28 february, 2010

karina . 30 years old / denver . colorado

the day started off beautifully. the sun was shining and the temperature was something resembling warm. it was a nice reminder that spring isn't too far away. i met up with my friend, michael (a former stranger), for some breakfast and a trip to the boot store. after spending a week wondering if i had the wrong size, i decided to do something about it. for the record, the folks at the redwing boot company are just wonderful. when i stepped out of the store, it was cold and grey. i guess i was in there for a bit longer than i thought...

after parting ways with michael, i headed downtown to look for a stranger. i made my way towards the library and museum and then followed a path that winds around an exterior museum wall. i spotted a woman ahead of me. she was carrying what appeared to be a heavy stack of books. i eventually caught up to her and offered to help carry them, hoping she didn't have a few miles to walk. she let me take a few of the books off the stack and we walked to her vehicle, which was just around the corner. i had thought about asking her to be today's stranger, but figured i probably shouldn't because i didn't want her to think i only offered to help her to get something in return.

while walking towards her ride, she noticed my bag and asked if i was a photographer. she said she recognized my bag. i told her i was and then told her about the project. i figured i was in the clear because she brought it up, so i asked her if she might be willing to be today's stranger. she agreed.

karina is from guadalajara, mexico, but has been living here in denver for several years. she is an architect and was gathering some books from the library to do some research for a job. she tries to go home a few times each year, but this year she will only make two visits to mexico because her and her boyfriend will be traveling to china for his work and to meet his family. he is from taiwan and is also an architect. it must be fun for them to able to roam the world and work together.

we didn't talk long because it had gotten so cold so quickly, but i got the impression that karina is very happy with her life. she said she enjoyed drawing and having the opportunity to travel while doing her work. i took a few photos and then went to walk home. as i turned to go, karina caught a glimpse of my "i heart strangers" pin and poked at it. that reminded me of a conversation i recently had with a friend about physical contact with strangers. i find it very endearing to receive a touch from a person i hardly know. a gentle and kind touch just feels so good.

go touch a stranger today. but don't be creepy about it!

thank you, karina.

27 february, 2010

mackenzie . 27 years old / denver . colorado

someone filled in for me so that i could take another short break from another very long shift at the café. i use these "breaks" to seek out a stranger. i find them. chat. photograph. part ways. then i jot some notes. and head back to work. fortunately this has been taking very little time. i guess i make these confessions so that you might have a better perspective for how this all works.

some of you may be curious as to why i have been photographing so many women lately. i am not lonely or struggling with any deep-rooted issues, but rather just trying to even up the gender numbers as i near the midway for year two. i tend to find more men to participate in this project. i don't know if that is because there are actually more men around or if fewer women say yes. i would have to do an extensive study to figure that out, but i will leave that for someone else to look into.

a few blocks away from my work, i spotted an elderly gentleman. he had a very characteristic face, full of wrinkles, but still youthful. he had bright eyes. and he was walking down the street with a welcoming stride. he looked open to things. he also had wonderful eyebrows. they were whiskery and two-toned. he smiled as i told him what i was doing, then he declined my offer and said, "they might know where to find me." i wished him a good day and turned to leave, laughing at his joke, but then looked back at him to see him looking at me with a raised eyebrow, as if it to say he was serious.

not far from him, i spotted a yellow hat across a couple lanes of the road. then i spotted the hair coming out of the hat. then the shoes. then the sweater. i cut in front of a bus to catch her before she crossed the street. i arrived just as her crosswalk light gave her the ok to walk. she waited while i explained what i was doing and then agreed to being today's stranger. i was so happy.

originally from wisconsin, mackenzie has been here in colorado for 7 years. she studied education and laid out a few plans for herself, but one thing lead to another and now she is a "corporate trainer" and still works in some way in the education field. i didn't fully understand, but she did try to explain - another day in which an audio recorder would have come in handy. we talked for only a few minutes but covered a lot of territory. mackenzie was very sweet. she had a very strong look in her eyes, quite enchanting actually. i had another of those very strong realizations that i was staring at someone in the eye through my camera. some days i am just focusing and composing and some days i am intently looking. i prefer the looking days.

mackenzie misses the lakes. i miss the oceans. we agreed that the winters are so much more moderate here that it is almost worth the water loss. almost. we talked about the project and strangers and looking into the lens and chatted about this and that. it eventually came out that she had just had her hair cut at the aveda academy, which is where the café is - my new home, basically. we had been in the same place just minutes before, but mackenzie didn't even realize that the café was there (perhaps one clue as to why our business is not booming...).

well... it was already a pretty good day in the land of hearting strangers, but a couple hours after meeting mackenzie i received a voicemail that i will never forget. i have to share this with you. i would like you to go back into the archives and read the story from 7 october, 2009. it is about a man named santiago. we met nearly 5 months ago and have not had any contact since. well, he left me a message that said, "i found my door." before the message was over i hung up my phone and ran into the other room to tell my bosses about what had just happened. then i came home and shared the story with another dear friend and started crying - so very happy and overwhelmed. how and why should i ever stop this project if things like this happen?

thanks so much for your time today, mackenzie. i hope our paths will cross again soon.

26 february, 2010

michelle . 25 years old / denver . colorado

things at my café job have taken an abrupt turn. and that is an understatement. my manager asked me to come into work a little bit early yesterday. i did. then, he went to a meeting with the big bosses and quit. no notice. no explanation. no more manager. so, i am filling in. there were two employees and now there is one. i don't mind and, actually, i appreciate the extra hours. i canceled a few morning plans and headed into work today to open the café and then prepared myself to work a 12-hour day. before someone came over to fill in for my short break to find today's stranger, they asked me if i would like to manage the café. as for right now, that means i have to manage myself. and place some orders. i decided to take them up on it.

anyway... that was an attempt to set the scene. a very kind co-worker came over to cover for me and i headed out the door in search of today's stranger. i walked around for a little while on 16th street, meandered a bit, then ended up on 16th street again. i spotted michelle coming towards me. she offered me a pleasant smile. while some might just exchange that smile for one of their own, i decided to ask her to be today's stranger. she told me she had a few minutes and didn't mind being photographed. and there we had it.

michelle was born in california, but has spent most of her life in colorado. she said she enjoys it and finds that she only occasionally feels the need to get out of town. michelle was on her way to work at an italian restaurant called "gaetano's". it is little italian restaurant from the 1930s which used to be run by the mafia. michelle gave me a business card from the restaurant and said i should come visit. her name was on the card, but she is a server there. i thought that was wonderfully charming. the fact that the owners of the restaurant care enough about their business to give their servers business cards makes me want to pay it a visit.

i snapped a few photos of michelle and then took a few steps back to photograph the second shot. it was then that i noticed her shoes - sperry topsiders. i commented on them because i was wearing something similar. michelle said hers were insulated and very comfortable, but she was disappointed because they didn't make them anymore. after the photos, we walked down the street for about half a block and chatted on the way. then michelle veered off to catch her bus. i wanted to ask what she aspired to do and what her plans for the future were, but the opportunity didn't present itself.

in a flash, i met michelle. and in a flash, she was gone. i do heart strangers, but my heart aches to know them.

thank you, michelle.

