31 december, 2009

tara . 28 years old / denver . colorado

i walked nearly the entire length of the 16th street mall in search of strangers, but no one caught my eye. i met a friend of mine at her work and while we were chatting outside in the sunshine, i saw two women walk by. one of them was carrying a box full of flowers and, for some reason or another, that did it for me. i quickly got up and made my way over to the two women and explained what i was up to.

tara's walking partner left us because she had to return to work, but tara was just on her way back home after a short work day, so she had some time to spare. considering it was the flowers that caught my eye, i can't explain why i didn't ask about them. sometimes i forget the seemingly most obvious of conversation topics. i don't know how many days it is going to take before i can herd all of my senses and be completely on point. sigh...

tara works as a receptionist for a law firm. the firm specializes in corporate bankruptcy, so they have been busier than usual lately. it being a small firm, though, they are not constantly swamped with work, which tara rather enjoys. she is also going to school part-time. at first she was just studying general courses, not sure of what she wanted to do, but now she is pursuing a career as an x-ray technician.

i asked her if she had big plans for the last night of 2009: she said she was looking forward to meeting up with some of her girlfriends for a light night on the town - looking only for a moderate amount of trouble. tara was very sweet and easy to chat with. i think she made for a perfect closing to the year. thank you so much for being a part of this project, tara!

p.s. 05 january - i just received an email from tara and it turns out the flowers were from a secret admirer!

30 december, 2009

terry . 49 years old / denver . colorado

a couple of friends and i drove back up to denver to spend the afternoon and evening together. we took a few minutes to set up a base camp at my apartment and then bundled up to make a trip downtown. at the end of 16th avenue, we passed by a man in a wheelchair. his bright colors and piercing eyes caught my attention and i immediately turned around to ask the man to be the day's stranger.

terry agreed to participate and almost immediately told me how much he missed taking pictures. he said he used to bring his "canon ae-1" on his fishing trips and would photograph nature scenes and then try to sell them to a news station. he told me they would choose the images they wanted and would make a calendar out of them. i don't know what happened to terry's camera, but i could tell that talking about it brought him to a good place.

without too much prodding, terry told me a compelling story. i will just relay what he told me and leave the judgment out of it. someone recently stole $100 from his room, leaving him short on his rent. the people that run his housing were kicking him out and he was having difficulty finding another place to stay. he said many of the boarding houses were full and those that had rooms available did not have handicap entrances. he told me he would be spending a couple of nights outside before he received his next paycheck and could afford to get a new apartment.

terry worked for 21 years as a forklift operator and is only four (of ten) classes shy from becoming a licensed crane operator. he told me that he fell from the flatbed of a big truck and landed on the ice, causing some damage to his ankle and hip - putting him in his wheelchair. he will have to spend another six months in the chair and then another six months in rehabilitation before he can start working again. he also told me that he used to be a paratrooper in the army, but hurt his knee after only ten jumps. the army claims that his injury was preexisting, so they won't give him any money. nevertheless, terry spoke fondly of that experience and admitted that he found it less intimidating than being a crane operator.

we had a nice chat and i asked him to keep my card and look me up when he gets to a computer. i wished him well and walked away with a lot to think about...

29 december, 2009

stephen . 19 years old / colorado springs, colorado

i stayed up very late last night with a friend of mine. we prepared resumés and discs of images to apply for a job in colorado springs. we slept for a little less than 3 hours and then drove from denver to the springs to turn in our work. after taking an afternoon nap, i decided to head out into suburbia to look for today's stranger. i wasn't feeling well at all, but figured the crisp winter air would bring me back to life. i stepped outside to make my way towards a starbucks, but didn't even make it to the end of the driveway before i saw a neighbor out in his driveway, working on a white jeep.

i walked over there and introduced myself, explaining what i was up to. stephen (pronounced steffen) agreed to be today's stranger and his mother, lyndia, stepped out of the way, explaining she maintained her place behind the camera and had no interest in being in front of it. stephen explained that his jeep was giving him some trouble, but he thought it was well deserved because he "four-wheels the hell out of it". he had a co-worker over to help run some diagnostics, but they hadn't figured it out yet.

stephen works for a lawn-care company when the weather permits and would normally be delivering pizzas at this time of year, but, for obvious reasons, can't right now. he has lived all over the country, moving with his family, but has been in colorado springs for about seven years. stephen seemed happy to call it home and preferred it to many of their previous surroundings. he was quick to flash a smile and had a lot of energy while we spoke. our interaction didn't last very long, but i was ok with that as it took quite a few more hours for me to feel back to normal.

thanks for being a part of this project, stephen. good luck with the ride.

28 december, 2009

mark . 44 years old / denver . colorado

i spent the entire day building a resumé and searching for and applying to jobs. as you might imagine, i am not thrilled about the prospect of working for someone else. i am in bind, though, so i am looking, but not for something that would readily fall into the "ordinary" or "easy to find" category. it is also imperative that i find a job that will allow me to continue working on this project. as we've already discussed on several occasions, i am not ready to be done with this project. i can foresee a few things getting in the way of this, but one of them will not be a job - unless, of course, that job involves meeting strangers and taking photographs.

with my thoughts completely preoccupied with jobs and resumés and computer glitches and my constantly worsening economic crisis, i set out to search for today's stranger. fortunately, i was present enough to put one foot in front of the other, and managed to even keep my eyes on the lookout. i was en route to the 16th street mall, knowing i would find the greatest number of people there, when i spotted a uniformed gentleman stepping out of a building i frequently walk by. i thought it would be interesting to photograph a military man and, thinking on it now, it certainly makes for a nice juxtaposition to yesterday's vegan, face-tattooed, adult entertainment store cashier. hmmm... i wonder how vegans survive in the military.

i approached the man with my short, well-rehearsed spiel and he immediately warmed to the idea and agreed to be today's friend. mark was stepping out of the navy's recruiting office after a meeting with his superior to discuss mark's potential promotion. mark informed me that the meeting went very well and he was happy to relay that his supervisor was going to recommend him for the advancement. i guess now it is up to good ol' uncle sam. mark has been in the military since 1983, just after he graduated from high school. he spent some years in the army, but has found a home in the navy now. mark admitted that he greatly enjoys his job.

after hinting at some of the aches and pains that are accompanying his age, mark recommended that i hold onto my youth. he told me that when he was my age (27) he was feeling very good and running 8 miles a day. this information made me cringe because, as embarrassing as it may be, i could not even run for 8 minutes right now. i suppose i should do something about that.

mark was very friendly and seemed to be genuinely excited to be a part of the project and that always makes me feel a little bit better about things. so... thank you for saying yes, mark!

