31 july, 2009

keith . 21 years old / new york city . new york

i was bombing around the city with my friend, zach (soon to make an appearance on iheartpeopleiknow). we had just left a lovely brunch meeting with a couple of old friends. i forget where we were heading, but i was distracted on the way by this driveway leading down to a parking garage. zach had an old polaroid camera with him, so we fooled around with it for a few minutes and then i decided i needed to find a stranger to photograph in this setting. i went out to the sidewalk and picked somebody out of the crowds.

keith was making his way down the street while playing with some little device. i'm not sure if it was a phone or a gaming thing or what, but i suppose it doesn't really matter. he had great hair and a bright shirt and was alone, so i accosted him. i explained to him what i was up to and that zach was a friend of mine and not someone waiting to steal his stuff. keith seemed pretty ok with the whole scenario and had a few minutes to spare. perfect!

he's been living in new york his whole life. he said he gets out once in a while because it's just too hard to stay there without breaks. he's in school to be a mechanical engineer, claiming he wants to be work with alternative energy or automobiles... or maybe both, as that seems to be the new trend. i didn't get much more information from keith, just that he was on his way to pick up his work check.

he was nice and very easy to photograph. i hope he finds something good to spend his money on and i hope he eventually comes up with some shnazzy car that uses something terribly clever for its fuel. thank you, keith!

30 july, 2009

vanessa . 29 years old / new york city . new york

i walked to a coffee shop called "joe's" with two of my friends. this trip to new york came with a full agenda of working, meeting strangers, and connecting with old friends... it was busy, but good. as we neared joe's i spotted a brown labradoodle (labrador and poodle mix) sitting outside, patiently waiting for it's owner. i've got a thing for dogs (i might even prefer them to people... i heart strangers' dogs dot com?) so i went over to this furry creature and petted him for a minute. we made our way into the café and i kept peering out the window to check on his status. i figured his human would be inside, too, and when i saw a young woman in dark ray ban sunglasses looking out the window, i figured they were a pair.

i went up to her and asked her if the dog was hers. yes, he was, and his name was oscar. we chatted about him for a second or two and then i asked her if she would be today's stranger. she wanted to know what it was for and then agreed to it. she was waiting for her espresso, so we made a few introductions and information exchanges inside. we eventually made our way out of the shop and over to oscar. after quickly surveying the surroundings, i decided to ask vanessa and oscar to stand in the shade of some scaffolding. the new york streets are quite a bit busier than those of denver, so i had to work around a few obstacles. vanessa and oscar both did a brilliant job, though.

vanessa used to work in the film industry, but gave it up to pursue a teaching career. she's currently in the process of getting a master's degree in education and will begin teaching a kindergarten class in september. i think it suits her very well. she was very sweet to talk to and warmer than i would have anticipated her to be. new yorkers have a reputation for being a bit skeptical, but she shattered it.

i wish her and oscar all the best and owe them a world of thanks for their time.

29 july, 2009

mattie . 37 years old / new york city . new york

i am posting this story a few days late. the next few stories are late, too. i spent a few days in new york city and found it a considerable challenge to allow myself time to write about the wonderful people i met there. i had very limited internet connection and possibly even less energy as most of my time was spent in heavy socialization. alas, here we are, and i am just hoping that "better late than never" will be good enough.

i left denver early this morning and had no time to shoot before my flight. i was scheduled to arrive in new york with plenty of time to spare, so i wasn't too worried. but, as we neared the city, we had to veer off course and ended up flying over maine, arriving at jfk airport quite a bit later than expected. then, from the airport, i made my way onto the trains to make the long trip into manhattan. i asked one woman at the howard beach A train stop if she would be today's stranger, but she promptly declined. i started looking at the time and worrying a bit.

i arrived in the city at just around 7pm, which would ordinarily give me plenty of time to photograph with good light, but today it just so happened that it was raining. i met my friend at the metro stop and we quickly exchanged hugs and then immediately set out to find a stranger. he was leading me towards a wall he thought would make for a good backdrop when i saw this empty basketball court. it was calling out to me, so i decided it would happen there.

i set my large, heavy backpack down on a wet park bench and began scanning the streets for people who looked like they might be willing to stop for a stranger in the rain. i soon spotted this man walking down the street under an umbrella. he had a friendly look to him, so i excused myself and dove into the pitch that has become second nature to me. he agreed to be today's new friend with very little hesitation. he just asked me to not do anything nasty with the photos, but he asked me in a "i know you won't" way, so i wasn't even offended.

when mattie told me he was 37 years old he laughed a little bit. i asked him how it felt and he told me he felt great. i told him i was 27 and he sighed and said he wished he was that age for athletic reasons only. i asked him if he played basketball (hoping the courts would be even more appropriate), but he said he didn't. he's has been practicing brazilian jiu jitsu for ten years and actually contemplated becoming a professional. he chose to pursue a career as a chiropractor instead and claimed that decision to be one of the best of his life. he said many of his friends who went pro are in such rough shape and not even able to enjoy it anymore. i don't know much about jiu jitsu, but i would think it would be rather rough on the body, which seems either ironic or perfectly fitting that mattie is a body repairman.

mattie had such a gentle spirit and a very ready smile and laugh. his whole face lit up when he told me about a drive he took through colorado, down into the 4 corners area, and on into california. he said it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever experienced and just seeing the land almost made him feel "proud to be an american." he said he grew up in the adirondack mountains, but has been in the city for quite a few years now. while he still enjoys what new york has to offer, he said he's giving it one more year and then splitting to europe to try something new. he has roots in sicily, so i am sure he'll adjust quite easily to the lifestyle over there. everybody needs chiropractors and you can practice jiu jitsu all over the place, so he'll be just fine.

mattie made the stranger experience so easy despite it being dark and rainy. he was a real sport. thank you so much for your time, man!

28 july, 2009

ryan . 22 years old / denver . colorado

today began hours earlier than usual. i haven't been much of an early bird lately, but mostly because i haven't been in need of any worms. today the worm came in the form of a good automobile insurance deal, so i had to be somewhere at 8.00. it's been a wonderfully productive day since then. i should start taking advantage of the entire day more often. i should... but i'm not making any promises.

after my meeting and a little bite to eat and some caffeine, i made my way downtown to look for some shoelaces. i am terrible about things like shoelaces, but i needed some for an upcoming wedding. i managed to find some at a pharmacy/convenience store and then had nothing else to look for but strangers. i rode around on my bicycle for a while, wandering, but keeping track of where i was. i spotted a young black woman near a camera store i frequent. as i rode by i saw that she shot me a big smile and had a very warm face. i wheeled around and asked her if she'd be today's new friend. she was enthusiastic about the idea, but couldn't do it "right now" because she was late for class. it's right now or never with the strangers project, so i let her go and continued on my way.

i came up to broadway and was thinking of heading to lincoln when i saw this young guy on a longboard, cruising down the sidewalk. i stopped my bike and gave him the "i need your attention" hand raise. he thought i was waving, so he waved back, but looked like he would continue on, so i said, "excuse me." he had headphones on, so either his music wasn't very loud or he figured i wanted to talk to him. he jumped off and listened to me give my routine.

ryan was on his way to work, but he had some time. he didn't look like the late for work guy and i'd guess he has to allow for some random stuff to happen if he's getting there on a skateboard. anyway, he wasn't in a rush and agreed to be today's stranger. he was easy to photograph - he just stood there and let me do my thing. i have no idea what was going on in his head while i snapped away, but i caught a little smile in a few frames, so i kept going.

ryan has one class left at the colorado school of mines before he completes his degree in electrical engineering. he came up to denver from tulsa, oklahoma, just to go to that school. i've heard it mentioned one other time, but don't know anything about it. in the meantime, he is working at a place downtown (i forgot the name of it) as a programmer. he gets to mess around with the applications that go into iphones and what not. i don't know anything about any of that programming stuff... nothing at all. i'm not sure how my brain works, but i know it doesn't work like that.

ryan seemed like a genuinely good guy. i hope he runs into all kinds of good things soon. thanks for your time today, man.