25 february, 2010

ellen . 52 years old / denver . colorado

i took a walk to buffalo exchange to sell and then buy some clothes. i brought my camera gear along, but didn't find anybody on the way there. then i went to city, o' city to see some friends and drink some coffee. then i started making the walk back towards my apartment, still with camera gear in tow, but still didn't spot anyone. i dropped a bag off at home, then went out again in search of the day's stranger. the hours were closing in, so i knew i needed to be focused, but i made some phone calls on my walk. phone calls are pretty much a guarantee that i am not going to be too aware of my surroundings. i know this, but still...

while on the phone with a dear friend from boston, i spotted a well-dressed woman across the street. i quickly ended my conversation and then made my way across a couple lanes of traffic to confront said stranger before she made her way across another intersection. i told her what i was doing and for how long. she said, "that is ambitious." then she looked at her watch and decided she had enough time to stand for a few portraits.

ellen is originally from texas, but spent 20 years in new york city. she worked as an editor there. i am not sure what events took place to cause her to want to move, but she migrated out to denver about 3.5 years ago. she is enjoying her time here and was even able to convince her sister to move away from the big city and accompany her in denver, too. ellen is now working as a legal assistant, taking her editing career in a totally different direction. she works for a water law firm. i hadn't even thought about the idea of water laws, let alone law firms completely dedicated to the matter.

i appreciated my chat with ellen. she didn't ask too many questions and i wasn't quite sure what else i should ask of her. there is a fine line between being a charming guy working on a photo project and a creepo with a camera. one thing i am realizing is that i am the only one not in control of where that line is drawn. so, i do my very best to convince people that i am just a nice guy... with a good agenda.

take a look at ellen's gloves - they are different colors. and those boots - so very cool.

thank you very much for your time today, ellen.

24 february, 2010

sarah . 34 years old / denver . colorado

i took my gear with me on my walk to a lunch meeting. i arrived early, so i decided to swing by the bank first. i still had some time, so when i spotted sarah walking through the crosswalk in my direction, i asked her to be today's stranger. i treated myself to a lollipop from the bank and foolishly thought i could talk with it in my mouth. after struggling through my first sentence, i realized it was going to need to come out. as you may know, there isn't an altogether charming way to remove a lollipop from the mouth, but i did my best. fortunately for me, sarah was very easy going and she didn't seem to judge me for my poor manners.

sarah is from chicago, but moved to denver in july and is still feeling quite new to the city. she is here to get her master's degree in communication and international studies (or was it international relations?). she was taking a break from her writing when we met.

we chatted for a few minutes. i told her about city, o' city and she told me about another photography project i should look at. we talked about the project and denver and had a few laughs. we had a very short and sweet conversation and i walked away from sarah feeling quite happy. she had such positive energy and a big contagious smile.

thanks so much, sarah.

23 february, 2010

hannah . 20 years old / denver . colorado

i took some time out of this day to do some much overdo laundry. the wash cycle at the sketchy laundromat i patronize lasts for 30 minutes, so i made use of that time by taking a walk to look for a stranger. while walking and searching for a stranger, i made a phone call to the boot store where i recently purchased a pair of kicks. i needed discuss the extreme discomfort my feet were in. it was during this phone conversation that i stepped aside to allow two young women and their furry friends pass by as the sidewalk was narrow and not quite big enough for the five of us.

one of the women was walking a weimaraner. the other, a ferret. that is quite funny, right? i mean, i choose to go to the laundromat at this particular time. then i choose to go for a walk. and i choose to go in this direction and not that. then, i make a phone call, which most likely slowed my pace, and because of that distraction, i almost let a young woman and a ferret walk by without offering them the strangers' spiel. the man on the other end of the phone asked me if i was busy. i told him i was and that i would call him back in a few minutes. then, i turned around to call after the lady and the ferret.

hannah recently moved to denver. she is originally from seattle, but came down this way for the weather and to be with her friend maryana - the one with the weimaraner. hannah said she "just ended up here". i pretty much just "ended up here", too, and seem to have an affinity for those with a similar story. hannah calls her ferret "pantoufle". pantoufle is the name of the little girl's imaginary pet kangaroo in the movie "chocolat". hannah told me that in the book version of the story, the imaginary pet is a rabbit. well, it doesn't much matter what kind of animal it is because the name "pantoufle" is very cool. it is a french word that means "slipper". ferrets are slipper-like.

we chatted for just a moment. i felt bad keeping maryana and her beautiful dog, "luma daylight", waiting and then the resident of the home we were standing in front of came outside to have a look at the ferret. and hannah was a little bashful about not having put on any makeup and feeling a little under the weather, but for the record, i would have never known that either was true. anyway, there was a lot going on. so we all parted ways. i jotted down some notes, finished my conversation with the boot man, and then went to retrieve my laundry.

did you run into a lovely lady with a ferret today?

22 february, 2010

maurice . 45 years old / denver . colorado

i met michael (stranger from 9 march, 2009) for a very late breakfast. actually, it would even be considered a late lunch, but we ate breakfast food, so i am referring to it as such. we had a lovely time. when we finished eating, we stepped outside and then, on a whim, decided to enjoy a macchiato at aviano's. we made the walk down there and then i realized the time. it was getting quite late and i had not met today's stranger.

i noticed a man in the café that had a very cool look. i also noticed the woman he appeared to be with and she had a wonderful face. the two of them were so beautiful. extraordinarily so. they were not just conventionally good looking. they both had something in their faces that was special. a character that i do not see every day. i can't explain it because i don't really understand it. maybe it's just that they had that "something" that so many of us are after.

anyway, i sat down for about 20 seconds - long enough to take my camera bag off my back and strip out of my winter coat. then the duo left and i felt the "stranger urge". i asked michael if he minded if i asked the man that just left to be today's stranger. michael gave his seal of approval and i bolted, swinging my jacket on and grabbing my gear. i ran after the couple and told them what i was up to. we shook hands, introduced ourselves, and then got down to business. maurice asked karen if she would warm up the car. she obliged and then watched the spectacle from inside their ride.

maurice is a musician. he said he performed on various levels and worked under labels, but grew tired of playing music to the confines of others. he know plays what he wants and when he wants and seems to be happy with the arrangement. he said he gardens to make complimentary income. we talked about the joys of working with our hands and doing something organic. maurice sounded like he really enjoyed what he does and attributed his proclivity to gardening to his father (or was it his grandfather?), who was a farmer.

i appreciated my very brief talk with maurice. i liked the way he spoke. his words seemed very deliberate. he looked me in the eye and didn't waste any time with boloney. i asked him if i could hear some of his music and he offered to send me some samples. as i sit here and write this, i am lost in imagining a photo story of maurice and karen, several different shots of their life together... maurice's gardening and music... compiled together and put to some of his music. that would be nice. for now we will have to enjoy this still portrait and my attempt to describe a man that seemed to have a lot going for him.

thanks so much for being today's stranger!

*i don't know why, but my images do not look right on this website. they don't look right on facebook, either. flickr displays them correctly. they look right in photoshop. and when i send them in emails, but not on here. if anyone knows how to remedy this, i'd appreciate the input.

21 february, 2010

dave . 33 years old / denver . colorado

today's stranger interaction was short and sweet. i spent the day running all over town with my friend hillary. we went to boot stores and thrift shops and were in search of food when we stopped at a vintage & modern furniture store on east colfax. the place was supposed to have recently had a grand opening of an adjoining burger place, so we were hoping to eat there. as we were making our way inside, i spotted a couple walking out. the man had a bright blue hooded sweatshirt on. i think it was a chicago cubs or bears shirt. i don't remember but it doesn't matter because after he agreed to being the day's stranger, he put his winter coat on over it. i didn't blame him. it was very cold.

dave had been perusing the furniture with laura. the two of them were very nice. very friendly. i don't know if they were a couple, but dave joked about them getting married. regardless, they seemed like happy folks. dave is originally from iowa, but has been in colorado since the late '90s. he works at a "mom & pop" print shop and appreciates the discount on art supplies that job awards him. he is a painter (with acrylics, i think) and gave me a flyer for a show he just had. on that flyer there is a cartoonish figure in some kind of underwater gear. it is holding a radar gun and there are tentacles reaching into the frame on all sides. the face of the figure looks like something that the band "gorillaz" would appreciate. needless to say, it doesn't resemble my photography.

we made some small talk about anti-reflective lenses and then we parted ways. like i said, this was short and sweet, but that's ok. each day's entry doesn't need to end up as a novella. right?

thanks dave. and laura!