27 december, 2009

walter . 33 years old / denver . colorado

i returned home after a few wonderful days out of town. the holiday was refreshing and just exactly what the doctor ordered. i consider myself very blessed to have had the opportunity to spend quality time with such extraordinary people. needless to say, i wasn't exactly looking forward to coming back to denver, but it was unavoidable. so i spent some time regrouping and tried to get caught up on the last couple of days of photoshop work and posted images to the internet and then headed out the door in search of today's stranger. i was prepared for a walk downtown, but i didn't even make it to the end of the street.

i saw this guy walking down the sidewalk as i was cutting through a parking lot. he was compelling for obvious reasons, so i changed my course and told him what i was up to. he agreed to be today's stranger, but said he only had 8 minutes before he had to be at work. grateful for his participation, i worked quickly and did my best to get some good photos as well as some answered questions.

walter is originally from iowa, but after his parents divorced when he was 10 years old, he moved out here with his mother to be near her family. 23 years later, he currently works at "kitty's adult entertainment" as a cashier. i've never been in there, but i imagine it to be a very interesting place to work as a cashier. i had many questions for walter about pretty much everything about him, but we just didn't have the time.

we did manage to talk about the tattoos for a minute or so and, while my curiosities are not totally satisfied, walter did give me a good sampler. i asked him how many tattoos he has: he said he can't count them anymore because they run into each other, but he has been to 38 appointments. before i could pull my jaw up from the ground, walter proudly told me that he had another 11 appointments lined up for the next year. i asked if there was a specific story behind the face tattoo and walter told me that face tattoos are typical of the maori people. he is not maori so he did not get a traditional design, but he wanted a face tattoo to bring the taboo back into tattooing. in walter's opinion tattoos have become too popular, so he did something that few have the nerve to do.

and... in case it is not clear... walter is a vegan (see his throat in the first portrait).

thanks so much for your time, walter!

26 december, 2009

teresa . 34 years old / evergreen . colorado

there is a large lake in evergreen, not too far from where i was celebrating this holiday season, and, at this time of year, it is completely frozen, offering itself as a lovely setting for two winter activities that i don't particularly fancy: ice skating and ice fishing. while i might not enjoy participating in either of these, i do find them both very interesting. thinking i would photograph an ice skater, hillary and i set out in search of today's stranger.

the lake was completely packed. it seemed that everyone in evergreen was there and, as if that wasn't enough, many more from the surrounding area were lined up in the lot, waiting for a parking space. fortunately, we managed to dart into what may or may not have been a space fairly quickly. it wasn't until we made our way out onto the ice that hillary mentioned the people ice fishing. i immediately decided that i wanted to photograph one of them. i pictured ice-fishermen as very big men with burly beards and cases of coors beer and bags of elk jerky. i was wrong... clearly.

i approached the red hut with a friendly hello and was completely surprised to see a young woman sitting inside all by herself. she was huddled up in warm clothing, sitting in a camping chair with her line dropped in the freshly augured hole in the corner of her hut. i told her what i was up to and asked her to be today's stranger. she quickly agreed. she looked young, so i thought maybe she was waiting for her father and i was going to find myself in an awkward situation when he returned to find me taking pictures of his daughter in his fishing hut. i asked if she was at least 18 and she assured me that she was. then, later, i felt like a complete idiot when she told me she was 34 years old.

teresa is originally from texas, but moved up to colorado about six years ago to be closer to the mountains. she started ice fishing last year and now owns her own gear and tries to make it out every weekend. evergreen lake is stocked with rainbow trout during the summer, so she was hoping to nab one of those. at the time i met her, she had only had a few bites and then had a few more while i was photographing her outside the hut. a fresh catch would have made for a great photo, but we can't have everything.

just as i was finishing the final photographs of teresa, her friends, susan and george, came over to investigate the scene. teresa made her way back into the hut to concentrate on the biting trout and susan and george and i chatted outside. when i photographed teresa inside the hut, i knelt down on the ice, creating a wet spot on my knees. this wet spot froze solid in a matter of minutes, causing me to remember how baffling this ice fishing thing is. it just doesn't look like fun to me - dropping a line into a hole and waiting. i suppose it comes down to a mix between remembering the last catch and anticipating the next one - like regular fishing, but very very very cold.

after chatting with teresa's friends for long enough to be nearly frozen, i headed back towards hillary, who was on a hunt for some shelter from the biting breeze. what a completely unexpected interaction! thanks so much, teresa! and thanks for the chat, susan and george.

25 december, 2009

dan . 49 years old / evergreen . colorado

christmas day is one that has been weighing heavily on my mind for some time. i consider christmas to be the most difficult day of the year to photograph a stranger. i suppose that has more to do with what i would rather being doing on this day than on the strangers' reactions, but that still counts for something. i did not want to go look for strangers today. i wanted to continue lazing around by the fire while eating and playing scrabble, but, like on many other days, i pulled myself together with the hope of meeting someone special. and, like usual, i wasn't let down.

last christmas, i was in massachusetts with my mother and we walked around the neighborhood until we spotted joe sipping on some coffee and smoking a cigarette in his driveway. this christmas, my friend hillary and i loaded up the car with three dogs and drove to the "bark park" in evergreen to give the hounds their christmas treat. i had the responsibility of walking with "cash" - a saint bernard, rottweiler, and labrador mix. he is a very big dog and it quickly became apparent that he would be walking me. we passed by a man and his siberian husky and it occurred to me that he, as the first stranger we happened upon, should be the christmas stranger. while doing my best to harness cash, i told the stranger what i was up to and asked if he'd be interested. he was, so i freed myself of cash by unloading him on hillary and then went back to learn who the man with the husky was.

dan doesn't really celebrate christmas. he is currently living the bachelor life with nikko, his 11-year old siberian husky. he said he would probably get into the christmas spirit if he had children, but that's currently not an issue. instead, he was spending the day with nikko, who dan adopted from a shelter about 10 years ago. nikko has recently developed some kind of tumor on his nose, so dan has been researching what can be done about it. unfortunately, the procedures that would remove the tumor are not humane, but nikko is not terribly inconvenienced by the growth so dan is going to let nature take its course.

dan works for himself as a marketing consultant. his company is called "sternberg & associates", so look him up if you are in the market for some, well, marketing. dan was super easy to talk to and didn't rush me in the least. we talked for a few minutes, mostly about the dogs, but also a bit about our work and snapped some photos. i was very pleased to see that nikko fully cooperated by looking directly into the lens. i parted ways with dan after standing in the cold for some time and then rid myself of my gear and went to race through the woods with my furry friends.

merry christmas, everyone, and thank you so much, dan!

24 december, 2009

ramiro . 29 years old / denver . colorado

i met a friend of mine for some coffee at city, o' city this morning. it's been a while since i've sat down in my favorite café to enjoy a warm beverage and some good company, so it was a very cozy and welcome experience on this christmas eve. more snow fell, as did the temperature, making for a very fitting and quintessentially christmas eve trip downtown. i walked down 13th avenue toward the denver library and art museum and almost immediately spotted today's stranger.

ramiro was making his way through the crosswalk between the museum and library with two music cds in his hands. he ran through the crosswalk and ended up right in front of me. i excused myself right away and dove into my spiel. i thought maybe he was in a hurry because of his quick pace, but it also could have been due to the cold (a whopping 10 degrees), so i took the chance. he responded kindly and agreed to participate. i was so excited that he said yes.

ramiro came out to colorado from southern california ten years ago. i asked him what brought him out this way and he said, "boredom". i've never been to southern california, but i have not heard that it is a boring place, so i assume ramiro grew tired of the routine, which is definitely something i can relate to. he told me he was on his way back home to get ready for work at whole foods. he summed up his current situation as working there and practicing yoga. he was very genuine in the way he spoke and there was a spark in his eye - like maybe he knew something i didn't. i liked it and i enjoyed speaking with him very much.

i fired off a few shots and was struggling with the background a bit. i should have done more directing to speed the process up, but i don't like to be too pushy with people. i think ramiro grew a little tired of having the camera in his face, but he kept his cool. i am glad i shot as many pictures as i did because i like his photo quite a lot. this was a perfect interaction today. i was genuinely interested in ramiro and wanted to hear more about his life and he seemed to be sincerely interested in the project.

after parting ways with ramiro, i walked back up 13th avenue and fell deep into thought about this project. i realized (again) that i am just trying to get a little sample of people's lives. i realized (again) that i should be more grateful when people agree to participate and share whatever they choose to with me. i often get so frustrated that i don't walk away from each stranger experience with a new best friend and the answers to all of the world's problems, but it occurred to me today that those are very unrealistic and unfair expectations.

so... thanks, ramiro. thanks for your time and for being the conduit for some fresh thoughts. merry christmas, eve!

