100 Strangers: One to Ten

Last year I decided I wanted to do something called the One Hundred Strangers project.  I stumbled across it on the Flickr website.  They suggested it as a way to help improve your portrait taking skills.  By October 2013 there were more than 9,000 members on the project and over 40,000 photographs posted.  I'm sure it's well beyond that now.  The only real "rule" is that you must have the permission of the subject.

The first two photos here were taken last year and the rest were captured over the past six weeks.  I've decided to post mine on my blog - mostly because the ones on Flickr are amazing and I've got a lot to learn.  I'm going to include photos that you might not consider "portraits" since some will have more than one person.  I am going to keep the rule of having to have the permission of the subjects.  So far I've met some very interesting people who've taught me a few things, both practical and philosophical.   I've also learned I should keep a pen and paper handy to write down people's names.

Dalton

 Scout and family

 Donna and Roberta

 Nolan in big brother Blake's coveralls

Phil's bike 

Phil is a self described "high class bum".  Almost every time I head home from running errands I see him sitting beside his scooter on the side of the road, sipping from his travel mug.   I wave, he waves back and I wonder about his life.

I had my camera with me the other day and decided to satisfy my curiosity and perhaps get another photo for my 100 strangers.  When I approached him, Phil said he didn't like cameras and didn't want me taking his photo.  That was fine with me because my main goal was to learn more about him.  We chatted for a while and then he asked me about my camera.  When I explained myself, he said I could take a photo of his bike.

Phil told me that he lives comfortably,  has everything he needs. and gives to those less fortunate.  He scoffed at the big "gas guzzling monsters" driving past us and said when people find their circumstances improving they shouldn't "change their way of living, they should change their way of giving."