20 february, 2010

andrea . 37 years old / denver . colorado

if you are following this website enough to know the days of the week that each stranger falls on, then you will know that today is a saturday. and you might even remember that saturdays are very busy for me. i work at the café from open to close, which also happens to be from dark to dark, so i have to count on someone filling in for me for a short period of time in order to search for a stranger. i haven't had to hang a sign on the door explaining why the café is briefly closed and am hoping it doesn't come to that, but there isn't much that i will allow to get in the way of me and my stranger.

i rounded a few blocks, surveying the crowds, looking for that one person to stand out. i was walking by a group of people through a crosswalk when i caught a glimpse of a pair of piercing green eyes tucked into a black hood. it was a delayed notice, though. what i had just seen didn't register until a few seconds later. when it came to me, i turned around and bolted after the woman. it's always weird to approach a stranger from behind, but sometimes it is unavoidable.

i blurted out what i was up to and what i wanted and the woman responded kindly. her name is andrea (andréa is how she pronounces it). she was doing a favor for some of her friends by patrolling the 16th street mall in search of potential candidates for a discovery channel reality show called "the colony". there was a casting for the show today, so she was passing out flyers to people who looked as if they might fit the bill.

andrea migrates between los angeles and telluride on a regular basis. she works as a production assistant for television, covering the x-games - something that combines her technical skill set with her passion for snowboarding. she doesn't like to stay put for very long and tends to tire of places quickly. we chatted about our mutual aversion to planting roots and the boredom we experience after being in one place for too long. it seems that andrea has an easier time of finding work than i do, but she attributed that to being in the business for a long time.

after i took andrea's photos we had a great chat. she walked with me to the street where i needed to turn off to head back to work and then she turned around to make the same walk back towards the casting location. i enjoyed our conversation so much and felt a bond with andrea that was slightly out of the ordinary. i think it was because of our similar mentality. it was refreshing to see someone a few years older than me living life as she desired. i run into a lot of people who are living their lives as directed by others and i don't find that very inspiring.

thanks for being today's stranger, andrea!

19 february, 2010

katie . 23 years old / denver . colorado

i made a short trip to make some copies of my model release and brought my gear along to look for today's stranger. i got myself into a little bicycle accident the other night, so i have been limping around on a sore knee, making the walking quite a bit less exciting, but it still needs to be done.

i walked down colfax towards the capitol building, thinking i would cross over and then head back up 16th towards my apartment, but i locked my radar on a yellow knit hat. the woman was walking from a different angle towards where i was headed, so i picked up my gimpy pace a little bit in an attempt to intercept her. i called after and she turned towards me and then pulled her earphones out so she could hear me. i told her what i was doing and asked her to be stranger number 530. she agreed.

we stepped out of the way of the entrance to the capitol and started chatting. in may of last year, katie graduated with a degree in interior design from madison, wisconsin. a friend of hers was moving to denver and needed a roommate so katie decided to join her. just like that. i guess she has that "why not" attitude that i like so much. as we were talking, katie realized that today was her 6 month anniversary in denver. i'd say this is a pretty good way to celebrate.

katie hasn't found work in interior design, but she is making the most of her time by working on jewelry and clocking in hours at her at job at "liks" - a delicious ice cream shop. i was surprised to know that they do enough business in the winter to stay open, but katie assured me they did. she even said that they have a flow of regulars that come in. she said sometimes men will come in on their way home from work and ask the liks staff to pretend they don't know them when they return with their families. it sounds like we could make a very interesting story - "daytime financiers and their closet ice cream fetish". it would be a thriller.

thanks so much for your time, katie!

18 february, 2010

monica . 31 years old / denver . colorado

i stepped out of my apartment to see a mass of people forming a very long line across the street. after some questioning, i learned that president obama was going to be holding a support rally for a colorado senator. the fillmore auditorium, which is one block from my apartment, was to be the location of the engagement. more than an hour before the president was scheduled to arrive, the queue was stretching several blocks. i walked along the entire perimeter, surveying the crowd for a potential stranger, but it didn't seem like it was going to be the venue for my project.

i spotted a woman walking towards me in the snow-covered bicycle lane. she looked as if she might be making her way to the end of the line, so i asked her if she would like to be a part of my project. she said she would rather not, but she was very nice about it. i decided to leave the scene and walked for several blocks in the opposite direction of the crowd, but having no success, i started to make my way to my apartment. i figured i would get ready for work and then find a stranger downtown.

as i neared the crowd, i spotted two young women standing on the street corner nearest my apartment. i waited to see if they were going to cross the street and when it seemed that they were staying put, i approached the duo. i asked one of them to be today's stranger and she agreed. it was the contrast of monica's bright red hair and striking blue eyes that caught my eye.

monica is originally from iowa but she came out to colorado for school and decided to call it home. she has been here for over ten years now and seemed very content. she and her friend, katie, work for an organization called "planned parenthood". they were mingling with the crowd to hear people's wishes for health care reform. it didn't seem that they had an agenda of their own, but rather they just wanted to gather information. i thought that was nice.

the three of us chatted for a few minutes, but there was a lot of commotion because of the anticipation of the the president and the media presence and the people selling burritos to the crowd and police officers doing their best to keep everything under control and venue workers making announcements that people could not bring water into the event. it seemed like a pretty big deal. the kind of deal i don't really like to be around.

thanks so much for your time, monica (and katie).

17 february, 2010

anne . 76 years old / denver . colorado

after a morning pick me up at city, o' city, i decided to walk with my bike towards downtown. i had some time before another event photography job in lower downtown, so i used it to find today's stranger. i walked down 13th avenue and through the pathway between the library and museum again, hoping i would have as good of luck today as i did yesterday.

as i made my way around a big park, i spotted an older woman in a purple ski suit putting some change into a parking meter. i was curious about the ski suit, so i thought i would talk to her and invite her to be today's stranger.

i soon found out that anne's car had just broken down and she was fortunate enough to have found that parking place. she added some change to the meter so she wouldn't get a ticket for being illegally parked. she was trying to come up with a plan. her car was sticking out into the street a little bit and she was very worried about that. a friend of mine (who happened to be pedaling by) and i tried to push her car into a better position, but parallel parking a car by means of pushing is not the easiest task in the world. eventually we all decided that she was most likely fine and that nobody was going to give her big problems for having a broken down car.

i assumed anne wasn't up for being the stranger, but she said she was. she said she definitely had some time, now that she wasn't driving anywhere. she sat in her car for a moment and applied some lipstick and then said she was ready. she was a little self conscious about her ski suit, but she said she had been cold, so she put it on. that made sense to me and, considering it was the suit that caught my eye, i wasn't expecting her to rid herself of it.

originally from upstate new york where she worked for a phone company from 1951 to 1990, she moved to california for some time and then found her way to denver to be closer to her sister. anne's husband died 30 years ago and she found it difficult to live on her retirement, so she has been caring for an elderly woman who recently died. she tried to explain some financial problems involved with that situation, but i didn't understand. long story short, anne was on her way to the unemployment office to see if she could file a claim.

i don't know the legal system around finances, but i had a pretty good idea that anne's broken car was just going to be just one of of many frustrations she was going to deal with today. she was so very sweet and had a lovely personality and a good sense of humor, but i got the impression that she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. she told me she thought she might go back to new york to be with friends. she said that even though her sister is out here, she is still quite alone.

with my heart breaking, i asked if there was anything i could do to help her, but she told me she would be fine. she was going to call AAA and have them tow her car. she thanked me for my encouragement and wished me luck with my project. we hugged and then i walked away, wishing i didn't have another shoot to get to and feeling like i should have stayed with her to help with the towing and talking to unemployment and anything else that could be done. i am guessing that it is not so easy for a 76 year old when their car breaks down on the way to the unemployment office.

thanks so much for your time today, anne. i hope your day improved.