23 december, 2009

michael . 55 years old / denver . colorado

it looks like we might have a white christmas here in denver, colorado. i set out into the falling snow with my camera gear in tow to search for today's stranger. as i walked towards downtown, i was lost in my head - thinking of the things that are not quite right and more things that are even worse than that. i can't seem to figure out so many things that many other people appear to be on top of. and i don't know what to do with that. then i saw an older man across the street and all of those thoughts disappeared, at least for a little while.

i saw his weathered face and red cap and matching tote bag and noticed that he had a starbucks iced coffee in his hand (despite the frigid weather) and was immediately drawn to him. as i was crossing the street, he was standing on the sidewalk - waiting to pass through the crosswalk. fortunately, traffic was coming so he had to wait. i told him what i was up to and he agreed to participate with no hesitation at all. i pulled out my notebook to record his name and age. he told me he was michael, but had a difficult time relaying his last name. i had a difficult time understanding much of what he was saying because he was missing a few teeth, but i got the gist of most of it. he said he was 57 or 58 and then explained that he stopped counting after his 12th birthday because that was when he started getting clothes for presents. when i asked him his birthdate for the model release, he said he was born on christmas in 1954 (he even remember the time), so i am putting him down for 55 years old.

michael told me he is disabled. he doesn't work and he lives in subsidized housing. he talked to me for a while and shared stories of his time in the army. he served one term and ended up in germany. at that time one could choose where he wanted to go if he re-enlisted, so he signed up for another term and requested to be stationed in colorado. he got what he asked for but shortly afterwards the army asked him to go to an island in the south pacific. michael told me that the army had been doing nuclear tests in a big crater on this island and they were bringing troops over to prepare the island for the natives to return. this is quite the story, right? michael also told me that the army dumped about 50 million dollars worth of equipment into that crater instead of shipping it back to the states. he didn't feel good about the situation so he told his superiors that he didn't want to go. they told him he had to go or he had to sign the "bar". i don't know what that means, but signing it supposedly got him out of the army.

for the next year michael had dreams about the army. he couldn't stop thinking about it. he told me his heart would jump when he saw people marching or saluting and he desperately wanted to be back in the army. he joined the national guard instead and served with them for 12 years. he mentioned a wife, but i don't know where she fits into the timeline or where she ended up. michael told me that all of his family moved to kentucky and his younger sister died of lung cancer even though she never smoked a cigarette. he told me that after leaving the guard he went on disability, but it wasn't related to his time in the service so there was no money to be had. there are so many missing pieces to his story. i'd like to meet with michael again to talk more about it, but with no phone number and no e-mail address, i think he might be difficult to find.

i asked michael what he would be doing for christmas. he told me that he would probably attend a party that would be taking place at his home, but he wasn't too worried about it because he wouldn't be getting what he wanted for christmas anyway. i asked him what he would ask for if he could have anything and he said he'd ask to be in the army again. you might notice that he is still in his jacket from his time in the service many years ago. he told me that he misses the camaraderie. he said when a guy gets married or when their kid speaks their first words, you know about it. he said everyone participates in everyone else's life because they are all taking care of each other in the service. he said, "you have to be part of the machine to understand how it works." i suppose that is right. when i think of the army, my mind does not immediately go to the relationships i might form there. for michael, though, that was it.

he talked for a while but eventually asked if i was ready to take the photos. i took that as his signal that he was ready to be wrapping up our interaction, so i fired off a few portraits. i wished him a good day and he said, "oh, i always do."

thanks, michael.

22 december, 2009

dewey . 25 years old / denver . colorado

i filled up two washing machines with my dirty laundry and then threw my camera bag over my shoulder to go look for today's stranger. i made a call to my friend, brandon, to chat about working on a new project. i was glad to be entertaining the idea, but while we were discussing it, i spotted a young woman walking down the sidewalk towards me. she had dreadlocked hair and wore big sunglasses and a very cheerful sweater, so i was hooked. i told brandon i would call him back and then laid out the strangers pitch for the gal.

she responded kindly and agreed to be photographed. dewey was on her way to work, but she didn't mind being late. she works for a nonprofit, going door-to-door, educating people about environmental issues. she seemed to enjoy the work, but said she would probably stop doing it soon because she often has to work for organizations or causes that she doesn't necessarily agree with. dewey has worked for several years in the not-for-profit sector and said it would be an adjustment to get a "regular" job, but she figures she can do it. she said she will probably just volunteer to continue her activism.

i told her i had never met anybody named "dewey". she said that she has only met a couple of guys with the name, but never any other women. her birth name was catherine, but there were so many other girls with that name and even some sharing her last name, that her mother decided to legally change her daughter's name to dewey - avoiding all future confusion. i think the name change suits her very well, but i would not have judged her any differently had she said her name was catherine.

dewey was very calm and easy to speak with. she smelled like the soap aisle at the whole foods market or incense of some kind and she was so sweet and soft spoken - very easy to be around. we had a lovely little chat and made some nice photos and then parted ways. thanks so much for your time today, dewey!

21 december, 2009

yehudah . 21 years old / denver . colorado

i needed to make a trip to the bank, so i paired that errand with my search for the day's stranger. en route to the bank, i asked a gentleman in a wheelchair if he would be today's stranger. he was very nice and would have made some excellent photographs, but he turned me down on account of being in a hurry. i'd say that is the only excuse he didn't have... but i wasn't about to argue with him. after taking care of business at the bank, another man turned me down, but with a lot less charisma than the hurried man. oh well. it didn't bother me today. i guess my reaction depends on my what kind of space my head is in. today it was apparently not so bad.

i passed by a young man as we crossed the street at a stop light. i noticed his yamaka (i don't know what is more correct: yamaka or kippah) and thought that was interesting. i have not seen many traditional jewish people here in denver, so i thought i'd invite him to no longer be a stranger. i turned around and chased after him, getting his attention as he was about to cross the next street. he respond kindly to the idea and asked me a couple of times to clarify that these photos were only for this project and not something else. once assured, yehudah signed the release and we continued chatting.

yehudah is from israel. i like foreigners. i like the way they look. the way they speak. i like their piqued interest and curiosity. i like being a foreigner, too, and have been one on several occasions, so maybe that is why i am drawn to others. when i asked yehudah for his birthdate, he smiled and said it was the fourth of july. i like that he understood that that date carries some weight over here. holidays don't do a whole lot for me, but i appreciated the sentiment anyway. yehudah claimed that he did not speak english very well, but he did - especially considering my ignorance of hebrew.

yehudah told me he is in the process of studying orthodox judaism, but is over here in the states with a friend, visiting some family and traveling. he has a one-year visa and an open ticket back to israel, so he is going to play this trip by ear. he said he would most likely learn some profession when he returns home, but he didn't mention what he thought that might be. he was very patient with me during the photography process and even asked me to take a couple of environmental pictures of him after i was finished. his camera battery is out of commission, so he was without his camera today. i was happy to oblige.

thank you so much, yehudah.