27 july, 2009

budd . 25 years old / denver . colorado

i decided to look for strangers on foot today. i made my way north, and ended up walking up to 19th avenue and then west a few blocks, looking for today's victim along the way, but planning on looping back towards my apartment in the process. i saw an older woman in a terribly ugly business suit. her jacket was red and she had silvery hair, so the portrait would have been nice, but the bottom half of her outfit was a little... distracting. she hesitated, but eventually declined on account of having to get back to work.

i eventually saw a young man across the intersection from where i was standing. i am not sure why he caught my eye, maybe he was just in the right place at the right time. i made my way across the street and told him what i was up to. he didn't seem overly excited about it, but he agreed to be today's stranger.

budd is from ohio, but ended up coming out here with americorps (look into it - it's a good program) and when his year with them was up he decided to stick around. he got a job with the homeless coalition and is currently working with them. he said he works out of his backpack and walks around the city, looking for homeless people, and letting them know what kind of services are available to them should they want/need to take advantage of them. the homeless coalition can help find housing or employment or healthcare or food, etc. i am sure budd has some interesting experiences every day. i wouldn't mind following him around for a few days and making portraits of all of the people he comes into contact with.

we chatted for a minute or two, but budd seemed a little reserved. maybe he thought i was homeless. it wouldn't be the first time. i caught him on his day off as he was on his way back home from the library. he wasn't in much of a hurry and asked me a few questions about the project. i've found that i have a constantly evolving answer when asked questions about i heart strangers. in talking with budd, i told him that i was going to keep going until it started a movement. "a movement"... i actually said that. i don't think i actually want to start a movement, but i would like people to pay attention to not just my project, but to their own neighbors and strangers. anyway... maybe it should be a movement... the slow down and be nice to each other movement, although S.D.B.N.E.O.M. is not quite as catchy as i heart strangers.

budd wished me luck and we parted ways. i owe him some thanks for his time today. so.... thank you, budd.

26 july, 2009

amber . 18 years old / denver . colorado

i spent a good part of the day running around with a buddy of mine. we cruised all over town on our bicycles. it wasn't a million degrees today, which made the pedaling quite a bit easier. at some point in the afternoon, we were passing by a 7-11 convenience store on south broadway when i was distracted by a large red wall and a young womanly figure in shades of blue. i hollered to my friend and then took off across the parking lot to catch her.

by the time i reached her i was completely out of breath and she had made her way through a pedestrian opening in a chain-link fence. i scooted up as close as i could and excused myself. i told her what i was up to and that i had seen her from the street and asked if she'd be today's stranger. she didn't hesitate at all. she complimented my bicycle and then we went back to the previously mentioned red wall.

amber just turned 18 years old. her parents threw her a big party to celebrate and somebody gave her a nintendo wii, which she said she's been spending some time playing with. she's not working right now, as she's going to be going to school in the fall to study to be a veterinary technician, so her boyfriend is taking care of her. she told me that she has been riding freestyle bmx for about 8 months, but is cruising around with some professionals so she is learning quickly. she didn't look too torn up and she said that's because she learned how to fall. i used to ride bmx bikes, but i never learned how to fall...

amber was very sweet. she seemed comfortable in front of the camera, or, at the very least, not uncomfortable. she went on her way and i took a few notes and then went to meet up with my friend again, who had been patiently waiting around the corner. when i got over to him, he said, "you really hunted her down." i guess sometimes i get pretty into this i heart strangers business.

thank you, amber!

25 july, 2009

melody . 24 years old / denver . colorado

i spotted melody and her three dogs (qi, patches, and riley) as i was cruising around the baker district on my bicycle. baker is loaded with beautifully colored old homes, many of them small and each of them unique. i was hoping to find a stranger near one of them and i was also slowly making my way towards the goodwill thrift store... perusing through old stuff is one of my favorite pastimes.

i pulled up to the foursome on my bicycle after a potentially awkward yielding situation. melody was apologizing to me for crossing in front of me, but i dismissed that quickly by telling her that i was hoping to talk to her then i gave her the strangers run-down. she was hesitant for a second... but then agreed to it. the battle in her head didn't last very long. her dogs were very sweet and she had a great handle on them. our little entourage crossed the street so as to use a red brick house as our backdrop. melody spoke very softly and with such a pleasant tone to her dogs, even when correcting them. her approach seemed to work extremely well... even with the qi, who is still just a pup.

melody is a student at colorado state university, in the human nutrition and food science department. i didn't get much more information out of her than that. she was very sweet... i can say that much about her, for sure. when i arrived back home later in the day, i found a message in my email inbox from her. she had already looked into the project and was telling me how much she enjoyed it. and that she wished she had been a bit more open with me, but some east coast skepticism kept her a bit guarded. she confessed that she should have trusted her dogs, who happened to be immediately trusting of me (p.s. i've got a thing for dogs). then melody said that she hoped this project would give her partner the inspiration she needs to begin her own photography project. well i hope so, too.

when melody and the dog pack trudged away, i stood on the street, taking some notes about our interaction. in the middle of the process, a man came up to me and asked what i was doing. i told him i was taking some notes. he asked more questions, so i told him i was taking pictures of strangers every day. he asked if they were dirty pictures and giggled. i told him they weren't. he crossed the street and sat down on the grass and then proceeded to talk to me from over there. he wanted to know if i was a stripper. i told him i wasn't. then he told me about "boyz town", which is a male strip club close to where we were. i asked him if that was his spot. he adamantly said no. then he asked if i have heard of the newspaper called "the stranger", based out of seattle. again, i told him no. he said one of the cool things about that paper was that they host an amateur porn competition each year. then he told me he was waiting for the medicine man and asked if i knew about the medicine man. i didn't exactly, but i told him that i did. i asked him if it was the kind of medicine that you smoke. he said that you could, but he didn't. he said he got sick if he didn't have it. he asked if i had a phone. i lied and told him i did, but i didn't have it one me. he doubted the validity of that, but i didn't care. shortly afterwards, a piece of trash car with completely tinted windows pulled up and he got into it and they left. if you are confused, then you can empathize with me. what was that?

in closing, thank you melody. it was great meeting you and the boys today. thanks for going through the trouble of corralling them for the pictures!

24 july, 2009

kay . 39 years old / denver . colorado

taking mary's (from yesterday) advice, i went down to camera abscura to look into the gallery and meet hal gould. i quickly learned that hal gould is a pretty incredible person and camera obscura is the first gallery in the country to sell photography as fine art. nearly 50 years ago, hal spoke with the director of the denver art museum who told him that a single photograph would not show in the museum as long as he was the director. so hal decided to open his own gallery across the street! if you come to denver and have any interest in photography, please visit camera obscura.

i ducked out of there feeling very inspired and immediately saw a woman walking down the street towards a giant red wall. i pedaled up to her and told her what i was up to. she was very supportive of the project, but unfortunately had two minutes to be somewhere. friendly rejections are hard to get upset about.

i made my way downtown to look for a shirt for an upcoming wedding, but didn't find what i wanted so i decided to head back towards that big red wall to see if any new strangers were around it. but... i didn't make it there.

i was drawn to this tall, red-headed woman walking down the street with a motorcycle helmet in hand. i quickly surveyed the area and was disappointed that there wasn't much to use by way of backgrounds. i wanted to keep going, but i couldn't. i don't know why i feel so strongly to stop and talk to certain people at certain times. but, i do.

i pulled up to said woman and told her what i was up to. she didn't hesitate. not at all. i gave her my card and explained the project and introduced myself. she told me her name was kay. i instantly thought of a diner in new hampshire by the same name. i grew up near the diner and only went there a couple of times. it wasn't anything special, but i thought of it for some reason. i didn't tell kay that, though. which is funny because i usually tell people things like that...

i asked if she had a few minutes to spare and what she was up to. she said she was on her way to drop off divorce papers. she said it was important, but she wasn't in a rush. i appreciated her honesty and later asked if it was ok that i mentioned some of the details of our conversation. she gave me the ok.

kay has two children with her divorcee, a 15 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. i was 11 when divorce made its way through my family. i'm not sure there's an ideal time to go through a divorce, but i can vouch for it being difficult at that age. kay was sad that it was hard on her kids, but she said it was a long time coming...

she is originally from eastern kentucky. i've only driven through that part of the state, but i've heard many stories and "interesting" would be a good word to summarize what i've been told. kay confirmed the stories by saying she was a genuine hillbilly.

she came out to colorado twelve years ago and is now working at the children's hospital. i don't know what she does there, but she most certainly had the right demeanor and voice to be around children. she spoke so softly and carried herself so delicately. she had a pleasant expression on her face the whole time we spoke... almost like she had found some wonderful place to go to in the midst of the busy, hectic days. i need to find that place.

i asked her if she liked it out here. she said she does, but she might go back home when her kids graduate from high school. she dismissed the thought by saying there was a quite a bit of time between then and now. i wonder what she wants to do back there. i should have asked. i need to be better at digging. maybe i'll master that part of this process in year two?

i asked kay if she was riding a scooter or a motorcycle. it was a motorcycle- a harley davidson sportster. she has only been riding since february and she's already into a harley. she didn't waste any time! she was very tall - taller than i am, i think - so she probably has no problems handling it. i was still impressed.

kay was very comfortable in front of the camera. i asked if she's spent much time being photographed and it turns out that her boyfriend is a photographer, so she's constantly getting practice. she has such a graceful pose in the distant shot. we had to work around some portable toilets and zoned-out drifters in the background, but we managed.

it was really nice meeting you today, kay. thanks so much for your time!

