alex . 27 years old / denver . colorado
in case you did not notice, we got some snow here in denver. it started snowing last night and kept up a pretty good pace for the entire day. the snow falls differently here than it does back east. if it starts snowing at night and continues for the whole next day in maine, for example, then you better have already gone grocery shopping because you wont be going anywhere anytime soon.
i was up very late last night and into this morning working on a photo project i shot for the boys & girls club. i got up early and continued working until around noon. i took care of a few things around my apartment and then bundled up to make the trip downtown to wolf camera. i had to drop of some images to be printed for an event early next month, so i brought my gear with me, hoping to find a stranger somewhere along the way. after wrapping up my business at wold, i decided to go grab some lunch, but when i got back outside, i changed the plan and started looking for strangers instead.
i made my way down the 16th street mall and found a photogenic alleyway. i hung around the mouth of the alley for some time, but things immediately started going the wrong way. people were not having it today. nobody wanted to be photographed. it was the second or third person that i asked, a guy very appropriately dressed for the weather, who did not even acknowledge that i existed. he was so determined not to pay attention that i bet he would have just plowed into me if i stood in his way. i instantly became really angry with that guy. i started sputtering and realized i better get a grip if i was going to make it through the day. then i started feeling bad that i had gotten so angry with him. i considered the possibility that he was deaf and that calmed me down.
i decided to bail on the mall street. i really don't know why i bother with it in the first place. i walked down california until i came to 17th street, where i found a courtyard nestled under some trees, serving as a grand entrance into a variety of tall buildings. the snow was coming down and the colored (dead) leaves were heavy with their new white blanket. a lot of people were coming and going. there was a bus stop near by and the light rail stop wasn't too far away. it seemed like the perfect place. i started asking people and, left and right, they kept saying no. i was amazed. i did not expect to hear 6 rejections (the record) today, but i surpassed that quickly.
as i was pacing and trying not to look like someone who wanted something from people, i spotted an older gentleman walking towards me from about half a block away. he had a lovely hat on and was walking with a cane. when i first saw him, i thought he would make an excellent stranger. i paced a few more circles and then shot a glance down the sidewalk to see if he was still coming. he was, but he hadn't made it very far. upon further inspection, i saw that he was using his other hand to brace himself against a stone wall. he was taking a step, planting his cane, then another while sliding his hand down the length of the snow-covered wall. he was not wearing any gloves, so i approached him and offered him my mittens. i purchased them last year at an army surplus store in boulder and figured i'd last without them until i could purchase more. the man explained that he wasn't going very far and declined my offer. i persisted and asked him if he might like some help getting to where he was going. he accepted graciously and said he was just going a block or so to his hotel.
we started shuffling down the street together and ended up walking about three blocks. i desperately wanted to photograph him, but knew i couldn't ask. it just didn't feel right. i've tried to make sure that people have no sense of obligation in agreeing to being a part of this project. i didn't want him to feel that i only offered to help him because i wanted something from him. so, i started asking him some questions. i found out that he lives in texas, but is up here giving some geological lectures. he normally travels with an assistant or his wife, but he made this trip alone, not expecting the snow storm. he's been a geologist, working in the field (where he injured himself a few times) and teaching at the university level for many years. he said he couldn't understand why his partners have kept him on at his age, but he was grateful for it. he told me he had been all over the world, spending time in south america and north and east africa. he is married to a swiss woman, who he seemed to absolutely adore. he was such a wonderfully gentle man. he kept a firm hold on my arm as we trudged through the snow. he eventually asked me what i did and i chuckled a little bit to myself because, for the first time, i did not want to say. but i did. i told him i was a photographer and i was standing out there, looking for strangers to photograph. he went on to tell me that his brother used to be a photographer for national geographic and has regretted retiring. we had a lovely conversation. we eventually made it to his hotel and he encouraged me to come inside so he could give me something for my kindness. i protested. he insisted. i said i would feel terrible. he said he would feel better. we finally got around to exchanging our names. he told me his name was alan and he gave me his card. i stuttered (i guess the rejections worked their way into my nerves today) my way through telling him i was joshua. he gave me $20 and said he at least wanted to buy me some dinner. i left feeling fortunate that i had the chance to meet alan.