20 december, 2009

eleanor . 45 years old / denver . colorado

i went out for a walk with my friend hillary. i figured we would end up on the 16th street mall, so we started down 17th avenue. we had only walked a few blocks when i spotted a woman standing on the sidewalk. she appeared to be waiting, but i wasn't paying attention to where i was, so i wasn't sure what for. i approached her and told her about the project. she graciously agreed to be today's stranger.

it turns out that eleanor was waiting for the avenue theater to open. she was going to see a play - something about dickens. she is from denver and has a family here and is currently studying to become a certified nursing assistant. she said she already has a job lined up but has to complete two more weeks of classes before she can start.

i have been getting less and less information from people lately. i am completely confused by this project and have no idea what kind of changes to make. someone recently introduced me to a new york times sponsored project called "one in 8 million" and it is much more the kind of thing that i am after. it goes much deeper than this project does and is maybe a little more in depth than i could ever take "i heart strangers" because i do like this idea of meeting someone every day, but it is worth striving for. i am struggling so much because every once in a while i will meet someone out on the street that knocks my socks off. we will have such a strong interaction and it moves me so greatly because we met "accidentally" or serendipitously" (call it what you will). i want that to happen every day.

19 december, 2009

lucas . 18 years old / denver . colorado

after being away from denver for about one week, i took some time to settle back into my apartment. i eventually gathered my gear and started on a refreshingly familiar path to look for the day's stranger. i walked less than one block before i saw lucas and his friend. it is difficult for me to ignore a guy walking down the street in a santa claus costume. that's understandable, right?

i approached the two guys and told them what i was up to. i asked if lucas was at least 18 and he just made the cut. he seemed a little intimidated by me and this project and his friend, david, was even more reluctant. i explained the whole story and asked lucas to sign the model release. he read it over thoroughly and then asked david what he thought. david didn't think highly of it at all, but lucas went for it anyway.

lucas is a first year engineering student and said he enjoys what he is studying. he was on his way to the 3OH!3 show just down the street from where we met. i asked lucas what kind of music they played and he said it was a combination of rap and electronica, but really they "are in their own genre". he said he has not missed a show in colorado since the "warp tour of 2007" and he tries to wear some kind of costume to each show. maybe he will become their mascot... i am definitely an advocate for persistence.

i let the guys go after a few photos because they both seemed very uncomfortable around me. even though i wasn't in the santa suit, i felt like the oddball. thanks for your time, lucas. i hope you enjoyed the show.

18 december, 2009

theresa . 31 years old / colorado springs, colorado

oddly enough, just like yesterday, another friend of mine was getting a haircut. similarly, his salon was at the mall. today was in colorado springs instead of memphis, but the other circumstances were much the same. malls and shopping centers are tough locations to look for strangers in. the light is harsh and people are on a mission. also, i am pretty sure these areas have a "no soliciting" policy.

i walked around for a little while and then took a seat near one of the mall entrances. it didn't seem like it was going to work out, so i decided to head across the parking lot towards a barnes and noble bookstore, thinking that maybe the atmosphere would be a little more laid back over there. as is usually the case, something happened after i made a decision.

as i was making my way across the parking lot of an abandoned fast food restaurant, i spotted theresa. we both chose to walk through the lot to get to our destinations and it just so happened that we did so at the same time but in opposite directions. i told her what i was up to and asked her to be today's stranger. she agreed as long as it didn't take too long. that is probably the reply i have heard most... "as long as it only take a couple of minutes." i seem to have more time than everyone else in the world.

theresa is from california, but moved out to the springs to attend pharmaceutical school. after graduating, she spent some time in denver, but is now back in colorado springs, working as a pharmacist at a local hospital. she was very pleasant to speak with and had a lovely, soft voice. we didn't exchange much more information, though. i dislike assaulting people with an interrogation, so people often just give me what i ask for - some photos of them. i want more, but i don't know how to go about it. i want to walk around with them and learn whatever i can. i am fascinated by people and i am realizing that i am less fascinated by their faces than i am by their stories. but, i want both. however, i have no credentials and i think that is what makes people wary.

thanks for saying yes, theresa!

17 december, 2009

emily . 26 years old / memphis . tennessee

this was my last morning in memphis. i met with my friend jason for lunch and then he needed to get a haircut, so i joined him, deciding to use this time to look for a stranger before heading to the airport. unfortunately, his salon sits in the middle of a giant shopping center - this one happened to be a strip mall kind of place. the area of memphis we were in is quite a bit different than the others i have seen and the people weren't responding all that well to the bearded photographer asking to put their picture on the internet.

a few people said no, but i kept pressing on. there was only so much i could do, so i kept walking - in circles, mostly. i eventually spotted a young woman as she was getting ready to leave the area. i approached her with the regular spiel and she agreed to participate, but i think she thought it was pretty "strange".

emily is from memphis and seems to be happy here. she teaches junior kindergarten at a private boys school and said that she enjoys her job. that was all the information we traded. some days, especially those days when i am completely out of my element and running against the clock, it is quite difficult to get a deep story. nevertheless, emily was very sweet and i am so glad she agreed to be a part of this. thank you!

16 december, 2009

david . 68 years old / memphis . tennessee

if you haven't recognized it by now or if you are new to following this project, then i think i should probably tell you that i am not quite at peace with much of anything, but this project in particular is something i bounce back and forth over. i've been in a rut for the past couple of months but it seems to be deepening lately. as i was sitting in my buddy's office, trying to get caught up on the last few posts, and realizing that the time was getting close to when i must head outside in search of another day's stranger, i seriously contemplated not doing it. i sat there thinking that maybe yesterday was the last day. trying to rationalize a 464 day project. i let my mind wander, thinking of how i should close the project: maybe i should write a book, highlighting some of the strangers' stories, or compile the "best" images into a big, bulky coffee table book, or just write a post on day #465 telling everyone that i've decided to stop. but then i couldn't figure out what i should do with the website or what words i would use to say goodbye or what i would do with myself if i didn't have this. anyway... i went with what i go with every day (persistence) and gathered my gear.

as i walked down the street in a new city, having no idea where i was going or what i would see or who i would meet, i realized that memphis, or maybe just this part of memphis, is not particularly pedestrian. time was getting on in the day and the sun was closing in on the west and it occurred to me that i needed to find someone quickly. i don't have much control over that, though, so i walked on. i walked by some kids who appeared to be in high school and immediately disqualified them. i eventually saw a mustached man loading some music gear into the back of his car. he was in a photogenic area, so i approached him with the usual story. he seemed like a very nice man and maybe even a little reluctant to tell me that he couldn't help me out because he was late for a gig he was playing. i wished him luck and walked on.

i passed a few antique stores and then a book store and contemplated going into them to maybe photograph whoever was working at the desk, but decided against it and pressed on. i paused a few times to respond to text messages and look around and then eventually came upon a parking lot. a few businesses called it home, but before i could pay much attention to what they were, i saw a white, 4-wheel drive van pull into the lot. the van would have distracted me anyway, but i was particularly interested in the fact that the steering wheel was on the opposite side than we are used to seeing here in the states. i am a sucker for the different, the bizarre, the unique - and this van fit the bill. i figured the driver of such a beautiful machine had to be an interesting person so i took a chance and waited for them to clamber out.

david was hooked on the idea immediately. he responded with enthusiasm and thought that what i was doing was very cool. that excited me. i needed that so much. i don't have the words to say how much i needed some positive reinforcement today. david introduced me to his partner, jane, and asked me to tell her what i was doing. it wasn't long before i had two fans of the this project. i am not pursuing this course on some kind of popularity campaign, but it does do something for me when people are excited about it. apparently jane and david had made their way to this parking lot because they had some rugs that needed cleaning. jane took the rugs into the cleaner and david and i talked.

