for someone to photograph. i asked an older gentleman, but he couldn't be convinced. a few minutes later, i saw dawnyel walking across the parking lot. i approached her on her way in the store and began my pitch.

she was an extremely hard sell. she protested quite a bit, but it was in such a nice way that i kept trying. she had a lot of good excuses about being shy and not photogenic. and being shy. and then again shy. but after a minute or so, she caved and agreed to let me photograph her.

we were in direct light, so we walked a few steps around a corner to get into some shade. as i was giving her my business card and explaining to her where to find the photos, a man came up to us saying he was some kind of building manager or security or something... he went into a well rehearsed aggressive speech about calling the police and having me arrested for soliciting. i claimed that i was not soliciting to which he argued that i was selling my services. i then explained that i wasn't selling anything, but i was taking photographs of strangers for a project. well... that went over like a bull in a china closet. he told me to leave immediately. with him in my face, i politely turned to dawnyel and asked if she would come with me. she immediately agreed and we walked off with old dude sputtering about us leaving the property.

we found another wall of shade and began the shooting. this being part of record-low temperatures in denver, she was frigid. i gave her my mittens as a peace offering, but they were coming up a bit short. we needed the world's largest space heater.

i took quite a few photos to help break through her discomfort, but the cold was working against us. this is the last shot i took of dawnyel. she is very beautiful and i am afraid this photo does not do her justice, but i don't think it is a terrible disgrace either.

we had a lot of fun and in the end we walked back to the stores. she gave me my gloves back and even a hug. this was a shoot to remember.

14 december, 2008

ken . 57 years old  / denver . colorado

there is a big story here, but i am afraid i can't share it. i know this begs questions, so i will try to share enough to make it interesting.

it was so cold in denver. maybe 5 degrees (-15 c). i was not really excited about looking for strangers in this kind of cold, but look for strangers i did. after trying to stay in the sun for as long as i could, i crossed the street to the shady side to make my way towards an interesting wall i thought i might use for the background.

i saw ken walking towards me, duly noted his cowboy hat and rugged jacket, and proceeded to ask him to be a part of my project. as soon as i asked, i realized i probably should not have because ken was, i presumed, not up to par.

after a somewhat lengthy conversation, ken saying "no", but then asking more questions and eventually saying "yes" (for the first time in this project, i was glad to hear "no"), i took a few shots of ken. after maybe seven frames, i had to stop because ken told me he lost a friend last week. i pulled my camera down from my eye and listened to him for a few minutes as he told me some of the details. after he composed himself, he took off his hat and asked me to photograph it. apparently these hats are not longer made and he was quite proud of that fact. i was clearly finished taking his photograph, but i was happy to shoot his hat if it was going to do something for him.

ken was obviously feeling the pain from his loss and i don't want to exploit that in any way. i do feel somewhat obligated to share some of his story though because i consider it a privilege to have met ken when i did. i was happy to be there for him. most days i am awed that i meet the person i do when there are so many variables. if ken had taken another minute to put on his jacket. if i had stayed on the phone a bit longer. if the crosswalk had stayed red. if if if... but instead, i was able to be some source of comfort for ken. i think that is incredible.

13 december, 2008

tommy . 28 years old  /  boulder . colorado

the apple store called me to let me know my computer was ready. i figured this would have taken a lot longer than 2.5 days, so i was pleasantly surprised. i decided to shoot my stranger while in boulder, so my friend and i hit the road to make the 30 minute drive up there.

denver had pretty good weather, but the boulder skies were looking treacherous. the clouds were rolling in and stealing all of my light, so i set out to finding someone as soon as we arrived.

after the guy walking his bulldog said no on account of being "busy", i approached tommy. he was eating his lunch on a picnic table in a small square in the boulder shopping district.

he finished his lunch quickly and then stood for me for a few minutes. i don't think i captured the real tommy. he moved around a lot and i was struggling to get make a good representation of him. anyway, there he is. meet tommy, everyone.