i retraced our steps to take roost at the courtyard again. i couldn't give up on that place. well... i paid my dues, let me tell you. people kept saying no. one after another. they had to catch the bus. they had to catch the train. they were "freezing to death". they laughed. nearly all of them looked at me like i was the most despicable creature they had ever seen - like that throaty hunched-over thing from lord of the rings. one young woman, probably around my age, said that it was "kind of freaky". i wondered if that made her feel better. i eventually had been disregarded by 14 (fourteen!!) people. it got to the point where it was almost funny. i was laughing a little on the street, but i think it was because i was breeching insanity. i had been outside for well over an hour. my feet were numb. my hands were cold. my camera bag was wet. i was really not impressed. the worst part about hearing 14 rejections is that now there is the potential to beat that...
i saw a young man walking up the street from the same direction that i had seen alan coming from. he looked like a business professional. i couldn't place his age, but i had him pegged for a little older than he actually was. the professional world does that to people, i think. i gave him a high-spirited, borderline-desperate version of my pitch. i am pretty sure he could tell i was exasperated. maybe he only agreed to be today's stranger to avoid a scene.... i don't know. i took off my mittens to get some information from alex and my hands just about froze in the few minutes it took to complete the process. alex is here on a business trip. he was born and raised in new york city and is still living there. he works in transportation and has a meeting with RTD (regional transportation district) tomorrow. when we met, he had just finished doing some shopping at REI. i tried to work as quickly as i could because he wasn't as adequately dressed for the weather as some of the others i had tried to accost. i didn't get much more information from alex. we were born just a few days apart from each other. i found that fascinating and think maybe it was a gemini connection that compelled him to say yes.
thanks so much for your time, alex. i am glad you did not turn out to be rejector number 15. good luck with your meeting tomorrow and i hope you enjoy your time in denver.
in case you did not notice, we got some snow here in denver. it started snowing last night and kept up a pretty good pace for the entire day. the snow falls differently here than it does back east. if it starts snowing at night and continues for the whole next day in maine, for example, then you better have already gone grocery shopping because you wont be going anywhere anytime soon.
i was up very late last night and into this morning working on a photo project i shot for the boys & girls club. i got up early and continued working until around noon. i took care of a few things around my apartment and then bundled up to make the trip downtown to wolf camera. i had to drop of some images to be printed for an event early next month, so i brought my gear with me, hoping to find a stranger somewhere along the way. after wrapping up my business at wold, i decided to go grab some lunch, but when i got back outside, i changed the plan and started looking for strangers instead.
i made my way down the 16th street mall and found a photogenic alleyway. i hung around the mouth of the alley for some time, but things immediately started going the wrong way. people were not having it today. nobody wanted to be photographed. it was the second or third person that i asked, a guy very appropriately dressed for the weather, who did not even acknowledge that i existed. he was so determined not to pay attention that i bet he would have just plowed into me if i stood in his way. i instantly became really angry with that guy. i started sputtering and realized i better get a grip if i was going to make it through the day. then i started feeling bad that i had gotten so angry with him. i considered the possibility that he was deaf and that calmed me down.
i decided to bail on the mall street. i really don't know why i bother with it in the first place. i walked down california until i came to 17th street, where i found a courtyard nestled under some trees, serving as a grand entrance into a variety of tall buildings. the snow was coming down and the colored (dead) leaves were heavy with their new white blanket. a lot of people were coming and going. there was a bus stop near by and the light rail stop wasn't too far away. it seemed like the perfect place. i started asking people and, left and right, they kept saying no. i was amazed. i did not expect to hear 6 rejections (the record) today, but i surpassed that quickly.