i told him how much i appreciated his excitement because of the slump i've been in. he asked me what my goal was and then understood what i was going through right away. he paraphrased something by kirkegaard (which is remarkable in its own right) about how we view things from their opposite perspective and then talked to me about how the highest mountain has a lesser elevation change than the greatest depth in the sea. david told me that he thought it perfectly natural to judge our successes by our failures and vice versa. i found this all very remarkable. how does this happen? the musician was late for his gig. i didn't go into the book or antique stores. i left the office when i did. i walked at the pace i did. and then, seemingly out of nowhere, a couple in a white van drive by and consequently change my life. it's people like david and jane that keep me going every day. i guess the thing that bothers me is that i am notl very good at sharing with you how epic this was to me.

david took a photo of me and then jane took a photo of david and me and finally i decided to pull out my gear to take some photos of david. as i pulled my camera out of my bag, i realized that my camera battery was still sitting in the charger, plugged into jason's office outlet. i couldn't believe it. i was so heartbroken and embarrassed. i rarely make mistakes of this kind. i told david and jane what happened and asked if they'd allow me to retrieve the battery. david was delighted because he's not particularly fond of being photographed, but jane offered to give me a ride to the battery. i graciously accepted and jumped into the back of the coolest van in north america.

david and jane met each other at a youth camp in 1955. they exchanged some 500 letters over the years and eventually david landed somewhere in the states and, in 1964, decided to hitchhike down to knoxville, tennessee, where jane was attending college. that was the last time they saw each other for many years. david's wife passed away and just one year ago he contacted jane again - 45 years later. now the two are spending as much time as possible together and seem to be as in love as i imagine they were back then. david lives in british columbia and travels around in his van. jane lives here in memphis, but is planning another trip up to the great northwest in january.

there is so much to say, but i've already written a novella. david was wonderful. jane was wonderful. i fell in love with both of them and am going to do what i can to make sure that i see them again. thank you both so very much!

15 december, 2009

trina . 30 years old / memphis . tennessee

during a break in the portrait session, i ate lunch with my friend jason at a cozy little place called "brother juniper's" (they make a mean omelette). after the meal, we decided to go back to the car to retrieve jason's jacket before we set out on the hunt for the day's stranger. that turned out to be a great decision because trina was parked next to jason's car.

she was gathering something from her trunk and preparing a basket full of laundry when i approached trina about being today's new friend. to my surprise, she agreed right away. we chatted for a minute or two and then took some photos, making for a quick exchange.

trina has an 8-year old son and is currently studying for her master's degree. she is not entirely sure what direction she wants to take her career, so she is pursuing "professional studies" now. she is from memphis and seems to be quite happy here. she told me that she has 13 brothers and sisters and, being the baby of the family, gets picked on quite a bit. trina said that each of her siblings lives in memphis and they will all be gathering at their mother's house for christmas. i can't imagine what that is like, but it sounds like it will be a great time for them.

thanks so much for your time, trina!

14 december, 2009

myron . 48 years old / memphis . tennessee

it is tough to find a stranger to photograph on days when i am traveling. i had to be at the airport in colorado springs too early in the day and then arrived in memphis under someone else's care. when i have to depend on other people to bring me to a location where i should be able to find some strangers, i tend to get significantly more stressed out than usual. it is such a drag to inconvenience other people for my project, but the day started closing down so i started putting the pressure on my buddy to bring me to a populated area.

we ended up in downtown memphis and walked down main street, alongside the memphis trolley cars. a few people said no and many more wanted more from me than i was willing to give them. the new environment and the new people made it difficult for me to judge people. you might think that the last thing i should be doing is judging people, but it takes quite a lot of perception and intuition and maybe 450+ days of practice to have some idea of who to approach and who to let be.

i eventually ended up on the famous beale street. across the street from b. b. king's venue, i saw a man standing on the sidewalk, talking to a couple of other guys. he was wearing a brown hat and was dressed in a cook's uniform. i approached the men and asked the one guy if he'd be willing to be today's stranger. myron agreed right away.

he said he was trying to raise some bus fair to get home, but he wasn't asking me for it. he just finished up a day of working at the blues city café - a restaurant just up the street that he's been cooking at for the last 18 years. he was born and raised here in memphis and said there was no other place he'd rather be. he has a couple of sons and a daughter and seemed to be satisfied with his life.

thanks a lot, myron. i appreciate the time you took to be today's stranger.

13 december, 2009

chris . 31 years old / denver . colorado

i was in buffalo exchange, a recycled fashions and vintage clothing store on 13th avenue, with my friend, brandon. as i was perusing through the winter coats, i caught a glimpse of a guy on a beautiful old bmw motorcycle. i have a thing for most things of old anyway, but this bike was really a beauty. the guy was parking it just in front of the store, so i grabbed my camera bag and bolted out the door.

i approached him with my spiel as he was getting ready to dismount. he seemed pretty hesitant about the whole thing, but chris agreed to let me photograph him as long as it only took a few minutes. i asked him a few of the regular questions: where was he from? what did he do? does he like it here? he gave me pretty short answers to everything and didn't seem overly thrilled to indulge me with his information. i guess that is completely fair. there are days when i wouldn't want to spend my time talking to a stranger with a camera and a notebook either.

but... it turns out that he is from new york and has been working in finance there. he said he also does some writing - short stories mostly. he moved out to denver not that long ago to help start up a company and he misses new york very much - i can understand that. he didn't tell me what the company was, just that it had to do with finance again. i took a few shots and eventually chris told me that was enough. there have only been a handful of strangers that have spoken up to tell me that they did not want me to photograph them anymore. it really irritates me when they do it, but i suppose that is part of this process. i am learning that every photo counts and i really need to be on the ball.

as chris and i were wrapping up our interaction, i started asking about his bike. a little spark of life came into his eyes when he told me about it. its a 1976 and he has ridden it on some very long trips, never having any problems: from chicago to new york and down to new orleans. chris said that he definitely feels the ride after a full day, but he just doesn't like the aesthetics of the new bikes.

thanks for the chat, chris.

12 december, 2009

bryce . 29 years old / denver . colorado

the car problems being seemingly a regular part of my life these days, they played a major role in the stranger finding process again. i was walking east on colfax, towards the mechanic's shop, when i spotted bryce coming my way. i liked his style and he struck me as a friendly looking guy, so i asked him to participate.

he seemed pretty hesitant about me and the project, but agreed to anyway, so we made the best of it. he's originally from iowa, but has been living in boulder for a few years and recently moved to denver. bryce works as a cook and server at a place on 17th avenue called the "vine street pub".

when i met bryce he was on his way to the salvation army thrift store to look for some bargains. thanks for your time, man, and i hope you found some good treasures.