23 july, 2009

mary . 57 years old / denver . colorado

yeah, sure, this is a photography project... of sorts. but it's also a people project. and today's posting is a lot more about the person than about the photos of the person. the story of mary is brilliant, so please enjoy the following read. i'll offer my aesthetic disappointment disclosure here: direct sunlight in a parking lot full of cars made the first shot a challenge and the small bit of shade under a tree across the street provided the setting for the second. the dark glasses showing my own reflection and a less than wonderful background are not usually my favorite elements to play with, but they are sometimes the only things to play with. i don't run around with backdrops and fill lights and a bag of tricks and it's on purpose.

a friend of mine recently found an old argus medium format camera from the early 50s. she showed it to me today and i'll be honest in saying i experienced a bit of camera envy. with that in mind, i bicycled my way down south broadway with the goodwill thrift store as my destination. i was sidetracked momentarily by safari seconds, another thrift store that very rarely hosts treasures. today it provided me with nothing, so i went to goodwill with visions of sugar pops and candy canes... er.

lo and behold there was a light brown polaroid bag locked up in the glass showcase that is home to all of the "nice" electronics equipment. i asked one of the employees if i could take a look at it and discovered a beautiful old land camera inside. i fell in love. so, i scooped it up and made my way downstairs where i found an old canon camera bag that i decided i would buy and then rip to shreds to get at all the padding, which i would later use for my own new camera bag (currently sans padding). things were going good.

i paid for my two items and made my out the back door of goodwill. going out the back door is important to note because my bicycle was in the front of the store. i felt like sitting on a curb in the parking lot to begin the deconstruction process of the canon bag. i whipped out my keys and used them as a knife and set to work. just as i finished my task, i noticed a woman pull into the parking lot in an absolutely gorgeous classic volkswagen beetle convertible. i decided earlier this morning that i was going to shoot a woman with some character today. someone mature. with a good face. well... she just drove by.

i hastily gathered my belongings and dropped my refuse in the trash and dashed across the parking lot to meet the volkswagen woman. she was just getting out of her car when i approached her with the i heart strangers song and dance. she was immediately warm... immediately. we made introductions and she said her name was mary and her car's name was "june bug" and that it was pretty much necessary to photograph the car's mother for this project. i agreed. we chatted for a few minutes as i nervously surveyed the area for a good background. the sun was at its peak and seemed to be casting its rays into every square inch of space around us. i decided to forgo the usual camera formalities and asked mary if i could take some shots of her in the car. she climbed back in and closed the door and leaned out the window holding her "what if the hokey pokey is what it's all about?" bumper sticker with a big smile. mary was clearly a woman who loved life. i had only scratched the surface.

after a few frames of her in the car, i called it good and proposed finding a spot in some shade (but where?!) for the portraits. while we stood beside her car and chatted, mary dug into the back seat of her car to give me some lollipops that she had just procured from the bank and a heart-shaped rock. i knew a woman in boston who collected heart-shaped rocks, too. that woman was also very wonderful, so that struck a tender chord in me. mary told me i always needed to have three of them, representing faith, hope, and love, and that i should give this rock to someone else when they needed it. i have a bit of an obsession with a verse out of the bible that says of faith, hope, and love, the greatest of them is love. it's about the only thing i have managed to hide away from my many years in the christian church. mary struck another tender chord...

mary works monday through wednesday landscaping the grounds of a posh private school in cherry hills. i'm not familiar with the school or the area, but mary made it sound exquisite. she said there are thousands of trees and foxes and wolves and it is just gorgeous. she puts on her headphones and sets to work and just soaks up the sun and loves her job. on her other days, she makes jewelry - which the denver art museum has taken a particular liking to. mary described herself as little local girl from longmont who made it big. she was so sweet and inspiring. she said people rave on and on about her jewelry whenever she wears it out... so much that her boyfriend, jc, has to wander off and keep himself occupied until the spectacle subsides.

we made our way over towards a wall that had some shade on it, but i quickly realized it wasn't going to work. mary spotted the shade of a tree just across the street, so we headed towards it. i started firing away and wasn't terribly pleased with the photographic results, but was so glad to be in this moment with mary that i wrapped it up quickly and hunkered down for some good conversation. mary had some stories.... some wonderful and endearing stories.

mary has an estonian friend that reads coffee grinds. i had never heard of this before, but mary assured me it was very real and showed me her goosebumps as she grabbed my left arm and began the story. this woman told mary that she was passing by the love of her life every single day. mary wanted to know what they looked like and what they drove and and and, but the woman just told her that she passed him every day. not long afterwards, mary's neighbor, jc, who she walked by every day, met her and mary's dog, logan, outside in their alley. it was cold outside, so jc invited mary and logan inside. but mary had some errands to run that she wasn't particularly keen on and declined his offer. so jc offered to help her with her errands and then take her to dinner. well... four and a half years after losing some gloves and warming her hands in his coat pockets and feeling the combustion from their fingers, they are very much together. mary spoke so proudly of jc and of the constant growth she witnesses in him.

she spoke so openly and so warmly and she kept saying things that i immediately just "got". you know what i mean... when you get exactly what someone is saying to you? well... that was me listening to mary today. she would get goosebumps and grab my arm and somehow her fingers grabbed my soul. she told me to keep on going and not lose sight. she told me to call my mom, who i had not even mentioned to mary. call her and tell her how much i love her and that i'm going to be ok. she told me i was going to make it. that everything was going to be just fine. i started crying... not uncontrollably, but i was welling up. i've been stressing out lately... i tend to do that often... but i am really feeling it these days. well... it was certainly not by chance that i met mary today.

she told me to go to a particular photo gallery and speak with a particular man about my project and she told me that she was sure that he would help me. mary had more confidence in me today than i have in myself most days. she was wonderful. she gave me a hug and laughed with me and our spirits danced around for a while like they were listening to acoustic guitar over a campfire. it was really wonderful. i sat down in the grass after mary left me to go look for cowboy boots and jewelry. i wrote in my notebook, filling up a few pages, and reveled the moments i had just lived through. i hope she found what she was looking for today. i know i certainly found more treasures than i anticipated.

a lifetime of thanks, mary.

22 july, 2009

jami . 27 years old / denver . colorado

looking for strangers on my bicycle yesterday went so well that i decided to try to my luck at it again today. it is giving me the boost i needed. doing the same thing day in and day out has been sucking some of the creativity out of me, but now i have no idea what to expect or where i will meet someone. i like it. i like it a lot.

i ended up near washington park, an area of town i would never walk to because it would take me a month (not really). i decided on a whim to take a cross street west to head back towards broadway, but i immediately saw a young woman on her way to her car. she was covered in big sunglasses, so i wasn't sure what kind of eyes were hiding under them, but they turned out to be pretty and blue.

i excused myself as i pulled up beside her. i told her what i was up to and asked if she would be today's stranger. she had a lot of questions for me. the skepticism alarm was piercing my ears. she wanted to know how she should know i wasn't lying. that one through me for a loop. i figured "because i'm not" wasn't going to work. i gave her my business card and showed her some other names in my notebook. i explained what i was doing and why. she still wasn't so sure. she needed to be positive i wasn't going to do something gross with her photos. i have never thought of myself as the guy that looks like the guy who's going to do nasty stuff to people's photographs, but people are often asking if i am that guy... i am not sure what to think of it. i eventually said the right thing or said enough of a thing to convince jami that this was all very good-natured.

even though she gave me a hard time, jami did it with a very pleasant attitude. she was making me laugh a lot and she kept a big grin on her face through it all. while we were chatting, she paused to listen to some dogs barking. a nervous look came over her face and she sheepishly said they were her dogs. she apparently snuck two little shitzus into her apartment and is feeling a little afraid that she's going to get caught. i won't tell!

jami moved out to denver from california nine years ago. she came out to go to school and has been working since she graduated. she is now a special education teacher at a local k-8 school. when i met her, she was on her way to to lay out in the sun at the park. it was nice that she wasn't on her way to work or court or the airport. she seemed to have a few minutes to spare, which slowed the process down. i like that.

after exchanging information and signing releases and what not, we began the picture taking process. jami really really really did not like being photographed. i could tell she was putting forth a lot of effort to stay strong. i thought the photographs came out very well. she looks just like she did in person and her great smile and bright eyes came through the camera just wonderfully. she asked if she could see the photos and if she could veto any of them. i told her she could see them, of course, but that she certainly could not veto any of them. she seemed to approve of them before we parted ways.

when she drove off, i sat down on the curb near where we met and started taking some notes. halfway through, though, my pen ran out of ink. emergency! i stopped the next car to come down the street and asked the driver if he had a pen i could have. he had one and gave it to me and officially saved the day. thanks, guy!

and thank you, jami! i hope the sun was good to you.