16 february, 2010

eulalia . 62 years old / denver . colorado

i am really busy now. juggling a few different jobs and finding myself unable to begin working on the day's stranger story until nearly midnight is less exciting than you might think. my eyes are heavy and i am looking forward to closing my eyes on this day. i need to finish this story tonight, though, because tomorrow will be even busier. i am sad that no matter how eloquent the following words may be, they won't do justice to the experience i had with eulalia today. you can understand that going into a task knowing that even your very best won't be enough isn't exactly motivating, right?

during some errand running this early afternoon, i noticed that the grotesque bulge that has been growing on my rear bicycle tire was nearing its bursting point. the outer material of my tire was wearing precariously thin and my inner tube was showing through. i am an aggressive bicycle rider - that is a decent way to put it. with that in mind, i could definitely foresee my rear tire bursting while rounding a corner and simultaneously passing a city bus. i stopped myself from envisioning the rest of that scene and decided to take my bike over to a bike shop.

on the way, i figured i should swing through the space between the denver public library and the original half of the art museum. i have met and photographed several strangers there, but that count is much lower than the number of strangers i have photographed on 16th street. i did not want to photograph anyone on 16th street today. as i made my way between the two buildings, i spotted a woman standing near a construction fence. she was holding a to-go cup, presumably filled with coffee, and smoking a cigarette. i noticed her hair, her long coat, and her sunglasses. what drew me to her? had she not been wearing her sunglasses, it would have been her piercing eyes. was it her hair? was it that she was a lone woman? was it that she seemed to have time, being that she was smoking? i don't know. i just don't know.

i spent the morning crafting responses to questions that will appear in a writer's magazine based out of new york. the magazine is called "slice" and i recommend that you purchase issue number 6 when it is on the shelves later this spring. even if you don't care for this project, it is worth purchasing because it is so beautiful. anyway, my point in saying that is this: whenever i am in the position to answer questions about this project, it puts me in a mood. a very reflective and contemplative mood. and thoughts of serendipity and synchronicity and coincidence and the strange wonder of how i even came to be doing this project often accompany this mood. all of this and much more was going through my brain today.

i approached the jacketed, sunglasses wearing, coffee toting, cigarette smoking woman and told her what i was doing. "you want me to be your stranger?", she asked. i told her that i did and she agreed. she agreed whole heartedly. she told me her name was eulalia. what a beautiful name! and i told her so, too. it is a greek name and she is a greek woman. she told me that she tried to expatriate to greece a few years ago, but there wasn't any work for her there. she told me she works as a teacher of english as a second language to adult mexican immigrants. and she seemed to enjoy that work.

she was standing outside of the library, waiting for her time slot at the computer. i didn't bother asking when that time was going to come, so when she announced that she had some nasty news and told me she had to go in one minute, i pulled out my camera and fired away a few frames. we talked long enough for the sun to steal away the shade we had been standing in, so i asked eulalia to walk across the pathway into the shade. she obliged. taking portraits of her was very simple. her eyes are so striking and her gaze was so steady. i realized while photographing her that i see people differently while holding the camera to my eye. i am staring into their eye while they are staring into my lens. it is interesting if you take a moment to think about it because they don't necessarily realize they are staring into my eye, too. i feel a strong connection with the stranger in the few seconds that i hold my camera to my face. something wonderful happens.

eulalia and i chatted for a few moments about oscar wilde and his book "the picture of dorian gray". i am reading that now and i use it as a hard surface on which strangers sign model releases. she asked me a few questions about it and then stopped, not wanting to ruin it for me. we talked about clove cigarettes and how they aren't going to be made any longer. we talked about the slaughtering of the english language and the infiltration and misuse of words like "girl" and "like" and "awesome". our conversation wasn't particularly short, but it was much shorter than i wanted it to be.

i left eulalia with the confirmation of a thought i have had many times: i need to be audio recording these conversations. you should have heard eulalia speak. the sound of her voice and her choice of words. her cadence. my heart breaks when i think about how much is lost because the whole process is dependent on my ability to recollect and then adequately retell the nuances of these encounters. have you ever listened to the interviews by ira glass or studs terkel? if not, then please make a point to do so. and then you will understand.

i want to close today's story with an abridged version of another story. this morning, after answering the interview questions, i decided to send an email to a danish photographer named simon høgsberg. i often attribute some of my original thoughts for beginning this project to him and i thought i should tell him so. i explained very briefly why i was writing him and told him i wanted to say thank you and suggested a coffee meeting later this summer when i will be returning to denmark for a visit. i continued on with my day, met eulalia, fixed my bicycle tire, picked up some photo prints, and then went to work at the café. shortly after arriving, i checked my email inbox on my telephone and saw that he had replied. that was already a pleasant surprise, but then what i read was completely shocking. this morning, as i was crafting the email to him, he was (some 8 hours later in the day because he is in denmark) browsing the internet in search of a link that someone had mentioned to him. in doing so, he came across "i heart strangers" for the first time and saw that i had mentioned his work "the thought project". after looking through it, he closed that window and opened his email for the last time in the day, where he then saw my email to him. minutes earlier and he wouldn't have had any idea who i was. a strange course of events to say the very least! i hope you fully appreciate the number of variables that lined up to make this so very very interesting.

thank you, slice magazine. thank you, simon høgsberg. thank you, eulalia. and thank you, readers, for your continued interest.

15 february, 2010

carlos . 63 years old / denver . colorado

i filled in for my manager at the café today. on mondays we open a bit later than on the other days of the week, so i had a small window between the sunrise and our opening time. i wasn't expecting it to be so cold today, so i was surprised when i stepped outside to ride my bike downtown and discovered it was only 12 degrees. i wasn't dressed appropriately, so was already close to numb by the time i found today's stranger.

i spotted a man sitting on a bench in the median of 16th street. he was smoking a cigarette and reading a newspaper. there was a travel mug sitting beside him on the bench, reaffirming my thought the he was probably not in a rush. he looked quite comfortable, which, because of my popsicle-like state, caused me some confusion. i approached him and told him what i was doing. he told me his english was not very good and asked me to explain again.

i sat down beside him on the bench and, changing some of my words, repeated myself. carlos understood and agreed to be today's stranger. he is an attorney in mexico city, mexico, and was here in colorado, visiting some family and skiing. i asked him if he had a good time and he replied, "of course!" then he looked down at his body and, grateful for not suffering any injury, said, "thanks god!"

i asked him if he liked mexico city. he explained that he liked it because it was his home, but he did wish that some things were different. we only had a short conversation, but i left carlos with a good (albeit cold) feeling. he was very friendly and had a warm smile and a lot of kindness in his eyes. i wished carlos a safe trip home and he wished me a good day. i walked across the street to write down a few notes, but was forced to remember much of our interaction for a while because the ink in my pen was nearly frozen.

thank you, carlos!

14 february, 2010

tiffany . 30 years old / denver . colorado

i went out for today's stranger search with my friend, hillary, and her dog, bayou. it was cold, but sunny, so we chose a course that kept us in its warmth. i did not want to go to 16th street, but i started to wonder if we might have to when i discovered that there weren't many people around. it being a sunday and valentine's day on top of that, many folks were in hiding. we eventually ended up on colfax, a shooting location i have ambivalence for. just when i decide i don't like it, i usually meet someone who gives it some redemption.

i spotted a group of three standing in front of a popular liquor store. one of them was particularly eye-catching because of her pink rabbit ears. i waited for a break in the traffic, then scurried across the street to make her acquaintance. tiffany listened to my explanation and invitation and accepted immediately. soon after, i met tiffany's roommate and their friend, vince. i found out that tiffany is from kentucky, and very near to where i went to college. the expression "a small world" was tossed around... again. it is indeed. tiffany lives in wyoming now, but i don't know why. i didn't ask and she didn't volunteer the information.

vince was keen on talking and even shared a story of his arrest - also taking place in kentucky. i'll share it with you, too. after a phish concert, vince said he had "regressed into childlike behavior" and was needing a place to sleep. he went up to someone's door and found a note on it that said something like "cold. am at mary's." for some reason, vince knocked on the door and it swung open. he went inside and then made his way towards a light at the end of the hall. it turned out to be a bathroom. after poking around in there, he stepped out to meet the resident of the home and presumably the writer of the sign. they exchanged an awkward conversation and then she bolted. vince, apparently unfazed, made his way to the front room of the house where he found a couch. he removed his shoes, lied down, and fell asleep. he was awakened by voices and flashlights and soon found himself with a knee in his back, in the process of being handcuffed.

