As I walked along River Street in Savannah, I noticed a fellow photographing a woman and (presumably) her daughter. I thought that it might be his family. Ambling a bit further, I stopped into a bakery, bought a pastry, and sat outside. The sidewalk in front of me became a bit congested, and here came the photographer again. He stopped an African American couple and asked them to take their photos. He was high energy and smiling, explaining that it was a hobby and there was no charge.
I was nearly stunned. He was doing almost the same thing I do! Unfortunately, he also got the same result I often get; they politely declined.
I fumbled with my phone, getting my Flickr Photostream ready. As soon as he was done, I shot up, showed him my phone, and explained what I do. Jamey does some studio work, but does street portraits for fun. While his wife and daughter were sightseeing, he had an hour to kill, and had made 12 portraits to that time. Jamey (who calls himself Rockit Surgeon) just gets images, no stories. Here is his website: http://rockitsurgery.com/
Of course, we exchanged cards. This posting is about three weeks later, and Jamey and I have had back-and-forth contact, including the infamous Facebook. Here is his Facebook presence: https://www.facebook.com/jamey.firnberg?pnref=friends.search
Although he has not been obtaining stories from his 'strangers', Jamey has made a very impressive video with a most intimidating character. “Boo Boo” has a sordid past and intimidating presence. I am impressed that Jamey connected with him well enough to extract very specific and troubling information. I suggest that you at least watch the first couple of minutes. Like me, you may be hooked, and watch the rest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgMWJsU9jgo
Interestingly, when he photographed me, he had me put my chin down. Jamey automatically put his chin down for my image. We agreed that the angle of the jaw helps hide the neck. Some whiskers don't hurt either.
Bob