21 july, 2009

chloe . 31 years old / denver . colorado

i decided to venture out on my bicycle today. i rarely look for strangers on my bicycle because i feel like it puts another barrier between me and the people i could potentially meet. but today it felt like the right thing to do. it helped me get to new parts of town and i could better survey the streets in search of good backgrounds. when i saw today's stranger i hadn't tired of looking at all.

i saw a woman in a bright blue shirt giving some directions to some folks in an old car. i heard her speaking and made note of her friendly tone. after sending the car on its way, she headed down the street. i realized there was a salmon colored wall across the street that would contrast very nicely with her shirt. the classic cool on warm cooperation - i had classes dedicated to that subject while in photography school so many years ago.

i wheeled up to the woman in blue and gave her the strangers pitch. she asked how long it was going to take and i told her it would be only a few minutes. she agreed to be today's stranger on account of the process not taking too long as she had to get back to work in a few minutes. i asked her if we could cross the street to make use of the wall and she was happy to oblige.

she told me her name was chloe. i immediately responded to her that chloe was one of my favorite names. i think i may have even mentioned that i'd like to have a little daughter named chloe at some point. things like that should be completely disregarded as nonsense as i have no idea where they come from. i am usually out proselytizing about how i should probably never have kids. anyway.... these things have a way of changing (or so i hear). maybe i'm just in denial. a lot would have to change for me to have a daughter. regardless, i do like the name chloe.

chloe's originally from ohio. i asked her if she was happy to be out here or if she missed the mid-west. she said she liked it out here very much. through a conversation about my going to college in the midwest, i discovered that chloe went to school at the university of kentucky, a school very close to my own. she and her husband moved out here not too long ago from lexington, which is a town i've spent a considerable amount of time in. i think they came out to denver so that chloe could work on a doctorate degree, but she is now working as a researcher at the poison and drug center. she said she likes her job. she seemed to like a lot of things. she kept a warm smile on her face and maintained that gentle charm that is so prevalent in the mid-west.

who would have been today's stranger if chloe had not been giving directions to those people in the car? i guess it doesn't matter because i'm very glad to have met her today. thanks for taking the time today, chloe!

20 july, 2009

john . 53 years old / denver . colorado

i was in a part of town i rarely visit, helping a couple of my friends move some belongings from their former residence into a new studio space. the neighborhood was gorgeous and i kept eyeing this one particular wall across the street. i mentioned the wall to my buddy and then he walked me a short distance down the street to show me "the most beautiful wall in denver." he wasn't kidding - a very old red-brick home that had been painted blue so long ago that the wall was nearly red again.

i was on the lookout for another woman to photograph today because my numbers are a little skewed, but there weren't many women around. there weren't many people of any gender around - one of the (dis)advantages of residential areas. the most beautiful wall in denver was calling my name. i couldn't shake it. so, i decided to open the iron gate and walk down the path to the front door of the house to see if anyone was home.

the front door looked closed from the street, but when i came nearer i realized the screen was closed but the main door was open. i peeked inside and gave a little hello. i immediately saw a man sitting at a desk in dim light. i gave him my spiel through the screen door and apologized for intruding on his very private space, but he had a great spirit about him and took the whole encounter very well. he asked if his cat could be in the photo, too, and when i said yes, he agreed to it.

i was so happy that he said yes. and so happy that i was able to use the wall. and so happy that i had done something new in the project. and so happy that it had all gone so smoothly. the last couple of weeks have been challenging (that's a good word) and something close to tragic has been happening around every corner, but the last two days have been very smooth. i needed this break. anyway, i was feeling very good that john agreed to be my stranger for the day.

john is a remodeling contractor - that is one of the very few things i know about him. the house that boasts the gorgeous wall is actually empty and very run down. his landlords keep telling him they need to paint the wall, but john said he has received many compliments on that wall. i already have an attachment to the wall so i think repainting it would be an injustice. he said that he built the house that his landlords live in, which is apparently on the same block. my friends used to live in the house next door to his, which i fell in love with today. i'm going to see what i can do to end up living there. keep your fingers crossed. john could be my neighbor. i could live in a great house. i could be living beside the most beautiful wall in denver. oh boy!

so... i have a terrible confession to make. john specifically requested that his cat be in the photograph with him. and at some point he even spoke to his cat, calling it by its name. and... because of my elated state, i forgot to both ask what the cat's name is and then remember what its name is when john called it. i am hanging my head in shame. i hope i hear from john so that i can share the feline's name. it is important because i am almost sure that this is the only cat in the "i heart strangers" project.

john, thank you for your time. and thanks for being so open to and accepting of my bold intrusion today!

p.s. it is september 2. i just heard from john. his cat's name is patch.

19 july, 2009

margaret . 26 years old / denver . colorado

i walked over to the whole foods market (again) with a friend of mine. we took our time, strolling along, chatting and what not. as we were making our way, i asked a young black woman to be today's stranger. she said no on account of not looking very good. i disagreed (in a non-creepy way), but she just laughed and kept on.

when we eventually arrived to the parking lot of the market, i saw a young woman, dressed in black with matching black oakley sunglasses. her rockabilly hair caught my eye, but she was making her way towards her car at a pretty good clip. i ran over towards her and gave her the quick and dirty of my strangers spiel.

she was a little hesitant, but said yes anyway. we made our introductions and i was pleasantly surprised to learn that her name was margaret. i told her about my "soul-mate" margaret back in boston and she laughed when i said soul-mate. i am not sure if that meant she doesn't believe in them or if it was funny that i mentioned it so casually. anyway, it was a cute initial conversation and it was obvious that the new margaret and i were going to get along just splendidly.

margaret is currently working at a restaurant, making a bit more money than she had been at a skate/snowboard shop. she was on her way to deal with some family drama and then off to the skate park to took around for a while. i told her i had attempted skateboarding when i was young, but it was a kick that lasted for only a few weeks.

after a few minutes of chatting, we made our way towards a peach-colored wall to begin our shooting. margaret curled her eye-lashes before we began. she's, surprisingly, the first to do that. she told me she's modeled for a couple different small fashion shows and she'd like to do it a bit more because she had so much fun.

when we were finished, i introduced her to my friend, katie, who is a hair stylist and does a lot of work with models and fashion shows and the like. some more contact information was exchanged and then margaret took off and left katie and i to do some more walking.

i enjoyed meeting margaret today. something about her spirit put me in a good mood. i could have talked more with her... she seemed like she was an open person. i appreciate it when i run into strangers that aren't afraid to share.