11 december, 2009

marty . 61 years old / denver . colorado

in the process of running some errands, i parked my car downtown to look for strangers. i had not driven since my trip to oklahoma and the last thing i remember as i pulled into denver was the awful sound my car was making. i let it sit for a week or so and took it out today to figure out what was wrong. completely distracted with the problem-solving process and the financial crisis that was sure to ensue, i went looking for a person to photograph. marty and i crossed paths and he even offered a pleasant greeting, but it didn't register until a few seconds later. i jolted around and hurriedly excused myself, telling him about the project.

marty lives just outside of denver but was in the city with his partner, the author of a dozen published romance novels. she was at barnes and noble signing books, so he took the opportunity to patrol the streets with his camera in search of interesting people and things to photograph. jokingly, i asked marty if he was the inspiration to these stories. he just laughed and said he was pretty sure he wasn't. i don't know, though... if you like carefully, you can see a little bit of richard gere in his eyes and i am quite sure that he is the inspiration for an entire generation of women's romantic ideas.

marty was very pleasant to speak with, eloquent and confident, and he had a great sense of humor. he told me that he occasionally makes his money as a photographer, but works mostly as a stage hand - setting up various stages for theaters and other engagements. he had a lot of energy and seemed like he was grabbing life by the horns at every turn. his demeanor and high spirit helped to bring me out of my funky preoccupation with my problems and i was grateful for that. i am easily affected by other people, so i really appreciate when it works out for the best.

thank you so much, marty. i am sorry it took me a few days to post your story.

10 december, 2009

kourtnie . 35 years old / denver . colorado

i photographed another speaking engagement for the denver forum today. so far, all of the events have been in the oxford hotel - a space i could never afford to find myself in otherwise. the president and CEO of the rocky mountain public broadcasting system gave a wonderful presentation on his own vision for PBS. it is always very interesting and educational to photograph these events, and i leave each one feeling inspired and noticeably more hopeful than usual.

i stepped outside into a beautiful denver day. the sun was back from its hiatus and the temperatures were up to the humane level again. i walked a few blocks in search of strangers, then ducked into a café to get some coffee. i made a quick return phone call to find out that a friend's mother-in-law just passed away. despite this news, she wanted to tell me how important it was to her that i take care of something from the boys and girls club job. we took photos of over 300 children and she wanted them each to have a copy of their photo before christimas. i assured her that i would take care of it tomorrow and i think that might have helped bring a little joy into her broken heart. while we were chatting, i saw a young woman walk by. she immediately caught my eye because she reminded me of a norwegian girl i knew from when i lived in denmark. i hung up the phone and then proceeded to chase down this woman...

she had covered some ground, so i trotted along after her. when i reached the same block and the same side of the street, i began calling after her. she didn't respond, so i figured she either could not hear me or she was ignoring me. if i am going to be rejected, i would rather have it be blatant, so i pressed on. i finally caught up to her and excusing myself, gave her the strangers spiel. she asked me if i had been calling her and admitted that her music was a bit loud and she couldn't hear me. she was impressed with the project right away and agreed to participate as long as it didn't take too long. kourtnie was on her way to get her hair cut, actually, "all of them", she said. under normal circumstances, the 5 minutes we had would have been enough, but we doubled that because of the interest and connection and the good conversation we were having.

it turns out that kourtnie is mostly norwegian, which might explain the resemblance to my friend, hedvig. she is from california, but has been living in denver for a few years. she is studying landscape architecture, which is a subject that always intrigues me. it seems like a career i would have enjoyed pursuing if i had learned about it earlier in life or if i didn't have such a passion for what i am already doing. i'd rather meet and photograph landscape architects than be one myself.

kourtnie said she really enjoyed the weather here in denver, especially the cold. i asked if she planned on heading back to california after she finished her studies this year, but she said she doesn't "plan". i don't either, so i understood her perfectly. we tried to take photos in one alley, but it was heavily trafficked, so we crossed the street to utilize another. after photographing her, kourtnie was a little bit hesitant to move on. i offered to walk with her to her hair appointment and we chatted a bit more. it's not often that people are so drawn to this project and want to hear more about it. i really cherish interactions like today's and wish only that kourtnie and i had more time to talk. however, if it had not been for her appointment, we would not have met. it's wonderful right? the synchronicity...

thank you, kourtnie!

09 december, 2009

laine . 23 years old / denver . colorado

i wasn't sure i was going to survive the hunt for the day's stranger. it was so cold. the thermometer advertised a temperature that was slightly higher than that of the last couple of days, but i certainly couldn't vouch for its accuracy. my toes were numb in my boots and i felt chilled to the very core. i thought for sure that i was going to hear quite a few negative responses to my pitch today, but, once again, i was wrong.

i approached an older woman on the 16th street mall. she had big eyes and was all wrapped up in a scarf. she started in with a story about how she had been photographed before, but never saw any of the photos and had no way of finding the photographer. i told her that this was a perfect opportunity to get some new photos. she asked if it had to be outside. i admitted that it did. she reluctantly agreed to it, but told me i only had until the next mall ride bus showed up. that gave me pretty much no time, but i thought i'd give it my best shot. then, in the process of exchanging information, she refused to tell me her age. she said she was a "great grandmother" and that was all i needed to know. well... "great grandmother" doesn't look very legitimate in the "birthdate" section of my model release, so it seemed like it wasn't going to work out. i was pretty disappointed and even told her i would do it without taking her age, but she didn't really want to be a part of it anyway and quickly became dismissive, so we went our separate ways.

i walked away feeling like that may have been the biggest mistake of my life (i'm an in-the-moment guy), but my attention was soon brought back to my feet and the fact that i couldn't feel my toes. i walked a few blocks, scoping out the crowds, and then saw a young woman flash me a smile as she walked by. i thoroughly look at people as they pass and i try to look them in the face. it is part of how i choose the stranger. most of the time people won't return the glance and a smile is even more scarce. this woman's smile is what sold me today. i immediately turned around and excused myself. she stopped and kept a pleasant expression on her face as i explained the project. she looked at the time and agreed to it on account of her having 15 more minutes before she had to be back to work.

laine had such an immediately warm and confident personality. her communication door was wide open, which i found refreshing. i asked if we could walk up to the next alley so i could use it as a backdrop and she immediately agreed. laine is from minnesota, but moved out to colorado after college. she spent some time in colorado springs, but, craving the trappings of a bigger city, moved up to denver last february. interestingly enough, that is when i moved to denver. she took the first "real job" she could find, working for a loan company, and is still employed there.

laine is currently taking steps to obtain a master's degree in entertainment business. she told me that all of her friends are musicians and artists and she is the only one in her group that has a business mind. i think it is fair to say that people rarely have the artistic talent and the sense to make a living out of it. the photography school i attended was very careful to instruct us in both aspects, but i guess i forgot most of the information from those classes. for shame, too, because times are tough right now. getting back to laine, she is writing up a business plan for some of her musician friends who recently acquired a studio. she seemed very excited and hopeful for the future.

after finishing up the photos, i walked with laine down the street until we arrived at her work. it was a noticeably warmer walk than the one i had just made, despite the fact that it was the very same route. i took such pleasure in our conversation. maybe it has to do with laine's distinct personality or maybe it comes down to a peer-based comfort, but the connection i seek out every day was much more tangible today than it usually is.

thanks so much, laine.

