Stranger #42 - Ken

May 23, 2012

Back at the "Taste of Canton" festival in Canton, Ohio, I was in the midst of the crowd, just taken in all the entertainment going down. I saw many familiar faces and happen to say hi to Jim (stranger #30), who's mission was getting something to eat. I declined to help him out today since I had no cash on me, but there were plenty of vendors giving away free samples of food. There were many photographers in the area, but there was one that caught my eye. He was walking around taken numerous photos of the festival. I instantly knew he was shooting with a Canon camera when I saw that long grey lens and red strap. As he approached by direction, I was already sitting on the street corner, when he yelled something towards me about how my photo-taken was going.

Everyone, please meet Ken.

Ken was shooting with a Canon 7D with a 70-200mm f/4 lens. A great lens to shoot with if I must say. He instantly was drawn to my battery grip on my camera and told me he really would want one on his. As we talked, I explained to him I was out just shooting some street portraits, which instantly brought up my project. He was more than happy to let me shoot his portrait. 

I shot many photos of Ken and he returned the favor by shooting some of me playing around with my camera. So hopefully we can exchange images.

The really cool thing about Ken, he's a local photographer by trade and has his own studio in town, which he invited me to if I ever wanted some studio work done. I was thrilled because he told me he had a great set-up with studio strobes, soft boxes and backdrops. He asked me if I could show him a thing or two in Photoshop, since I told him my area of expertise was graphic design. I'd be a idiot to decline.

Thanks Ken for the great encounter and being part of my 100 Strangers Project. I will definitely be in contact with you and have a great one!

Camera: Nikon D90
Shutter: 1/160th
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 200

Stranger #41 - Jamie

May 23, 2012

For the past few weeks, my life has been like a chain reaction. When one thing goes wrong, something else is right around the corner to bite you in the ass. My relationship went south recently, health family issues came up, and drama at work was just the icing on the cake. I tell you, I didn't feel like doing shit. Day-by-day I knew I couldn't sulk around the house and stay behind a closed window hiding. I then remembered what Jason (Stranger #38) told me getting out and surrounding myself with positive people. I took his advice, grabbed my camera and picked up where I left off a few weeks ago.

In the downtown area, a festival was was just getting started called, "Taste of Canton" and a crowd was present. There were bands playing, dancing, food to sample, and a whole array of games taking place. 

I decided remove myself from the huge crowd to see if I could get better luck at a more quiet environment. That's when I saw the young woman across the street just hanging around.

Everyone, please meet Jamie.

Jamie had some awesome, long, blonde hair and thought that should be the ice-breaker to get her portrait. She happily agreed to my offer as soon as I gave the compliment. I told her I won't point the camera at her too long, which she smiled while I fired off a few horizontal and vertical shots.

While chatting with her, she was actually handing out fliers for her uncle's restaurant called, Lucca Downtown. The place had some savory items on the menu which was kind of hard to resist. Maybe I'll have to find out more later. I didn't keep her too long since she busy advertising, so I thanked her and gave her my business card.

Thanks so much Jamie for the encounter and photo! I hope you check out your image and let me know how I did.

Camera: Nikon D90
Shutter: 1/400th
Aperture: f/3
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 200

-Matt

Stranger #40 - Surya

May 10, 2012

I was able to get a few hours in shooting portraits on the streets since the whole week pretty much rained. Aside from that, I've been busy getting scouting locations for a paid shoot I'm doing in a few weeks. I began my adventure wondering up a few blocks from my usual location and found this guy sitting on a bench across from a record shop. I studied him from afar to see if anything caught my eye. Noticed he was wearing a bright yellow-whitish fedora and I was immediately drawn to him. I crossed the street and right away complemented him on his cool hat.

"Thanks! My hat is actually made out of pure paper". He responded when I complemented his fedora.

Everyone, please meet Surya (pronounced SOOR-yuh)!

Surya, which means "Sun God" in Hindu, is currently from India visiting America so he can raise money for his non-profit organization called B'Care. B'Care's main mission is to prevent further transmission of HIV in the global community. He tells me the organization helps individual cope with the AIDS virus my providing information, therapy, and counseling. Surya says he's also trying to get together a bike ride called AIDS Ride 2012 to help spread the message of AIDS.

Aside from his organization, Surya is actually an artist at heart. He loves photography, but painting portraits and landscapes are his expertise. I handed over my business card to him so he could check out some of my artwork online. He happily agreed.

Thanks for the cool encounter Surya and being part of my "100 Strangers" project! I'll certainly e-mail you your photo. Best of luck to you in your cure for AIDS.

Camera: Nikon D90
Shutter: 1/1,250th
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 200

 

-Matt

Triptych of Matt

April 25, 2012

After my encounter with Betty (Stranger #39), this guy approached me wanting to know if I had a lighter. Told him I don't smoke, but didn't want the conversation to end there, so I decided to find a little more him. Now when I first saw Matt, I thought about adding him to my 100 Stranger project, but found out the kid is only 13 years old. I was shocked!

We both talked about skateboarding and how I used to skate few years back, but decided all the injuries wasn't worth it. I took a few photos of him, but wasn't really digging the shots, so I asked him if we could try something different. I put together a triptych (work of art divided into 3 sections) showing off his hobby in downtown Canton.

Enjoy the photo Matt!

-Matt

Stranger #39 - Betty

April 25, 2012

I said it before and I'll say it again, I absolutely love photographing the elderly. Their wrinkles and deep eyes really create a deeper, meaningful portrait. Getting their photo isn't a easy task, since I can't go up and say, "Can I take your photograph? I just love the wrinkles on your face." If that happened, I wouldn't have very much success. But anyways, I heard this sweet old lady ask me if I wanted something to eat while I was parking my ass on a bench.

Everyone, please meet Betty.

Betty was coming from Refuge of Hope, where she just finished eating dinner there. The organization provides an emergency/temporary shelter for men and a food ministry where hot meals are served to all who are hungry. A safe, clean place to sleep, good food and hot showers are provided 365 days a year for up to 36 men per night. All their services provided are free. Since I wasn't in need of a meal, I thought I leave it for the people who really need it. Plus, I think volunteering would make a bigger impact.

When I approached Betty, she just completed reading an excerpt from the bible through a Christian book store they had on display. I immediately asked her for her photo. She was hesitate at first, but once I complimented her hair highlights and told her I'll make it quick, she came around and accepted my offer.

"You like my hair? Well, thank you! I just finished doing my daughters hair not too long ago. I hope I didn't break your camera." Betty explained after I took her photo.

Thanks Betty for letting me snap a few photos of you for my project.

Camera: Nikon D90
Shutter: 1/640th
Aperture: f/3
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 640

-Matt