18 july, 2009

lannie . 48 years old / denver . colorado

it appears that i am caught up again. this feels very good. i'll keep my fingers crossed for a few more days, but we should be good to go. i am slowly getting used to the new camera, the new bag, and the new photoshop and beginning to work it all into the old routine.

i stepped out of my apartment today intending two things: to photograph a woman and to stay away from the library. i started heading towards colfax, but at 14th decided i'd head over towards the whole foods grocery store. i needed to pick up a couple of items there and i knew of a striking blue wall around the corner that i've used only once before but already adore.

i arrived at said blue wall, but there weren't many people around. it is an awkward place to loiter. there is no bench and no real reason to stand there unless you are waiting to rob people of their booze as they exit the liquor store or are in the market for scoring some illegal substances. i was hoping to do neither, so i decided to cross the street and take care of my shopping.

i needed soap and moisturizer, so it only took me a hot second. on the way to the checkout, i grabbed an orangina for the betterment of my soul. i spotted two potential strangers during my quick and easy checkout process. when i made it outside, i saw one of them standing on the street corner, getting ready to cross towards the blue wall.

lannie was immediately receptive to the project. she understood exactly why i wanted to use the blue wall, too. i told her i had seen her in the grocery store and she explained that she works in there. i am in there often and have not seen her before. i like things like that... you don't realize you see someone frequently until you meet them. i'll probably see her all of the time now. i hope so.

she was explaining that she's been working for whole foods and the companies they have taken over for the last 16 years. she was raving about their great benefits when she started telling me that she has ovarian cancer. she was diagnosed just a bit over a year ago and has been going through chemotherapy. she lost her hair and a lot of weight, but she has gained back almost half of what she lost.

lannie looks at her ovarian cancer as a good thing. she said she had the "fear of death thing" worked out before she had cancer, so it has nothing to do with that, but she has a greater appreciation for the people around her. for the people that care for her. and she understands what is important to her now. i can imagine that waking up each day is a whole new experience after you've gone through something so traumatic.

my mother had cancer when i was young. i don't remember much of that time and i don't fully understand the effects it has had on my mom over the years, but i know it has had them.

lannie had such a peace about her. she spoke very calmly and softly. she was not quiet, but she seemed very secure. she patiently talked with me for several minutes and was open and honest. i appreciated that so much. she was happy to show off her surgery scar. the look on her face in the second shot gives you a good idea of her attitude towards the whole thing. what a sweetheart!

while we were chatting, a large bearded man stumbled his way towards me. he was slurring his words and fumbling around, commenting on how nice my camera was. he leaned into my left side and reached for the camera, claiming that he would only take a couple of shots. i steered my camera away from him and told him i'd hold onto it myself.

to my surprise, and with no explanation, he snapped out of his drunk guy act and started talking to lannie about buddhism. he asked if her hat was a buddhist hat. i think she said it was. then he said he was a "jewbu". lannie asked what that was and we both learned that a "jewbu" is a jewish buddhist. lannie said, "in that case, i am a jewbu, too." that got the bearded guy pretty excited.

he did a strange dance and wiggled his hands around and asked if she did tai chi. she said she was just beginning to learn. then bearded guy got really excited. "really?!", he asked. and lannie told him, "no". it was all very funny. neither of us knew bearded guy.

i've got to be honest, i didn't get his gig. buddhists really have no business pretending to be aggressive drunk people, provoking fear and frustration in innocent bystanders. if lannie is a buddhist it would make perfect sense - her serenity, her considering cancer a blessing, her collected composure. if bearded guy is a buddhist, then i'm guessing he's at the beginning of his journey.

anyway, lannie is precious. she is one of those strangers that i am very grateful for meeting. she has a story to tell and a lot to share. i hope i will see her again soon. i think i'll start going to whole foods more often just to give myself a good chance.

thank you, lannie.

17 july, 2009

bob . 69 years old / denver . colorado

i've been stressing lately because i haven't had the right computer programs to work on these photos. that's why everything has been so late. i think i am back on track now, so you can expect more timely posts. thank you for your patience. and now you can look forward to a higher caliber of imagery as i learn to make the best of my new and improved equipment. stay tuned...

i took a stroll down towards the library and museum again. that has become my go-to spot. i need to start choosing different locations, but lately i've felt like i've overused all of them. i've had so little time to shoot, too, because my concentrations have gone to problem solving. so it is easy to go somewhere that i know i will find someone relatively quickly.

i asked an older woman if she'd be today's stranger. she said she was strange, but declined. are people nervous? is that why they say that? "stranger" does not mean "strange". i could change it, but "i heart people i've never met before" is somehow less catchy of a brand.

shortly after the strange woman's rejection, i spotted this older gentleman strolling through the crosswalk. i liked his hat and shirt and he had a good face, so i went for it.

bob agreed to be it with very little hesitation. he asked a few questions about the project: if i was a student, and what it was for, and if i planned on publishing it. i think he was just curious.

he was on his way home from his job at the city clerk's office. he's been retired for a while now, but i am guessing he has this job to pass the time. i imagine it to be a weird transition from the working world to retirement. i am hoping i'll not notice the difference as, at 69 years old, i hope to still be doing this.

bob was a great sport. i think he felt self-conscious during the picture taking part of the whole thing, but it is pretty hard not to. i used to feel nervous to cause a scene and felt pressured to be fast, but i am becoming more comfortable with the whole process. i am hoping that my comfort will be contagious and the people i photograph will find it easier to relax.

thank you, bob! i hope i see you around town again soon!

16 july, 2009

jay . 49 years old / morrison . colorado

three of my friends were in town, staying with me, on their first band tour of the country. in honor of their visit and their being musicians, i decided i would drive them up to red rocks park so they could get a look at and feel for one of the most celebrated music venues in this country.

we spent some time at the top of the amphitheater, looking down on the seating and the empty stage, then eventually made our way to the bottom - to the stage - to get a sense of what it feels like to be performing down there. the 10,000 people were not there, but i think my buddies were able to use their imaginations. while down there, i spotted a gentleman sitting in the shade on a chair. he had a great look to him, so i decided i would give it a shot.

jay was immediately warm. he said yes right away and wasn't in a rush, so we had some time to chat. he is currently living on the road. he hails from michigan originally, but has spent time all over the country - up in western massachusetts and down in florida, but he just made the trip out here from louisiana. my friend and i had just been talking about another dear friend of mine who is from michigan and made her way to denver via louisiana, so after jay and i finished talking and i was taking my notes, i realized the commonality and doubted that i had heard him correctly. i went and found him again to make sure i had... my ears had not failed me and we both reveled in the serendipity. anyway... back to jay.

he earns a living by making and selling necklaces out of juniper. he is wearing one in his photo... although it is difficult to get a good look at, i can assure you that it is beautiful. jay has decided to hang out in colorado for a while because there is a lot of music going on out here now. the mile high festival begins today or tomorrow and phish is due out here for a few days. jay is hoping to get a ticket to see them perform at red rocks, but he said he wouldn't be too upset if he could just hang out in the parking lot and sell some necklaces.

his voice reminded me of someone. i couldn't think of it while we were talking, but just afterwards it dawned on me. he could be a voice double for philip seymour hoffman. while i don't personally know philip, i still found myself getting excited that i met someone who sounded like him. oh the simple pleasures of the simple minded! jay struck me as a stand up guy. he was glad to be out here. glad for life. glad for the mountain air. he had a great smile and a joyful twinkle in his eyes.

if you end up at a show and happen to see jay in the parking lot, selling some juniper necklaces, please relay the story of how you already know him. and tell him i said hi! thank you for your time today, jay. it was a real pleasure.

15 july, 2009

john . 26 years old / denver . colorado

this was going to be a very exciting day. very. exciting. i was pulled out of bed by the UPS man pounding on my door. an automated message had told me that the delivery of my news lens would arrive between 8am and 7pm, and it required a signature. i don't really have the lifestyle or level of patience that allows for sitting around my apartment for 11 hours, so i was glad, very glad indeed, that he arrived in the morning hours. i scrambled to throw on some shorts and was half-way into my tee shirt when i pulled open the door. i could have kissed the man!

so... now i have my long-awaited camera system. and quite a system it is. i put my battery on the charger, arranged the memory card, assembled the neck strap, and contemplated my future back problems due to the weight of the new equipment. while the battery was charging, i ran out to grab a coffee at city o'. then back to my place to grab the gear and out into the streets to find the first victim of the new era.

i frequently see an older black man who apparently works at this building i walk by every day. he is usually standing outside, smoking a cigarette, standing in the shade. we've exchanged head nods before... and smiles, but never names. when i saw him today, i figured this would be a great day to take it to the next level. the man, james is his name, looks a bit like morgan freeman. he was standing in the right place. the new gear was primed. i thought for sure he was going to say yes and i was going to have plenty of time and it was all going to be perfect. but... he said no. he was nice about it. but he still said no.

continuing the search, and pressed for time, i made my way down 13th, then colfax, then 17th, where i finally found another treasure of a human - an older man in a suit, top hat, manicured beard and glasses. i approached him and he said, "well, i am strange." that is everybody's joke. ah ha ha. but he said no. he didn't have "much time." i challenged him and asked how much time he had. then he said he had "no time." alrighty then...