08 december, 2009

jim . 58 years old / denver . colorado

when i am giving my introductory pitch to a potential featured stranger, the word "photographer" comes out of my mouth very soon. there are days when this is the straw that breaks the camel's back... something about the stranger realizing that i want to take their picture, sends them packing. there are other days when that word comes as a relief, as if listening to "photographer" is less taxing than hearing "help", "cigarette", "money", or "food".

today was even colder than the last two days have been, which is saying quite a lot, especially because i was dressed for it. i thought i was going to have a very tough time convincing anybody to participate. i spotted jim as i was making my way downtown. his red jacket grabbed my attention, but i soon shifted my focus to his white hair and then large, cool blue eyes. as he neared, i excused myself and gave him the spiel. it seemed that he wanted to keep walking, so i turned to walk with him as "photographer" came out of my mouth. he stopped. then he listened to me very quickly explain what i was doing. he agreed to it as long as it only took two minutes. i told him it would be three or four, but actually, i think we managed to do it in two. it was far too cold today.

jim is a geologist. he has always been one, he said, and when i asked him if he enjoyed his work, he replied, "oh yes!". i asked him if he worked in the field or did research, but i can't remember what he answered. i couldn't take any notes right away because my fingers went nearly numb in the time it took me to write down his contact information and take his photos. by the time i made it to a warm spot to jot down my memories from our experience, it was all i could do to remember the location of the photos.

jim struck me as a very nice man. i think he was amused with this project, but he didn't say so. he kept a pleasant expression on his face as i fired away. i tried to work as quickly as i could, which resulted in my not be as careful as normal. i had to remind him to look into the lens a couple of times, but that was just about all the directing we had time for.

thanks for braving the cold for a couple of minutes, jim!

07 december, 2009

bonnie . 57 years old / denver . colorado

i went downtown for a lunch meeting at one o'clock. i was running a bit behind so i decided to ride my bike. today was every bit as cold as yesterday (10 degrees), but, learning my lesson, i bundled up with long underwear and multiple upper layers. i was wrapped tighter than a mummy, but the cold persisted and penetrated every chink it could find
. it was nice to have a chance to thaw before heading back out into the arctic. i was prepared for it taking a long time to find a stranger today. i can't expect people to want to stop and take the time to humor a weird guy with a camera... but i do.

as if the gods wanted to mess with my lack of faith in mankind, i found today's stranger almost immediately. bonnie quickly agreed to be today's stranger and she was the first person that caught my eye. she looked so pleasant and i remember thinking that, despite the temperature, she looked warm. like tynia from yesterday, bonnie had such a wonderfully cheerful expression on her face. when she said yes, i lit up like a christmas tree. smiles are contagious, folks. you have to take that to heart because you won't find me saying that everyday...

i tried to squeeze in a conversation, but didn't want to push my luck, so i kept it quick. bonnie moved to denver in 1969. i asked her how she felt about the evolution of the city and she explained that she preferred it the way it was back then. she came out here to escape the big cities of california and to spend time with her family. i was impressed with bonnie because while she explained her preference for the days of old, she kept that lovely smile on her face. bonnie has a husband and a grown son and seems to have created a nest for herself here. she manages a dry cleaning business and said she enjoys her job because of the many different people she gets to meet and interact with. i can definitely relate to that!

bonnie, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. it was so wonderful to meet you!

06 december, 2009

tynia . 27 years old / denver . colorado

i realized shortly after leaving my apartment that i was not dressed for the occasion that was today's unbelievable chilliness. out of nowhere, snow-filled clouds rolled into denver to set up camp... and they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. i should have just got back home and changed, but i didn't. i figured the bone-chilling cold would keep me on the move and make the stranger finding process quicker.

the first thing i saw when i reached the 16th street mall was a man running with his dog. the guy was decked out in cold weather athletic gear and the dog seemed to be in its element. i watched them pass by and, hoping to see that they were only running across the street, turned around to see them pressing onward, running up a hill. i am quite sure that my chest would implode if i took off running in this weather.

i walked down the 16th street mall with my eyes wide in search of strangers. it wasn't long before i saw a beautiful woman with a striking haircut. she was in a long, warm coat, standing near a wall, presumably an attempt to dodge the cold, biting breeze. i thought maybe she was waiting for the mall ride, but then i saw that she had a long, thin cigar in her hand, so i decided to try my luck.

i must have made for a terrifying site because my breath had frozen to my beard, which is frightening enough as it is. tynia didn't seem to mind, though. she responded amiably to my interruption and agreed to be stranger number 455 right away. she kept a tropically warm smile on her face. it looked like it was always there, like maybe she would have to try really hard to frown. and her eyes had bigger smiles in them than most people can conjure with their mouth. she was an immediate joy to be around.

tynia works as a stylist at floyd's barbershop and was just taking a break when i saw her. she said it was a very slow day. she normally doesn't work on sundays, but was filling in for a co-worker - i bet she never anticipated being a part of this project when she agreed to take that shift.

thanks so much, tynia!

05 december, 2009

max . 22 years old / denver . colorado

i left my apartment to take a leisurely stroll down colfax avenue towards the denver art museum. i was supposed to meet some people down there, so i left early to give myself some time to find a stranger. i made the entire walk without asking anyone. i am not sure if i was being more picky today or if i just happened to walk by fewer interesting looking folks.

i started wandering around because i wasn't really up for starting on a new course. i didn't know how much more time i had, but i did know that i didn't feel like walking much more. this is the first day since i injured my foot that it has not caused me pain with every step, so i didn't want to push my luck.

i spotted a young man walking by himself near the museum. his red pants and shnazzy shoes caught my attention first, but i was also pleased to see that he was alone. there is something refreshing about not inconveniencing a group of people and it is my experience that people are a bit more "real" (honest, or vulnerable, maybe) when their friends are not around. well, for some reason i didn't approach this young man right away. i hesitated, but then thought better of it and followed him for a few seconds in an attempt to catch up with him. realizing my pace wasn't quick enough, i eventually called out to him.

i didn't even get a complete sentence out of my mouth before max agreed to be today's stranger. he spent some time with street photography and could relate to the challenges that come along with it. he went to school in vancouver and photographed some of the rougher parts of town there. he knows what it's like to have you gear and life threatened and is familiar with people's sense of self ownership and skepticism. it was nice to converse with someone who understood fully what i was going through. max and his friend worked on a project in which they asked complete strangers to make judgments about him based on nothing but his appearance. he said it yielded some very interesting results.

max was wonderfully well spoken and refreshingly open. he was born in raised in boulder, colorado, but has been traveling extensively. he recently graduated from the university of british columbia and seemed to have a deep love for canada. he told me he spent some time in honduras, working as a teacher, but ran into a few challenges and eventually left because of the political unrest down there.

we talked about digital versus film photography and press and promotion and the timeline of this project. i'd say we embraced our like-mindedness by allowing the conversation to progress. i am so grateful for that. it is most often the case that people agree to be photographed and share with me the very minimum and then they rush off to something else. max seemed to enjoy our encounter. he struck me as a very intelligent and thoughtful person... one who i imagine will find success in any direction he chooses to go.

max is currently toying with the idea of moving to montreal. he said he doesn't have much lined up there, but is thinking of spreading seed and waiting to see what grows. i vote for that... i always vote for that. thanks so much for your time, max. i appreciate meeting you today and i wish you the very best.

for more on max, visit maxtaffet.com

04 december, 2009

anthony . 40 years old / denver . colorado

i asked a few people to participate and a few people declined. some days are just that way, i suppose. i eventually came across a young woman who looked like she might be a good stranger. when i asked her to be the stranger, she said, "sure." i asked her again because her "sure" sounded more like a "no". she said "sure" again, which didn't really convince me. then we realized that we had carried on a short conversation at her work when i was spreading flyers around for my show in september. we decided that our previous conversation disqualified her. that was too bad.

during my search for another stranger, i ran into a former stranger. i see them around town here and there, but it happens less often than i expect it to. it still makes me a little nervous, though... i guess i have an irrational fear of running out of strangers. at any rate, i spotted anthony as he was walking down the 16th street mall. i was walking on the opposite side of the street in the opposite direction, so i quickly changed my course to intercept him. i told him what i was up to and, after learning that i had a website and business card and asking if he could see the photos, he agreed to participate.

anthony is from the congo, but has been over here in the states for about 15 years. he misses his home and goes back to visit every once in a while. the conditions in the congo are a lot better now than they were a few years ago, but it seems that anthony is pretty well established here now. he works as a financial advisor for a company here in denver and supports his two children.

we didn't have much time as anthony needed to catch a train, but he gave me the impression that he was a nice guy. he looked sharp and photographed well, so i'd say the day was a success.