12 december, 2008

matthew . 22 years old  /  denver . colorado

i passed by the mayan movie theater on my search today and saw matthew sitting inside the booth. i kept walking for a moment or two because i figured the glass between matthew and me would be too difficult to deal with, but i eventually decided that i was up for the challenge.

i took more shots than usual to figure out how to place all the reflections, but i feel pretty good about the end result. matthew was really nice and i think we was working hard to hide his amusement. i would guess that it is not every day that people are taking pictures of him inside the ticket booth.

11 december, 2008

yamini . 40 years old  /  boulder . colorado

and i thought denver was cool. colorado is opening up a whole new world to me. i went up to boulder to visit a friend and take my computer to the "doctor". after a nice morning of tasty coffee and a good read in a bookstore called "trident", i went for a walk down pearl street.

i was on the phone with a friend of mine when yamini pedaled by. she gave me a warm smile as she slowly came to a stop, so i let my friend go on the phone and went up to her to ask if i could photograph her.

she was very sweet. a german, here on holiday, visiting her sister and other friends. she was meeting a friend for breakfast, but she agreed to give me a few minutes to photograph her.

i decided to use this boulder in the middle of the street as my backdrop, then realized how pretty it was as the center of its own photograph, too.

i felt a lot better about the project after meeting yamini and spending some time in boulder - definitely one of the coolest spots around.

10 december, 2008

jacki . 51 years old  / denver . colorado

i wasn't feeling particularly motivated to shoot this day because my computer crashed the night before. it makes for a tough time when one's only source of income and the only thing that enables others to view one's photography project falls apart.

i walked around for a while, but was having difficulty finding someone interesting. i crossed the street and turned around and then saw jacki's red jacket and sunglasses on the other side of the street. i turned around again and intercepted her in front of a store front. she was patient with me while my camera malfunctioned and even seemed mildly interested in the project.

after this shoot i was feeling really down. this project is becoming something larger to me than i thought it would. i'm pushing great expectations onto it and getting lost in its purpose and place.

09 december, 2008

richard . 76 years old  /  denver . colorado

i decided to go with only one photo for today. i'll use two when it is appropriate, but there was not much to add to richard.

richard was out for a walk when i was out for my project. i found a wall i wanted to shoot in front of and then i saw him walking towards me from a couple of blocks away. he was super friendly and extremely accommodating and patient.

we shared some information and this is what i got from him: he moved out to denver from iowa about 45 years ago. he likes golfing, but this snowy weather is not so good for that, so he takes a couple mile walk to "albertson's" to pick up a few things, then he walks back home. he said his young looks used to bother him when he was in the service because he would always get carded when out on the town. richard's grandfather was born seven miles from the border of denmark in germany.

he finally wanted to know how i supported myself. it is an interesting question, isn't it?

08 december, 2008

matt . 32 years old  /  denver . colorado

today marks the third month anniversary of this project. a quarter of the way there. only 273 more days to go. ha....

matt was on a smoke break behind a café called sputnik. i took a stroll down a side street to take a closer look at a building that caught my eye. as i came around the corner of a stretch of shops, stores, and restaurants, i saw matt. his apron and head band all but screamed my name.

the back door to the café made a great background - my favorite kind, in fact. they sky was cloudy, the walls were dirty, those lines and matt's simple, unstructured posture - everything fell into place today. the photo gods rewarded me for my perseverance, it would seem. thanks for that.

07 december, 2008

lydia . 23 years old  /  denver . colorado

another gorgeous day in denver. i think i could get used to this. if you are ever looking for a new place to call home, i recommend stopping by here.

on my walk today i saw the shadow of a tree on a bright orange wall. i crossed the street to take pictures of it with an old film camera. just as i was finishing up, lydia walked by. i figured it would not hurt to ask her to be part of the project.

she agreed pretty much right away, but was very camera shy. she saw a tom robbins book in my bag and that lightened her up a bit but she still seemed pretty self-conscious. sigh... the camera is sometimes a big gun.