as i was pacing and trying not to look like someone who wanted something from people, i spotted an older gentleman walking towards me from about half a block away. he had a lovely hat on and was walking with a cane. when i first saw him, i thought he would make an excellent stranger. i paced a few more circles and then shot a glance down the sidewalk to see if he was still coming. he was, but he hadn't made it very far. upon further inspection, i saw that he was using his other hand to brace himself against a stone wall. he was taking a step, planting his cane, then another while sliding his hand down the length of the snow-covered wall. he was not wearing any gloves, so i approached him and offered him my mittens. i purchased them last year at an army surplus store in boulder and figured i'd last without them until i could purchase more. the man explained that he wasn't going very far and declined my offer. i persisted and asked him if he might like some help getting to where he was going. he accepted graciously and said he was just going a block or so to his hotel.
we started shuffling down the street together and ended up walking about three blocks. i desperately wanted to photograph him, but knew i couldn't ask. it just didn't feel right. i've tried to make sure that people have no sense of obligation in agreeing to being a part of this project. i didn't want him to feel that i only offered to help him because i wanted something from him. so, i started asking him some questions. i found out that he lives in texas, but is up here giving some geological lectures. he normally travels with an assistant or his wife, but he made this trip alone, not expecting the snow storm. he's been a geologist, working in the field (where he injured himself a few times) and teaching at the university level for many years. he said he couldn't understand why his partners have kept him on at his age, but he was grateful for it. he told me he had been all over the world, spending time in south america and north and east africa. he is married to a swiss woman, who he seemed to absolutely adore. he was such a wonderfully gentle man. he kept a firm hold on my arm as we trudged through the snow. he eventually asked me what i did and i chuckled a little bit to myself because, for the first time, i did not want to say. but i did. i told him i was a photographer and i was standing out there, looking for strangers to photograph. he went on to tell me that his brother used to be a photographer for national geographic and has regretted retiring. we had a lovely conversation. we eventually made it to his hotel and he encouraged me to come inside so he could give me something for my kindness. i protested. he insisted. i said i would feel terrible. he said he would feel better. we finally got around to exchanging our names. he told me his name was alan and he gave me his card. i stuttered (i guess the rejections worked their way into my nerves today) my way through telling him i was joshua. he gave me $20 and said he at least wanted to buy me some dinner. i left feeling fortunate that i had the chance to meet alan.
i retraced our steps to take roost at the courtyard again. i couldn't give up on that place. well... i paid my dues, let me tell you. people kept saying no. one after another. they had to catch the bus. they had to catch the train. they were "freezing to death". they laughed. nearly all of them looked at me like i was the most despicable creature they had ever seen - like that throaty hunched-over thing from lord of the rings. one young woman, probably around my age, said that it was "kind of freaky". i wondered if that made her feel better. i eventually had been disregarded by 14 (fourteen!!) people. it got to the point where it was almost funny. i was laughing a little on the street, but i think it was because i was breeching insanity. i had been outside for well over an hour. my feet were numb. my hands were cold. my camera bag was wet. i was really not impressed. the worst part about hearing 14 rejections is that now there is the potential to beat that...
i saw a young man walking up the street from the same direction that i had seen alan coming from. he looked like a business professional. i couldn't place his age, but i had him pegged for a little older than he actually was. the professional world does that to people, i think. i gave him a high-spirited, borderline-desperate version of my pitch. i am pretty sure he could tell i was exasperated. maybe he only agreed to be today's stranger to avoid a scene.... i don't know. i took off my mittens to get some information from alex and my hands just about froze in the few minutes it took to complete the process. alex is here on a business trip. he was born and raised in new york city and is still living there. he works in transportation and has a meeting with RTD (regional transportation district) tomorrow. when we met, he had just finished doing some shopping at REI. i tried to work as quickly as i could because he wasn't as adequately dressed for the weather as some of the others i had tried to accost. i didn't get much more information from alex. we were born just a few days apart from each other. i found that fascinating and think maybe it was a gemini connection that compelled him to say yes.
thanks so much for your time, alex. i am glad you did not turn out to be rejector number 15. good luck with your meeting tomorrow and i hope you enjoy your time in denver.
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