03 december, 2009

sherry . 67 years old / denver . colorado

do you know richard avedon's photography? if not, i encourage you to familiarize yourself. if you do, then you will understand why i look to him for inspiration. after i photographed today's stranger, i couldn't stop wondering how he was able to get his subjects to cooperate so fully. maybe he paid them? or maybe, because he was already so famous, people were more willing to oblige. if you know, feel free to inform me. i would have liked another 5 minutes with sherry today. i consider myself very fortunate to have even had the chance to see her, but i must have done something right to earn the opportunity to photograph her. but still, i so wish there had been a plain background in our vicinity.

i was hobbling (still nursing the sore foot) down 17th street, keeping my eyes open for today's stranger, when i noticed some fire trucks parked in front of a building. a few groups of people had congregated on the opposite side of the street (the side i was walking down), so i assumed they had been the occupants of this building. there didn't seem to be too much commotion, so i wasn't worried that there was a fire. instead, i focused my attention on seeking out somebody with some character in the group. talk about being an opportunist, eh? i didn't see anybody that tickled my fancy, so i was about to continue further down the street. but then i noticed an elderly woman making her way across the street. she wore a red hat with the words "fire warden" printed on it in bold white letters. i noted that it sat askew on her head, seemingly intentionally. i noticed that she had some other fire alerting paraphernalia in her hands and put two and two together and assumed she was fulfilling her duty. i hesitated, thinking maybe she had work to do, but eventually followed my gut and asked the woman to be today's stranger.

sherry was hesitant. she was worried that i was dealing in some kind of shady business. i did my best to assure her that this was all on the up and up and that no harm would come from her participation. she trusted me enough to agree, but her last words to me as we parted ways were, "i hope this is legitimate." i told her it was and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.

as i was saying before, sherry and i did not have much time together. soon after she agreed to be today's stranger, the firemen allowed the shivering bystanders back into the building, so i felt the pressure to make this happen quickly. to add to my haste, it was terribly cold outside. shortly after photographing her, the radio announced that it was 14 degrees. i haven't decided what creates a worse scenario for my project, rain or cold, but neither of them are very high on my "like" list. i blurted out a few questions and sherry graciously answered. she is from colorado and likes it here and she works in an administrative position at the front desk of an equity firm. and she, obviously, serves as her floor's fire warden. she was a lovely woman with a warm smile. i got the impression that she had a good sense of humor... something about that twinkle in her eyes. i am grateful for and applaud her audaciousness in participating today.

thank you, sherry.

02 december, 2009

wood . 37 years old / denver . colorado

i've been struggling with this project lately. it seems that i am yet to come out of the slump i fell into immediately after taking the show down at the end of september. i am sure there are a number of reasons why i am feeling low, but most of them aren't clear to me. i do know that one of my frustrations has been the aesthetic quality of the images. the interestingness of portrait photography depends greatly on the subject and while i appreciate the people that blend in and look, well, ordinary, they don't often make the best photographs. i've also been distracted from the photography of this project by things like gender, age, race, and other variables. i've been trying to be a people pleaser and that has been wearing on me. i want to take this back to the basics, so i have decided to approach people who catch my eye. i suppose this will mean that on some days i will have to spend more time searching, but i am hoping the improved end result will give me a fresh burst of energy and some greater ambition.

with all of that said, i went in search of today's stranger with a photographer's set of eyes. i walked about a block before i saw a man standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the mall ride bus to carry him up 16th street. i walked by him, noticed the tattoo on his face, and then turned around to invite him to be today's stranger. to my surprise, he immediately said yes.

i asked him his name and he said that everyone called him "wood". when he signed the model release, he gave me his real name, but i don't think it is important to mention here. wood is a tattoo artist, currently working with another woman who goes by the name "lady". wood explained to me that one needs to have a mark, and tattoo artists often go by a nickname. i told him i understood because there is a photographer i admire who is always referred to by one name - platon. even his copyright is the singular name. i like it. maybe one day you will start seeing © JOSHUA all over the media. don't hold your breath.

wood moved up to denver from houston about 15 years ago. i asked him if he liked it here, assuming that he did, but he said it was just alright. i don't know what brought him this way... that didn't come up in our chat. while i most likely thought of asking him, i must have gotten sidetracked by something else. i will blame the 18 degree temperature we were standing in. wood had just finished up looking for some real estate with a financial advisor - he is going to venture out on his own and open his own tattoo parlor. i appreciate and support people blazing their own trail.

i asked wood if he would walk to a nearby alley with me for the photos. he agreed and then we joked about how i can't ask everyone i meet to do that. i figured a guy in a leather jacket with a chain attached to his wallet and tattoos on his face and hands wouldn't assume i was going to take advantage of him.

thanks for your time, wood, and good luck with finding a location for your own shop.

01 december, 2009

jace . 19 years old / denver . colorado

after falling behind while i was out of town, i had some catch-up work to do. sometime in the late afternoon i finally ventured out of my apartment to search for today's stranger. i felt a little bit of pressure to make today's experience a good one as this is day number 450. i suppose it isn't much different than yesterday was or tomorrow will be, but there is something about 50s and 100s that makes them seem epic. i briefly considered finishing up this project today, but i just can't bring myself to do it. and i really can't explain why.

i asked a man in my neighborhood to be today's stranger. he said no, but pointed towards another man across the street and said "he will do it." i wished him a good day and did not ask the man across the street. when i arrived at the 16th street mall, i saw a young woman with blue hair. i interrupted her and her friend, but they said no on account of not being able to sacrifice a few minutes of their break time. shortly afterwards, i saw an older man in all brown carhartt clothing, but he didn't even stop to acknowledge me.

after a few more blocks of limping along (i hurt my foot in oklahoma), i saw a young man standing near a wall. i recognized him immediately because i had seen him at the other end of the street. i had considered asking him the first time i saw him, so considered it a good sign when i saw him again.

jace was very cool. i told him about the project and asked him to be today's stranger. he asked me how long it would take and i responded that it would take about 5 minutes unless he wanted it to take longer. i guess that was enough for him because he agreed to participate and even thanked me for the opportunity. that hasn't happened very many times so i still really appreciate it when it does.

jace was standing with marker in hand, waiting to tag a nearby sign. when we spoke on the street he gave me permission to write about anything/everything he talked about, claiming to be an open book, but i received an email from him a little while ago asking me to not mention what his tag looks like. i will have to leave it to you to decide which mark in the second photograph is his tag. jace told me that he was just coming from the dispensary and was soon to board the bus to head back home to thornton, colorado. i asked him if it was easy to get a license to receive medical marijuana. jace said that he only had to claim that he was suffering from headaches caused by the rubber bands he wears on his teeth from recently having his braces removed. he seemed quite pleased with the arrangement and quite pleased with the quality of the herb. if you know what i mean...

jace takes the bus into denver to attend classes at colorado university. he is studying art with a concentration in digital design. he lives with his mother in thornton, colorado and also works as a meat cutter at a grocery store up there. he seemed like a super nice guy and was a pleasure to speak with.

thanks so much for your time, jace.