06 december, 2008

marcus . 21 years old  /  denver . colorado

denver weather and it being incredible is not a myth. this was a wonderful day. 60 degrees (fahrenheit) and blue sky.

on my way to downtown denver and the art museum, the sun was heading down for the day and i was starting to feel a bit paranoid about not having my shot. then marcus and his friend came my way. i asked them both if they were interested and both replied with a yes. i had to choose one and went with marcus because his shirt was not screen printed with a trademarked label.

it was fun. easy. marcus was a bit camera shy, but we managed. the first shot is a close-up of his t-shirt and denver is behind marcus in the second.

05 december, 2008

kaitlyn . 22 years old  /  denver . colorado

on my walk to find a stranger i passed by a gallery called ' rule '. the images inside caught my eye and i felt like giving them a look. i was on the phone as i passed, so i stood outside in the beautiful denver weather to finish my conversation before going inside. the gallery was massive and both walls were lined with ' wet plate collodion ' photographs - a 150 year old process. if you are not familiar with it, look into it. the images were beautiful and i took my time looking each of them over.

eventually, the gallery worker approached me to explain a bit about the artwork i was looking at. she went back to sit down and i kept thinking that i should photograph her in the gallery because the light coming in from outside was beautiful, she was beautiful, and i don't have many images of people working in galleries.

i asked her to be my stranger of the day and she readily agreed. i am pretty glad i decided to give the gallery a chance. i am constantly surprised by what comes from making a single choice.

04 december, 2008

tim . 25 years old  /  denver . colorado

i thought boston was cold. denver, the city boasting 300 days of near perfect weather ever year, was very cold today. and snowy. this was the first snow i've experienced this year. i loved it. snow warms my heart, even if it does chill the rest of my body.

i went for a walk downtown with my friend and found this little delivery entrance off a main road. the mirror caught my eye, so we waited for today's stranger to unsuspectingly walk by. it proved to be tim today. i saw him walking towards us and immediately thought he'd be up for the shoot.

he was very nice. he said next to nothing, but gave me this very amused look while i was photographing him. i find his eyes to be very telling, but i'd like to know more about him.

03 december, 2008

lindsey . 22 years old  /  denver . colorado

i arrived in denver late last night, so this was my first day photographing in a new city. i went for a walk by myself. i've heard that denver has good weather usually, but today it was very cold. the sky is stormy and the clouds are releasing snow flakes in flurries. i didn't dress for the occasion, so when i saw lindsey i hesitated only for a second before asking her.

she was very welcoming of the project, but self-conscious. she claimed she did not look her best today, but this project has little to do with people looking good. it is just about people and their look. not good. not bad. or maybe good. maybe everyone looks good.

i'm excited about the next few days of shooting in denver. it seems like a nice place to photograph.

02 december, 2008

harry . 21 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

when out for another walk with my roommate i saw harry. he was easy to see. the blue hat. the red clothes. the serious chops. those little glasses.

he immediately accepted my request and was a great sport. he asked a lot of questions - the curious kind with no hints of skepticism. it was a real pleasure to photograph him.

this was my last day of shooting in boston for a few weeks. today was beautiful, making for a nice send off.

01 december, 2008

joelle . 45 years old  /  somerville . massachusetts

i saw her from across the street. i was walking up and she was walking down. her salt and pepper hair and that red jacket caught my eye. i ran across the street and walked up beside her. i started giving my pitch and she kept walking... briskly. she was being attentive, though, so i kept walking with her. we crossed an intersection before she stopped. then she agreed to by my stranger for today.

the wall behind her just happened to be there. the colors are perfect. joelle had a very steady gaze. her big brown eyes were easy to focus on and she was so calm. her second shot should be in a less structured environment, but i take what i can get with the three minutes i have with each person.