100 Strangers: a Photography Project

• Can you approach a stranger with your camera and ask for a shot?


• How, exactly, do you do that?


• What if your first shot was bad? Do you pester them for a little more time?


• How many shots do you take?


• Have you set up your camera before hand, making sure the settings are just right before you approach the stranger?


• Do you exchange email addresses so you can share the photo later?

April 11, 2009
I saw a group of four old ladies playing cards around a table on the sidewalk. I stood at one corner of the table to photograph one particular lady. When she looked up at me during a break in the play, I asked if I could take her photo. She didn't understand, and so a passerby asked for me in the local dialect. She laughed and looked willing. But her friend yelled, "No! Don't take a photo!" She told her friends, "Foreigners like to take pictures and then sell them!" I tried to assure her that selling her friend's photo was not my intention, but she yelled louder, "No! No photos!!" I slunk away, embarrassed.

September 18, 2009
I am eyed with suspicion by people on the street and again asked if I am a reporter. I try to reassure them that photography is merely my hobby. But they all shy away from my "fancy" camera. I realize the advantages of using a "point and shoot" camera. Before I got my DSLR camera, no one ever asked if I was a reporter.