down to the library. i figured it needed to happen fast because i was losing my fire. a bald and bearded man was sitting in the sun, enjoying a bit of a respite. he agreed to be the day's stranger as long as he didn't have to move. i told him i was going to have to ask him to stand in the shade for a couple of minutes, but that was the clincher - he wasn't up for it. he works in the library, in cold air conditioning all day, and just wanted some sunshine on his break. i can sympathize with that. ok... first day with the new gear and three rejections. this camera was supposed to be a door opener....

towards the museum... i spotted a young guy hanging out by a large rock sculpture. i walked by him and then turned around, deciding he should be the guy for today. he went for it! i nearly broke into celebratory dance. there is something to be said for my generation. we are bold. we are beautiful. we say yes.

john was waiting for some friends of his. they were all going to go to the psychedelic rock poster exhibit in the museum. i've heard great things about the poster show, but have yet to see it myself. he had some time to kill until they got there, so we chatted for a while. he had the day off because he hurt his back at work the day before and was letting it rest a bit. he's a rough carpenter, currently working on commercial buildings - i think he said the current project is a science building at one of the local colleges. he is looking into a career change, though. he brews his own beer and is hoping to take that passion into the brewing industry and land a job with one of the local beer companies. there are plenty out here, so i hope he has some luck in landing a position.

john seemed to be a really good guy. he was so friendly. and open. i thoroughly enjoyed our few minutes together. thanks so much for taking the time today, man!

p.s. it's going to take some time getting used to the new gear, so please bear with me. and i am having software compatibility issues, so please excuse the delay, too.

14 july, 2009

kristin . 27 years old  /  denver . colorado

two days couldn't be more different from each other... at least in 'i heart strangers' land. i grabbed my picture taking gear and made my way out into a brilliant day - very hot, very bright, very new. i made a stop to give myself a caffeine treat and then trekked down the hill.

i wasn't exactly sure where to go, but i came across a great wall that was sitting nicely in the shade. the sun was making its way around, but i had quite a few minutes before it was going to foil my big plan. i took a spot in the sun to lookout for today's friend and didn't have to wait very long.

kristin, in her purple shirt, big sunglasses, and chrome-brand messenger bag, came walking passed me after bounding down the steps outside some (i always forget what it is called) judicial building.

i excused myself and dove into my spiel and she went for it right away. that was so refreshing after yesterday's rejections had sucked the life out of me. she was immediately up-beat and friendly.

kristin had been out working on one of her life goals: to be in as many tourist photographs as she can. she wants there to be a series of family/ tourist/vacation photos starring her as the unknown stranger in the background dispersed throughout the homes of the many people she's run across throughout the years. try to imagine with me kristin chilling out in eternity, chuckling to herself and maybe sometimes aloud when she peers into some stranger's home and sees herself in the photos they are flipping through. it's a cute thought.

kristin used to work in a photography gallery in oklahoma city where she had the privilege of gaining some experience in rare photographic mediums. she says she misses shooting a lot, but the gallery scene was not exactly her forte. she now works as a special education teacher nine months out of the year and seems to be the perfect person for that job. after doing her "civic duty", she is now enjoying her summer looking for adventures and getting the most out of her free days.

she ran into another massachusetts' person before she met me and decided to take a tour of the capitol building with her. if i had to guess, i'd say that kristin was sending out "i'm up for it" vibes and that is why i asked her to be a part of this project. i have days like that, days where i am in the zone and sending out good energy, and they always turn out to be absolutely wonderful. i'd like to learn how to be that way all of the time.

thank you, kristin, it was really great meeting you today!

13 july, 2009

lamond . 24 years old  /  denver . colorado

a older gentleman, wearing a big hat, suspenders, and bifocals let me down gently by saying it wasn't personal, but, being old, he doesn't understand or trust a lot of this internet stuff. then, a nondescript middle-aged woman laughed and declined on account of being late for a meeting. two down.

i was standing and sitting on one particular corner for what felt like an eternity. there was a door i was hoping to use, one i have been eyeing for some time now. i happened to be there at the right time of day today, so i figured i'd wait it out and make something really beautiful. ha ha ha ha... i was way off.

a young black woman, with red tights and big sunglasses, wearing heels so high she must have been about 6' 5" was walking in my direction. i saw her from about a block away and was pleasantly surprised when she made it all the way down to the corner i was standing on. i told her what i was up to and, after hesitating for a second, she agreed to it. after tripping over her own heels, she took a seat on a bench near us and began the information exchange. i took her name and age and she filled out the model release and then, just before she signed, she hesitated again. i sat beside her while she read it in its entirety and then she changed her mind. i asked her what it was about the form that swayed her and she could only come up with a "just because". i told her it was a genuine project with only good intentions and then she said she was from LA and didn't run into many too many genuine people. losing interest in preserving the connection, i looked at her in the eye and told her the she met plenty of them, but she didn't trust them. she said i was probably right and then turned to go. she took the release with her because it had some of her information, but then i realized it was the only one i could use, so called after her. she didn't even trust me enough to cross out her information! so, she stood there and scribbled and scribbled and scribbled. how many slaps in the face was she going to give me?! she wished me luck. i said thanks, but didn't mean it. then i proceeded to wait on the corner for another rejection.

another older woman came by and looked terrified that i even spoke to her. another no. i decided to bail on that corner as it was giving me nothing but increased anxiety. i made my way across the street and saw a business-y looking man walking down the street with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. i walked up behind him and excused myself but just as i was about to dive in, i realized i had asked him many weeks before and he had declined. i didn't even bother trying again. i just cut myself off and wished him well. i am not sure if that one counts as a no or not. if it does, then we are currently at 5 for the day, which is also the previous record.

i made my down the hill, towards the judicial building. i saw an older gentleman in a blue worker's jumpsuit, wearing a manicured white beard. he wasn't interested either! so... 6 rejections? really?!

i finally arrived down at the library and immediately saw this young black guy standing outside, finishing up his cigarette. i walked up to him, told him what i was up to and he agreed to participate. just like that. i was blown away.

lamond was on his way into the library to gather some books for school. he's in the national guard and they are paying his way through college, so he is studying biology at the auraria campus. he came out to denver with the guard, but is originally from mississippi. i told him i had never been down that way and he praised it saying, "it's easier to breathe down there." i think i need to give the deep south a look-see.

i asked him if he was heading back down there after school, but lamond has plans of finding a beach town to settle down in for a while - either in california or florida. i thanked him and wished him well with the beach-finding and he chuckled and wished me well with the pictures. by the looks of things, i need the luck more than he does!

good to meet you, lamond. you were my saving grace today!

12 july, 2009

"rj" . 58 years old  /  denver . colorado

i put my time in today. and i'd say it was worth it. i ventured out a couple of different times to look for the day's stranger and eventually found myself down near the library and museum. i just wasn't in the mood for wandering around, so i set up camp down there. after some time people watching, i asked an elderly woman. she burst out laughing and said, "i'm not a stranger. i belong here! go find someone else." then she turned to walk away and dropped a couple of cards from her wallet on the ground. i picked them up and called after her to give them back. then we parted ways. i wasn't really offended.

i stood and watched for a while. then i sat and watched. i paced. i watched. i stood. i leaned. and i eventually tired of it, so i left. i started walking up the street, not sure of where i was heading. the little crosswalk hand was blinking orange and counting down the seconds i had left to make it across the street before cars could run me over. i was still in the safe zone when this nasty old woman on a scooter starting ranting to the car in front of her about not giving me the right away when i didn't deserve it. she must have something terribly important to get to on her scooter... i can't imagine what it could be, though. we traded insults and then, as i continued walking, i thought about why people (myself included, especially lately) get so fired up about such meaningless stuff. i've recently been on edge, my guard has been down, and i'm realizing i am more affected by things like this than i should be.

i didn't make too much progress in my thoughts because i saw an older gentleman parking his convertible just beside me. the top was down and he had a face full of character, so i figured this was a bit too serendipitous for me to pass up. while he was still maneuvering his car into a parking space, i told him what i was up to. after giving me a short test, he concluded that it was a worthy enough cause and agreed to it. he wanted to know if i would be photographing the car. i told him no, so he set to putting the top up to protect the interior from what appeared to be yet another ensuing storm.

he introduced himself to me as "rj" as we dove into our conversation. he had the usual precautions and minor skepticism, but was very friendly and not insulting in any way. he was on his way to drop off an audio book at the library and didn't seem to be in too much of a rush. we were in a pretty good location, so we only had to walk a few steps to find a good background.

rj told me that he is on a small vacation to see if he's going to enjoy retirement. he said that so far it isn't looking good. my guess is that he is bored. he's still young and drives a sporty convertible, so i 'd say he's still hungry for some adventure. i don't think i'd like being retired, but then again, compared to most people's jobs, mine probably looks more like retirement than anything else.

rj is a doctor, although i do not know of what. he has been a college professor, a high school teacher and administrator, a life coach, and even a singer/dancer in some movies. he had a very pleasant demeanor and soothing voice. he seemed to have a good sense of humor and kept a sparkle in his eyes that i was drawn to. he told me he wasn't photogenic. i told him that everyone says that, but then he said, "but i mean it." look at these photos... i'd say he's photogenic! lousy photographers have been running around making people look bad and i'm taking all the heat for it!

i've already heard from rj via telephone. he's interested in hearing more about the project so i think we will meet for some lunch one of these next days. i'm looking forward to it.

thank you for your time today, rj!