(i have a lot of questions, too...)

while vince was telling me all of this, i was trying to remain interested, but was worrying about the conversation i was not having with tiffany. i kept looking at her and she was showing signs of either hearing this story too many times already or a greater interest in the conversation she was having with her roommate. either way, i directed the conversation towards her as soon as i had the chance.

it turns out that the trio came down to denver from wyoming to catch a show at the ogden. they are fans of les claypool, who i am unfamiliar with. at last year's show, tiffany wore rabbit ears, so she figured she would sport that costume again this year. she told me they had gone to "la casa bonita", a restaurant i have heard mixed reviews about (the general consensus being that it is "interesting"), which is where she acquired this year's headdress.

thanks for your time, tiffany. i hope you enjoy the show.

13 february, 2010

john . 61 years old / denver . colorado

another saturday. another full day at the café. i arrived to work a few minutes early, a bit before 7.30 this morning, and was pleased to know that it was almost light enough to photograph a stranger. in a couple more weeks, i should be able to photograph the saturday stranger before going into work. that is, of course, if there are any early birds on the streets so early on a saturday. today, though, worked out just fine because the very nice woman who covers for me had some extra time due to some cancelations. so, i left the café and did not feel the usual stress to get out, find someone, rush through the interaction, and then get back in.

as i was walking down 16th street, i spotted a bearded man sitting at a chess table. there is a small section of the street where there are granite chess tables in the median. on nice days there are usually a lot of people there, many playing matches and many more spectating. i walked by this man to get an idea of what he was doing, then approached him. i apologized for interrupting him and explained what i was doing. i asked him to be today's stranger and he agreed. he spoke in a gruff voice, but in a friendly way. his skin was weathered, his hair and beard long, and he wore dark glasses and a camouflage jacket, but somehow he seemed gentle. and friendly.

i pulled up a chair across from him. he was sitting in the direct sun, and there wasn't any shade around. from a photographic standpoint, this concerned me, but from a meet a stranger and have a good conversation standpoint, the situation was ideal. i asked him what he was doing. he said, "i'm just sitting here - working on a puzzle and drinking my coffee." the puzzle he was working was of the sudoku sort, which brought to my mind my mother because she enjoys working on those. then he went on to explain that he was hoping some folks were going to come down to play some chess. i asked him if he played, but he said he just watched. i would assume there is quite a lot to be learned by just watching a chess match. i like to play, but i am not great. more likely than not, i wouldn't even fit into the "good" category.

john is originally from detroit, but moved out to colorado in the '70s when he joined the army. he served a three-year term and then went to work. he told me he was an electronics repairman until a few years ago. and "that's when it all went down hill." i asked him what happened and he said that the company he worked for went out of business and he wasn't able to get another job. i don't know how he has been surviving over the last years, but he did say that he will start collecting partial social security in june, when he turns an eligible age.

after a few minutes of talking, i began taking some photos of john. i decided to take the environmental shot first (i usually do it the other way around). i was trying to figure out how i would take his portrait with the sun as bright and direct as it was and figured i needed as much time as i could get come up with a plan. when i had no more excuses, i asked john to stand up and turn around, with his back to the sun. then i asked him to remove his glasses. that simple request opened up a whole new dialogue.

he told me that no one would recognize him without them on because he has been wearing those glasses since he was 15 years old. in this split second, i had to make a decision. the portraits of this project have been very much about each stranger's eyes. i remember declining the opportunity to photograph one woman because she would not remove her sunglasses. i like to see people's eyes and i don't enjoying seeing my full reflection in the lenses. but, today seemed to be different. these were not john's sunglasses. they were as much a part of his face as his nose. he said he suffers from terrible headaches if he doesn't wear them and he can't see anything without them on. he told me that putting them on and taking them off is "the first thing i do when i get up and the last thing i do before i go to bed." so... there we have it... another crossroads in the journey that is i heart strangers.

i did ask john to humor me and allow me to take a few shots without the glasses. he did, but to honor him, i decided to use one of the bespectacled photographs.

i would like to hear john's whole story, but this project isn't quite there. it seems that i am paving the way for something much deeper, but i guess i just need to be patient.

thank you so much for your time, john.

12 february, 2010

oscar . 36 years old / denver . colorado

i met john (stranger from 29 january) for some coffee this morning. we got along very well when we met on the street, so we decided to meet and chat again. after our caffeine and some story trading and more getting along, we both walked towards the denver public library. we parted ways there. john went to get some books about bali, and i to look for today's stranger. it was cold today... and grey, the kind of weather that is not super fun to walk around in. regardless, i wasn't in a big hurry.

i walked around a few blocks in the library/museum neighborhood. there were not many people out, so i had to walk for a while. as i made my way down acoma street, i spotted a man sitting in a street sweeper. i thought about the idea of approaching him, then thought about the likely chances of him not being able to because he was working. i figured i had nothing to lose, though, and the prospect of having a street sweeper as part of this project was exciting. i crossed the street in front of the machine and approached the door and motioned to the driver that i wanted to speak with him.

he opened the door and seemed to be very friendly. i told him what i was doing and asked him to be today's stranger. he looked a little concerned, then he looked down at his shirt and hemmed and hawed for a few seconds. he was preparing to say no, but he agreed to it. i was so happy! he stayed in the street sweeper while we exchanged some information. something about communicating to him while he was in his environment felt so good. i wouldn't even be able to figure out how to start that machine, but he looked like he knew what he was doing.

oscar is originally from chihuahua, mexico, but moved up to denver 20 years ago. he said he loves it here. he loves the weather, too. he is married and has three children and seemed very happy about them. he has been working as a street sweeper for 14 years and enjoys his work. he had so much kindness and joy in his eyes that it was impossible not to keep a smile on my face. seriously, he had the happiness and enthusiasm of a man who spends his days sailing around lagoons in 80 degree weather in his 46-foot catamaran.

i thanked oscar for being a part of the project and he told me he was a "yes man" and said he almost never says no.

it was a pleasure to meet you today, oscar.

11 february, 2010

doug . 35 years old / denver . colorado

the denver sun is out today. as usual. i am starting to wonder if it is the sun that affects my mood or if it is my mood that allows me to appreciate the sun. either way, both were bright today.

a magazine based in new york city is going to be interviewing me and promoting this project. i received the list of questions this morning and was ruminating on them as i went out in search of today's stranger. i started analyzing the people i passed even more than i usually do, trying to answer questions like "why am i about to ask this person? why not that person? is it their hair? those glasses? the bald spot? the gap in her teeth?" while i wondered, i wandered and i tried to stay on a sunny course.

an older man (balding, with sharp eye glasses) said, "you want to take my picture?" i replied, "yes sir." he retorted in a friendly way, "do it. right now!", to which i confessed that it took a few minutes. i asked if he had a few minutes. he looked at his watch and said he did not. several blocks later, i asked another man (tall, goatee, dark sunglasses, and a bandana cap that brought to mind motorcycles), but he said, "i don't like taking pictures." i wished him a good day. he returned the warm salutation and walked away chuckling.

i walked on and found myself on colfax. colfax is amusing, especially the end i live near. a lot of traffic. a lot of people. a lot of noise. police. accidents. fast food. on and on and on. as i was walking past a section of the street lined with dodgy bars and adult entertainment stores, i saw a younger man coming my way. i noticed that he was tall. i liked his glasses. and his shirt. he was wearing red shoes, which implies (at least to me) friendliness. i told him what i was doing and asked him to be today's stranger. he agreed immediately.

doug was born in glenwood springs, colorado, but after his parents divorce, he traveled from there to denver on a regular basis. he lives in the city now and is currently studying psychology in an adult education class. he figured he should do something with his time while the economy is a disaster. the class has been compressed into a lesser amount of time than usual, making it intensive, but probably easier to attend for many working folks. doug seemed to be enjoying it.

he was out killing time when we met. he told me had just bought a record, but was disappointed with it. i don't remember the name of the band, but doug said they had something to do with the "violent femmes". i told him i did not know them, which surprised doug. for the record, i just listened to "blister in the sun" and realized that i have heard it before. so many bands...

doug was very nice. he seemed like he had a really good attitude. we only chatted for a couple of minutes, but i decided right away that i liked him. thanks, doug!