11 july, 2009

stephen . 20 years old  /  denver . colorado

i've got a say... i am surprised i found a willing soul today. i looked like i got run over by a freight train and felt even worse. yesterday's weight carried over into today and it looks like it will be sticking around for a bit longer. i did not feel like meeting anyone. and i didn't feel like shooting... not even a little.

i walked around with a friend of mine, talking, analyzing, and doing my best to put one foot in front of the other while very half-heartedly looking around for a stranger. we eventually parted ways and i made it all of half a block before figuring i would stay put until someone came along.

one guy walked by in a horrifyingly ugly t-shirt. when i asked him if he was up for being today's stranger he responded in a tone that matched my mood with a "not really." i understood perfectly...

not long after that, i saw this guy across the street with long curly hair and some pretty rad sunglasses. he looked like he was on his way to the beach, which is one of the few things i could have found the energy for today. except that there are no beaches for thousands of miles...

stephen agreed right away. he was cool - so relaxed. he had just picked up some "threads" at buffalo exchange, gearing up for a white-trash theme party. sounds like a good time to me.

he told me he was a student at DU, studying psychology. he's lived out here in the denver area for all of his twenty years. i have no idea what that feels like. i guess in many ways it must be nice... knowing where you are from... where you belong... having a home, but i can't sit still long enough.

stephen's spending his next semester studying abroad, though - in southern france. i like hearing about people studying abroad because that was one of the best decisions i ever made. he's hoping to turn that semester into a year. he could do what i did and just not get on the plane when it is time to leave.

when stephen and i parted ways he said, "keep on keeping on." that's the second time in the last few weeks that i've been told that same thing. today was for sure one of those "keep on" kind of days. thanks for the encouragement, man.

10 july, 2009

mike . 25 years old  /  denver . colorado

another big day. maybe too big. if i keep going at this rate, i'll have lived a full life by the time i am 30. after running errands and meeting with some folks to look at some studio/artist community space and then talking with some other folks at the great divide brewing company about a potential picture show, i ended up at the buenos aires pizzeria to grab a quick bite to eat with my friend, perry.

mike was the guy behind the counter. he was super kind, had a great smile, an obviously good work ethic, and i'll forever be indebted to him for introducing me to the tastiest dessert pastry imaginable (what was it called?).

as we waited for our food, i decided i would like to photograph him as today's stranger. he was back in the kitchen for a while and i thought maybe i lost my opportunity, but he eventually came back. i jumped on the chance and told him what i was up to and he agreed to help me out.

mike has a wife. and he works. i didn't find out much more than that, but i do know the he is enjoying his life. he had such a calm demeanor... very refreshing. his big grin was bursting at the seems, too, which is just a wonderful asset.

thank you, mike!

09 july, 2009

roxanne . 30 years old  /  denver . colorado

i made a few weak attempts at looking for strangers and eventually made a stop at city o' city. when i finished drinking some coffee (coaxing my brain and the rest of my body back into existence after putting them through yesterday's gauntlet), i stepped outside and officially began my search for the day's new friend.

i made it about ten steps when i saw the woman crossing the street at the next intersection. i noticed the black. i noticed the glasses. i noticed the red hair. and decided it was necessary to dart across the street to intercept her.

roxanne immediately agreed to be today's new friend. she was very nice. she was a bit timid, but that may have been because someone she didn't know just barraged her with a fairly irregular spiel and pulled out a big camera and shoved it in her face. maybe i'd be timid, too.

roxanne is a PhD student. she has two years left of studying creative writing. i guess it must feel pretty good to have only two years left after studying for so long. i am certainly not ready to jump on board that train. she gave me her card and the link to her own blog, but i don't have it with me right now, so i cannot pass it along to you.

we took some pictures, some people on the street made some "where's that smile?!" comments, and then i let her continue on her journey to the art museum. and that was that.

it was nice meeting you today, roxanne!

p.s. here is the link to her blog - http://persephassa.com/ - it is definitely worth taking a peek at.

08 july, 2009

cassie . 23 years old  /  denver . colorado

i had a busy morning and got stuck at my computer for a bit longer than i anticipated. then i needed to get out to find and shoot a stranger before my wednesday tee-time with a friend of mine. after the golfing, i had a birthday party to attend and that was certainly going to be the end of productivity. anyway... all that to say i had very little time to shoot this morning.

i grabbed some caffeine at city o' and then went down to the corner to scout out people i didn't know. i found a wall i wanted to use, but wasn't drawn to anyone near it. at some point, while i was pacing, i spotted this woman with big, red hair half a block away. i made a beeline for her.

it turns out that this woman with the big, red hair also had very striking eyes and was interested in being a part of the project. she photographed very well... had a very intense gaze. i told her so, but she didn't respond. maybe there is not much to say to something like that.

cassie is a musician. she sings and place the bass in her father's band - the otis taylor band. she's also making her own music under her own name - cassie taylor. i am told that myspace is the place to look for it, but i've not yet had the time to check it out.

we didn't trade much more information than that. she was nice. and very patient with me while my camera again malfunctioned. her parking meter had expired when i met her, but she threw in another quarter just so we didn't have to worry about it. she might be the first person that has had to pay to be a part of this project.

thank you, cassie!

07 july, 2009

peg . 48 years old  /  denver . colorado

this has been a big day. i have heard tell of the belief that one lives not in days and years, but in experiences. i like that and buy into it. and today was at least a few days long. in many very very good ways.

i worked most of the day, at my job and then on other projects, and then later in the day, i went out with my friend, eve (i heart people i know), to run around to some thrift stores. we went in goodwill and goofed around for a while and eventually decided to split.

we were carrying a dismantled portable clothes rack out to eve's car when i saw peg. she was small and had red hair and a wonderfully kind face. i had my hands full, was hot, sweaty, and otherwise disheveled when i went up to her to tell her what i was up to.

she listened and looked at me with the faintest bit of skepticism, but quickly agreed to be a part of it. her friend, lorie, came upon the scene before too long and then eve joined us, too. we all stood around chatting for a few minutes, then i decided we needed to get down to business.

we were standing in an open parking lot under direct sun and there wasn't an abundance of shade around. peg spotted the fence line where there were trees providing perfect light. we made our way there and made wonderful progress very quickly. peg was a little shy, but pulled herself together in a hurry and turned out to be exceptionally photogenic. look at her eyes! and her posture in the second shot... simply stunning.

when i found out when peg was born, for some reason i felt compelled to ask her what her first car was. i expected her to say a volkswagen dasher, but she said it was a chevy vega. i almost bought a vega when i finished high school. it was gorgeous, so i got excited. she said her nicest car was an audi tt, so i knew right away that we had very different career choices. it turns out that she is a pharmacy case manager and had plenty to say about the mark-up of prescription drugs. it's awful - that's what we decided on. she's a registered nurse and is currently working out of her field, but she said that with a fair amount of acceptance.

she was so sweet. so friendly. it was as if she hasn't been totally mutilated by her years on this earth. she's transitioning from littleton to denver and seemed excited about it. she told us that she recently scored a very nice couch at goodwill for a very good price, so she came back today to look for more bargains and then ran into eve and me. she was glad. we were glad. it was perfect.

thank you, peg!.