10 february, 2010

zack . 22 years old / denver . colorado

i'd like to share the early part of today's experience by telling you a comparative story. humor me.

i saw an older man with longish, white, curly hair. he wore a brightly colored vest and a beautiful yellow scarf. the man didn't look as though he spent hours staring at his closet or lying awake last night in hopes of coming up with the perfect outfit to impress the world with. but rather, he looked as though he threw on the clothes he liked and the clothes he liked happened to look good together. as he neared, i saw that he had round bifocal spectacles which complimented his face very well. i approached him and told him what i was up to. he stopped to listen, acknowledged what i said, expressed interest, but said he was late for a meeting. i wished him a good day. he wished me well. we parted ways. i, not upset with him, and presumably, he with a few curious thoughts about how his pictures would have turned out. that is the first part of the story.

shortly after parting ways with the man form the first part of the story, i saw another older man. i would guess that the two men were the same age, roughly. this man had short grey hair, presumably thinning, underneath a rather stylish cap. i think it was tweed, much like those the paper boys wore in "newsies" (i am sure these hats have a name, but i don't know it). the man was otherwise sharply dressed. he was distinguished, but not in an in-your-face kind of way. he had character in his face and bright eyes. i changed my course so that i could approach this man. upon opening my mouth, he slowed his pace very briefly. a slight pause, nearly undetectable. i began my usual opening line, "i am a photographer. i am working on a project." something in those two lines must have been terribly offensive. or, perhaps, he did not like my bright red winter hat. it does have a pom-pom on top and little white dogs prancing on it. how dare i? he rolled his eyes and looked away, making a grunting sound. i took that to mean that he was not interested in participating. i had matched my pace to his, but slowed to present him with my information. he kept going, doing his best to distance himself from me. i said, "you don't even want to hear about it?". he grunted again, shaking his head in a manner that suggested that he did not. he was several feet away but i could not resist saying, "are you this polite to everyone?". i can't be sure because of the mumbling, but i think he said "yes." i am not sure if i should applaud the primate for doing such a great impersonation of a member of the homo-sapiens species, perfecting the style and appearance of a successful gentleman while only exhibiting flaws in the areas of communication and compassion, or if i should begrudge the man for acting like a primate.

the moral of the above story is that whenever presented with the opportunity, one should use his/her words and take a moment to listen.

i decided to take a break from the search to eat some lunch. i already had a busy morning of photographing the rest of the staff at aveda and was feeling dejected from the stranger interaction, so i decided to treat myself to some indian food. well, you can go ahead and skip the visit to "india house" unless you are in the mood for cold, bland, garbage mush that is posing as warm, delicious indian specialities.

i walked on, continuing the day's search. a young man, probably my age, listened to my pitch while not stopping. i walked with him and watched his face contort into an expression of full-blown condescension as he said, "i am sorry, but i am not sure i have the time today, sir." peers do not refer to each other as "sir" unless they are already friends and are being ironic or they are being patronizing. by the time this interaction was over, i was grateful i didn't have easy access to any weapons. don't worry, that weapon comment was just a joke.

i finally caught site of another young man. i noticed his hat first and then thought that his ensemble looked like one that an approachable person might wear. i changed my course, again, and hurried my pace to catch up with him. i called out to him from a few steps behind and told him what i was doing. a small smile cracked his closed mouth as he listened to my ridiculous speech. i thought he was going to decline, but he didn't! he agreed. an absolute miracle.

zack grew up in new mexico, but moved up here to go to the art institute. he is studying visual effects and motion graphics and will be graduating this spring. he seemed excited to be wrapping up his time at school. he said he had no intentions on leaving denver, but he would do whatever presented itself and sounded good.

he was patient with me as i battled a hard light reflecting off a high rise building and fired away several portraits. we chatted for a couple of minutes and then parted ways. i told him about the show at the s.a.m.e. café on colfax and then he asked if i was the one responsible for the show at city, o' city last fall. it was nice that he had seen the images and nicer that he figured out that this was part of the same project.

thanks for taking the time to be a part of this project, zack.

09 february, 2010

alex . 28 years old / denver . colorado

i went into the café early today. you may or may not already know this, but the café is a part of the aveda academy in downtown denver. the academy is a place of higher education for already licensed hair stylists, complete with several salons and all kinds of other goodies for folks that like to treat their bodies to a little tender loving care. anyway, i say all that to explain that my bosses hired me to photograph their staff. throughout today and tomorrow i will be photographing some 40+ employees, mostly stylists. after shooting for a couple of hours this morning, i decided to look for today's stranger while my trigger finger was still warm.

i walked around a few blocks, doing my best to stay in the sunshine in an attempt to get a leg up on the still very low temperature. i spotted a tall woman walking across the street. it was her boots and jacket that caught my eye. i picked up my pace and even jogged for a few steps to make up some of the distance between us. i thought i was going to lose her when she walked into a parking lot. she walked through the lot while i walked around it. i didn't know if she was going to to a vehicle or using the lot as a short cut. if people know that i was trying to catch up with them for a block or so, i think they might think i am even weirder than they already would have. to ward that off, especially in these situations, i try to make my approach look as casual as possible.

the woman in question came to a standstill in the parking lot, so i called out to her from the other side of a fence. i told her what i was doing and asked her to be today's stranger. she hesitated for a second, but then alex agreed to it when she found out i intended to take the photos right then and there. feeling like a super creep, i asked her to step into the shade, which, as usual, was quite a few steps away and happened to be in an alley. she followed me back there while i apologized for the sketchiness of the situation. shortly after we began the picture taking process, a man ducked his head into the alley to ask alex if she was ok. she pleasantly confirmed that she was fine and i put the friendliest expression on my face that i could muster and looked at the man. he seemed content with his effort to thwart potential crime and left us to continue.

just one week ago, alex moved to denver from new york city. her fiancé is here and she felt that she had paid her dues in the city. she is not totally foreign to denver, though, because she studied in boulder, which isn't too far from here. i asked alex to sign the model release, which raised a red flag for her because she is a model and already under contract. we sorted that out quickly and then i told her about my dear friend, zach, who works on photography sets in new york. he recently started spending quite a lot of time with a model. alex was curious who the model was, so i explained as well as i could without having met her. well... it turns out that alex knows her!

i guess i don't need to go to new york city because it is just going to come to me. thank you so much, alex. i appreciate your saying yes. and i hope you soon nicely settle into denver.

08 february, 2010

wendy . 40 years old / denver . colorado

the very cold and snowy weather wasn't helping to bring me out of my unmotivated funk today. i was feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of work i had to do because i had fallen behind. instead of feeling inspired by the challenge, i felt like curling up in bed. i am assuming that i am not the only one who has felt like that.

i needed to make a trip to the bank to cash a check. i recently canceled my car insurance after taking it off the road and instead of the fees i was expecting, they sent me a refund. how refreshing! i bundled up and headed out the door, figuring i would find a stranger on my way. i made it to the end of my street and then wendy stole my attention. her tall boots and bright, red colors were irresistible on this dreary day. i approached her with my strangers' spiel. she proceeded with caution by asking me a few questions, then told me she wasn't expecting a photo shoot when she left the house, claiming she wasn't thrilled with her appearance. we worked through all of that and she agreed to be today's stranger.

wendy moved out to colorado from kansas. she lived in salida for a while and recently moved to denver. she told me she was laid off from her job nine months ago. instead of diving into the job hunt, she decided to start her own business. she is currently hitting the pavement every day, spreading the word about her business and looking for opportunities around every corner. she is currently working on the marketing and promotion of a bicycle race that will take place in the town of superior, colorado. the race is called the "superior morgul classic" and you can find information about it online.

wendy seemed to be in high spirits about her new endeavors and definitely up to the task. i appreciated her energy and warm spirit. despite the cold, we stood in the parking lot and talked for several minutes. we had a nice conversation about people's reactions to the project and the benefits of continuing on. wendy said the she found it inspiring, something i took as a tremendous compliment.

wendy and i parted ways and i continued on to the bank. when i was just around the corner from it, i realized that i did not know where the check was. after checking every pocket in my camera bag, my pants, and my jackets, i realized i did not even have it. so, i made the cold walk back to my apartment, unlocked the door, and saw the check lying on the floor. i left the house to go to the bank, but found wendy instead. that is ok with me! it seems that after a few days of struggling, here i am, on top again.

thanks so much, wendy.

07 february, 2010

art . 49 years old / denver . colorado

in the south broadway neighborhood with my friend hillary, we were strolling through the wintery, grey day, looking for strangers and whatever else we came across. before we found a stranger, though, we wandered into a vintage store. we decided to poke around inside and soon discovered that they were having a sale. they offered to show us their storage room, so long story short, we spent more time in there than we anticipated. i looked at the time after we had been in there for a while and i realized i needed to get outside to find a stranger before the already dim sun went away.

earlier in the day i had seen an old toyota truck (pre recall days...) and thought it was charming. when we stepped outside, i saw the truck's driver climb in. i walked over to the closed door and made motions to the driver that i would like to talk to him. i explained the project and, while he did respond strangely, he agreed. it soon became apparent that he was uncomfortable with giving his personal information and started to get agitated. he raised his voice and told me to "just take the photos". i responded that "if it can be done right, then i wont do it". that was the end of our conversation. the man said he needed to go. i walked a few steps away to scribble out his information from my notebook and model release and (i have to admit) was slightly amused that it took him a while to start his truck.

i walked up and down the streets, feeling overwhelmed. it was very cold. snowing a little bit. there weren't many people out, maybe because of the weather, but probably because of the big american football game. but, as usual, i spotted another stranger. there was a guy walking down the street on the opposite side of broadway. his hair caught my eye. it reminded me of a rockabilly style. i met the guy in the crosswalk and asked him to be today's stranger.

art immediately agreed to it and seemed glad to be a part of it. it turns out that he is a photographer, too. he worked on his own project called "passers by", for which he would photograph people that passed by his studio. we had a short conversation about photography and decided we'd like to meet up for some coffee. we only chatted for a couple of minutes, but i left him in a better mood than i had been when i met him. his appreciation and trust worked wonders.

thanks so much, art!

06 february, 2010

evan . 28 years old / denver . colorado

on another very short break from work on what was to be another very long day, i headed out the door to find today's stranger. i asked a man who responded that he didn't speak english. i figured today wasn't the right day for taking the time to figure out what language he did speak and trying to find some common ground. further up the street, i spotted an older man with purple sneakers, a purple plaid shirt, a necklace with a purple pendant, and finally, his thinning hair was combed back and, yes, dyed purple. i told him what i was doing and asked him to be today's stranger, but he declined, claiming to be embarrassed. i didn't feel like arguing and the clock was ticking, so i moved on.

i noticed a homeless couple arguing and yelling at each other in the median of 16th street. i figured anything i did or said was only going to make that matter worse, so, again, i pressed on. a few streets later, as i was walking through a crosswalk, i saw evan walking towards me. i intercepted him and told him what i was up to. he slowed his pace as i talked and eventually stopped walking when i had said enough. he very casually agreed to be today's stranger.

evan is from colorado. he likes it here and seemed quite content, but he did say he would like to see some other places. he works for an after school program with at-risk youth and has been doing that for six years. he gave me the impression that he enjoyed his work. he has a nine year old son named noah. he didn't say much about him, but i understood that he cared a lot for him.

i had to get back to work and needed to go in the same direction as evan, so i offered to walk with him for a little while. he agreed, but we only walked a few steps before we came to an at&t store where evan needed to make a stop. thanks again, evan!

05 february, 2010

sarah . 31 years old / denver . colorado

i had to work a 12-hour day at the café today. i clocked in before 7.30 this morning and clocked out at a few minutes before 8 o'clock tonight. someone was gracious enough to cover for me again, but we were cutting it close today. i had 30 minutes to get out, find someone, and then get back to work. maybe it is not necessary for me to say this, but i will anyway - these are not my ideal circumstances. one of the points i am trying to make is that people should not be in such a hurry, and there i was, frantically searching the streets for today's stranger. for what it is worth, i am sorry.

as luck (insert similar word of your choice) would have it, i crossed paths with another wonderful person today. i saw sarah coming towards me and sized her up to be a nice woman. she had a friendly look to her and i liked her hat. as she neared, i excused myself and told her what i was doing. "blah blah blah, photographing a stranger every day, blah blah blah, 515 days in a row, blah blah, would you be up for being today's stranger?" sarah appeared to be amused by the idea and seemed up for it, but had to at least ask a couple of questions to make sure i wasn't really a total whack-job posing as a normal guy with a camera and an interest in humanity. her skepticism didn't last long and we hit it off and engaged in a lovely conversation.

i noticed sarah had very short hairs on her nose and cheeks. i asked if she had just been to a hair stylist and she confirmed that she had. she brushed her face with her hand and the majority of the freshly chopped hairs fell to their freedom, saving me some time in photoshop. she was carrying a book with her and told me she was on her way to study for a civil engineering exam. she had wrongly assumed that her testing days would end with her last day of school. i am quite sure my testing days are over, but i suppose one can't be too sure of anything.

originally from north carolina, she took her time deciding what and where to study and after bouncing around a few universities, she eventually ended up graduating from colorado university here in denver. she recently landed herself a job at an oil and gas company (she told me the name, but i forgot it). this test is for her work and she will have two (and only two!) opportunities to take it. if she fails the first time, she can take it again. if she fails it the second time, she will be fired. that is some pressure i am relieved to not have anything to do with. sarah said that everyone is doing their best to assure her that she will pass, but she also knows that those people might not know what they are talking about. so... i propose that we all keep our fingers crossed for sarah on the 17th of this month.

sarah said she wasn't photogenic. if i had a nickel for every time heard that i would have a serious collection of nickels. i think she looks great! she has a spark in her eyes. what is that? i seem to keep finding it in these strangers. is it hope? or happiness? do they hold the secrets? the answers to all of the questions i am asking? maybe their souls are a little closer to the surface than others? i don't know, but i like it.

thanks so much for being today's friend, sarah. i hope to run into you again.