06 july, 2009

gary . 71 years old  /  denver . colorado

i was down at wolf camera on california street, waiting for the kind folks down there to finish up my prints. this was just the beginning of this day, as i was later to wheat paste 144 of these strangers photos on a wall outside of the wonderful city o' city restaurant/bar/café. while i was waiting, i figured i would use the time to look for today's stranger, so i headed over to the terrible 16th street mall.

i asked a black woman with a shaved head, but she reminded me that i had asked her before. i didn't realize... and i didn't remember her even after she told me. oh well. then i saw a muscle-head guy... seriously... he was so big that i thought maybe he could crush my bones just by looking at me. he laughed and said it was an interesting project, but said no. and then...

gary came walking down the street. he made eye contact with me and said hello, and that was all it took. i told him what i was up to and asked him to participate. he was for it. i asked him what he was up to today and he said, "goofing off!"

gary has a few grandsons that he usually spends his days with, but today he was free to do as he wished. he's been retired for about 5 years, but he spent his career working for at&t, doing something for the military. he said it was so top secret that he could tell me exactly what he did and where and i'd still never have a clue. i took his word for it.

he was a helicopter pilot during the vietnam conflict. i asked him if he was over there. he was, for 14 months. then, because i am a simple-minded dweeb, i asked him if he saw any action. he responded very politely by saying that he was a combat pilot. the keyword was combat. in other words, he saw some action. i guess that the experience over there and the at&t/military job had something to do with each other, but we didn't get into it.

gary asked if i was an independent photographer. i took that as an opportunity to chat, so i told him a bit about why i am doing this. we ended up chatting about this fast-paced life and then he told me about his cabin out in the woods that he enjoys bringing his grandsons to so they can fish and run around in nature... away from all the busyness.

i'd probably be right in guessing that gary has a lot of stories. i would have liked to have heard some of them, but these stranger interactions are tough to negotiate sometimes. ah well... i enjoyed meeting him very much. he had a great spirit and left me feeling good. it was a big day and i'm glad he was a part of it.

05 july, 2009

valery . 60 years old  /  denver . colorado

this was day 301. i guess i've made it over most of the hurdles by now. i remember how i felt at the beginning, when i had 301 days left. i felt intimidated and in over my head. i don't feel intimidated now, but i do feel tired. i didn't feel like shooting today. i've discovered that the only way for me to get over that is to grab my gear and go out and shoot. so i did just that.

i wandered around. i didn't know where to go, so i headed up colfax. colfax is most of the time a total miss. and it's usually a miss for exactly the reason it was a miss today. i came across a run-down convenience store with a very broken door and dirty windows - basically a photographer's candy story. at the same time, a young guy was walking towards me. he was tall, maybe my age, listening to music. his colors went well with the background. i motioned to him and excused myself. he didn't stop. i excused myself again and he half-heartedly pulled one headphone off and looked at me. i started telling him what i was doing, but he quickly interrupted to say, "i don't have anything." this was one of those days where that made me irate. i called out after him, "what's that?", but he kept on. he doesn't have anything? sure, he has no money. fine. no drugs. fine. he doesn't have any time? doubt it. any interesting stories? doubt that, too. i watched him until he went out of sight. colfax is full of two kinds of people: those wanting something and those selling something. and it's usually not photographs, if you know what i mean.

i walked a few more blocks and banked a left to head over towards 17th. i figured from there i would make my back to pearl street and then back towards my place. rain was on its way, or so it looked, and i didn't want to get stuck in it too far from home. a block or so into my new plan, i caught a glimpse of a white head of hair. i turned my head and noticed a woman working in her garden. i walked on, battling whether i should ask her or not, then, having made my decision, stopped, turned around, and went for it.

i walked up to the edge of her yard on the sidewalk and called out to her. she listened to me and chuckled a bit. she wanted to know what it was for and why i was doing it, but eventually she heard enough and agreed to it... as long as it happened fast. i told her i had just made my way up colfax and didn't come across many non-skeptics. valery admitted to being pretty skeptical herself, but blamed that on living in new york for many years.

her and her husband, both art dealers, moved out here a couple of years ago because they needed "some space." they lived in manhattan for a very long time, so i can understand their desire for some elbow room.

she was a very sweet woman. i enjoyed talking with her very much. i would have liked to hear more about her life and her time in new york and the art she deals in, but i couldn't tell if she was glad for my interruption or eager for me to finish my business and go.

i struggled with the light. it was coming down through the dark clouds in streaks just above and behind valery. i tried to photograph her under a tree, but it was much too dark. i just wanted to be sure to keep some detail in her beautiful white hair, and it looks like we managed.

i am glad i met such a lovely person on a day when it took some drive to get out there and look. i am also glad that headphones boy was too into himself to stop and chat. it all works out in the end.

04 july, 2009

miranda . 29 years old  /  denver . colorado

i looked around for strangers in a few different parts of town today. i started on south broadway, after having some breakfast and coffee at sputnik, but... nobody turned up. i did ask a woman working a little food cart, but it was unclear whether or not she understood me. i guess she got the gist of it, though, because she said no. it was mostly deserted down there. seemed like today was a holiday or something. oh... wait...

i rode my bike back up to capitol hill, and the route i took, unfortunately, brought me by a mass of people with picket signs and banners of varying political statements. i'm guessing they all had some common thread because they seemed to be getting along with each other.

i parked and locked my bike at my apartment and then set out on foot to more diligently look for today's new friend. i ended up walking through that debacle of politics again, hoping to find some uncle sam costumed person on stilts, but i didn't come across that character.

i ended up on the mall street again, which proved to be its old, cold self. i asked a black guy in a camouflage hat, but he didn't even stop to listen to me. i picked up pace and walked along side him long enough to hear him laugh at me. i responded to that with, "so you're not up for it, then?" - and... he wasn't. let's use our words, people.

i decided to walk through a park towards the library and museum. i had no idea what was and was not open, so i figured i was bound to do a lot of wandering. the park i chose to walk through is generally full of totally busted people. i wasn't expecting to find my stranger there, but then i saw this young woman and her dog sitting on a bench. they didn't appear to be a crack-selling team, so i figured i'd give it a go.

miranda and jesse were both very friendly. they had been out for a walk and just decided to take a rest. miranda came out to denver about twelve years ago from nebraska (she was, "ready to leave") and now works in IT sales. and, as far as i know, jesse just hangs out.

when miranda filled out the model release, she told me she didn't know what the date was. that sealed the deal for me and i knew i had found the right stranger because the 4th of july is, without a doubt, my least favorite holiday.

had i been of a sharper mind, i would have photographed today's duo on the bench i met them at first and then moved into shade for the closer portrait. but, being a creature of habit, i stuck with the regular routine. i would have had a better second shot, but these are the things i learn as i go.

thank you, miranda, for your time today. it was great meeting you and your pup.

03 july, 2009

bianca . 27 years old  /  denver . colorado

there's reason to celebrate today... and it doesn't have anything to do with this country's independence (sorry, all you nationalists). it's because i solidified some plans to have an outdoor exhibition of photos from this project at city o' city. yeah... pretty big deal!

i measured out the space i will be using and made some calculations and then headed down the hill to look for a stranger. i walked to broadway and then up to the 16th street mall. i have intentionally not shot down there for a while, so i decided it needed another chance.

on my way there i walked by a group of people standing around making a bunch of noise. as i passed by the center of them, i noticed that a tall black guy was selling weed to a pretty busted white dude. they weren't exactly being discreet about it, which is just fine, but i was surprised because there were three police officers standing on the corner of the same block. they didn't appear to be doing much of anything except congratulating each other on being authoritative and wearing ugly uniforms. anyway... as far as i am concerned... people can grow, sell, and smoke as much grass as they want to.

shortly after taking note of this, i was at the mall street, and shortly after arriving there, i noticed a young woman with very rad hair walking ahead of me on the other side of the street. i picked up my pace a bit and crossed over to accost her.

bianca asked me what the project was for, and then, after explaining it to her, she said, "i think that is something i can support." and she was lovely. she is a some sort of stylist... i can't remember exactly, but i think she works with make-up. and she is a poet. and she, from what i understand, combines her poetry with fusion, jazz, and hip-hop music. she's having a show on sunday night down at "herb's" and i think i'll check it out. perhaps you should, too.

bianca was an absolute sweetheart. she was very easy to photograph, too. it was a pleasure. while we were shooting, some "chad" (an uncool person) walked by and made some comments about the process. i didn't hear him, so i asked bianca what he said, but she didn't hear him either. she looked at me and said, "i'm sure it was very insightful."

thanks, bianca. i like your name very much because it brings me back to the days of my youth when i watched "the rescuers".