04 february, 2010

matt . 18 years old / denver . colorado

during my long walk in search of today's stranger, i ran into two former strangers. and both within about one minute of each other. maybe denver is getting too small? or maybe i just need to drastically alter my walking course. in my defense, though, i did walk through several different neighborhoods today. it was cool and windy, especially in the shade, and people weren't standing out to me. somedays they do and somedays they don't. i can't explain it.

i dropped off a few files for printing (remember cecilia from a couple of weeks ago?) and then continued my hunt. i eventually saw a young guy playing the banjo on the 16th street mall. i like banjos. and i am always curious about buskers. i approached him and told him what i was doing and he quickly agreed to participate. we exchanged some information and then i took some photos. it was quite fun because while i was snapping away, taking his portrait, he was strumming on his banjo. it was nice to have a musical accompaniment.

matt told me that he grew up in the suburbs, so he wasn't forced out onto the streets. he wanted to have some adventures while he was young, so he has been making his way across the country. he has friends here in denver that he is staying with and was, until recently, traveling with friends. he plays music on the street to raise money for some tobacco. his road friends are going to continue west to california, but matt is soon going to go back home to south carolina. he told me he has a court date in a couple of weeks. i figured i should ask what that was all about, so i did. i guess matt got himself tangled up in a underage drinking, open container, and disorderly conduct fiasco. that sounds like it might have been a rough night.

i asked him if he was keeping a journal, thinking that he probably had a lot of experiences he wouldn't want to forget. matt said he used to, but he was lazy about writing in it. he used a camera for a little while, but it broke. he pointed to his head and said, "but its all up there."

i complimented his singing and playing and watched him for a couple of minutes. while standing there, a group of grungy teenagers walked by. one of them spit pretty close to my feet. i looked at him, not particularly trying to hide my disgust. he looked at me, not trying to hide his contempt, then he asked me if i had a cigarette. i'll let you create your own ending to that story...

thanks so much for your time today, matt. good luck with everything back in south carolina.

03 february, 2010

maria / denver . colorado

i asked an older gentleman to be today's stranger, but he turned down the opportunity. instead, he pointed across the street to another older man and said i should photograph him because, "that's hubcap annie". i rarely, if ever, go to the person that another person points out to me, and i did not feel like making an exception this time. besides, i was under the impression that "hubcap annie" was a woman. shortly after this interaction, i asked another older man. not only did he not stop when i started to talking to him, but he didn't even look like he thought about it. oh well. i walked on.

i saw a woman clamber out of her car and make her way to the front door of an apartment building. as she was putting her key in the lock, i approached her and asked her to be today's stranger. she told me she would like to because she tries to support other artists, but she was in a hurry. she was so apologetic about saying no that i felt inclined to encourage her to participate. well, in this case, it worked out very well. maria agreed.

originally from guatemala, maria has been living in various parts of the world, but is now calling colorado home. she is a painter and sculptor and a performance artist. she seemed like a lovely woman, but we only had a moment together as she legitimately was in a bit of a rush.

thanks for being today's stranger, maria!

02 february, 2010

joshua . 22 years old / denver . colorado

i went for a long walk in search of the day's stranger. i walked by many people, but was not inspired by most of them. i asked one woman because i liked her coat (it had toggles), but she didn't have the time as she was on her way to a meeting. i walked on, trying to keep the sunshine on my face, and just wandered, not paying any particular attention to the direction i was heading in. i said hello to a man standing on the front porch of a split apartment building and he responded kindly. several months ago, i received a rather harsh rejection from another long-haired guy on a porch, so i almost did not bother asking this guy. but, as usual, my conscience got the better of me. i turned around and told him what i was up to and asked if he'd be the day's stranger.

joshua agreed to participate and soon his brother, john, came out to the porch, too. i eventually met joshua's girlfriend, katrina. it was so nice meeting such a nice group of people. joshua and john moved up here from oklahoma a few months ago. they weren't finding much work in the tulsa area and decided to move up to denver because of the many opportunities in roofing. joshua runs a crew of five men and has his own tools, and he has already found himself a good amount of work.

we talked for a little while before i started taking information. joshua was reluctant to sign the model release (i despise that model relase!), but he promised me he wouldn't hassle me about the photos. i apologized, but told him i absolutely had to have him sign it or i'd have to go look for someone else. thankfully, he eventually agreed. we talked about denver and tulsa and the neighborhood and about how friendly the people were around here. i told the guys about s.a.m.e. café and they seemed glad to know of a place to see the photos and get some good food for as much money as they could afford to pay.

and then i took some photos. i fired off a few head shots and then made my way down the porch steps to take the more environmental shot. i invited john to join in for this photo. the two brothers settled in on the steps and it was then that i realized i had already photographed another stranger on those very same steps (take a look at the photo from 02 september, 2009). i got a big kick out of that strange coincidence and told joshua and john the whole story about photographing their neighbor.

thanks so much for your time, guys. i hope you continue to enjoy your time here in denver.

01 february, 2010

janna . 44 years old / denver . colorado

the roller coaster that is my emotional state around this project took an aggressive downward dip today. a young woman carrying a pomeranian dog in her arms said she was busy. an older woman with far too much rouge told me that she wasn't up for it today. another young woman was on her way to meet her friends. a business man with a great sense of style touched me on the arm to tell me he wasn't going to be today's stranger. an older woman standing in the shade, smoking a cigarette and reading a book, told me that her daughter does something very similar and she felt bad to tell me no because it breaks her heart when people refuse to participate in her daughter's project, but she did anyway. and then another woman was on company time, so she passed.

it is on days like today that i understand why more people aren't doing things like this. it is difficult. and very frustrating. why are people in such a hurry? who cares about company time? seriously. what company would reprimand you for being a few minutes late if involvement in this project was your excuse? people are rushing around constantly. but to what? why? i notice the way other people look at me when they see that i just asked somebody for something, but clearly didn't get what i was looking for. sometimes i catch people with a disgusted look or a fearful look. like i am going to also inconvenience them by intruding on their personal space with some asinine question. maybe i just asked for the time...

i spotted janna walking down the street in the sunshine. she was sharply dressed and had a commanding presence as the bright afternoon sun was ricocheting off her white clothing. the "company time" woman had just walked away from me and i had chosen to change my course, but then chose my original course again to intercept janna. i told her what i was up to and she told me she was in a hurry. i asked her how much of a hurry she was in and she said she was pretty much in a hurry. i was content to let her go because the 7th rejection hardly feels like anything after the first 6, but she asked me how long it would take. i told her it would take about 5 minutes and she was ok with that. so... we started.

i asked her named. and her age. then i pull out a model release full of a bunch of legal jargon. i have to ask for contact information and date of birth and a signature. as the questions kept coming, janna became visibly uncomfortable. she needed some reassurance that i wasn't some kind of serial killer or stalker or creepy in any other way. what do i say? "no, i am not creepy. this is humanitarian. i don't like the rushing. i am a social being and this is my exaggerated attempt at proving it." i say all that, but what does it mean when i am presumed to be a weirdo?

i took several photos of janna and i could see her discomfort as i stared into her eyes through my lens. when we finished, she walked away to wait for the crosswalk light to summons her to the other side and i leaned against the railing outside of the hotel we were standing in front of to take some notes. a guy in a high-end bmw pulled up to the light and asked janna if he could have her photo, too. i looked at janna. she looked at me. and i could see the anxiety in her eyes. i walked over to her as she confessed her hope that i wasn't going to do anything weird with her information. i offered to walk with her down the street. i offered to show her my website on my phone. i pulled out my phone and all she could ask was, "what happened to that thing?" i confessed that it shattered by falling out of my pocket several months ago, but i am afraid that just convinced her that i was up to no good.

what kind of creep wears purple pants and boat shoes and striped winter hats and runs around the city with a camera and a broken iphone? based on the judgment, i am surprised the police have not taken me away. slipped me into a nice white jacket and locked me up in a place with a name like "sunshine acres" or pleasant meadows".

i was sincere with janna, but i don't think she bought it. she told me she is an operations manager for a small oil and gas company. i asked if it was this particular company (the only oil & gas company i know), but it wasn't. i told her i liked her name (her full name is a little bit different) and complimented her beauty and said i liked her boots. i said she had nice eyes. i suppose things like that only make my case worse, but they come out naturally and easily and without ulterior motives. i thanked janna for her time and said i appreciated her participation. she just looked at me and said, "we'll see how it works out."