Pat (#890) 06-11-15
I peered in the window of a small jewelry and art store in Black Mountain, NC (near Asheville). The lady proprietor happened to look my way; to me, she had a kind, understanding face. So I asked her. Pat seemed slightly bemused by the whole thing, but cooperated.
Pat is from Wisconsin, and Connecticut, and Baltimore, and Santa Fe..., Pat is from everywhere. She moves when she gets spiritual messages, and she gets them a lot. I asked what kind of messages. All kinds. When she and her (then) husband lived in Connecticut, she started getting messages about relocating to Wisconsin. She'd hear the word on TV, see it repeatedly in newspapers, and meet people from Wisconsin. Pat asked him if he was getting messages. He was, but they did not reveal them to each other at first. Finally he admitted that he too, was getting messages about moving to Wisconsin. So off they went.
After they split up, she had spiritual thoughts about relocating to Western North Carolina. She wound up in Black Mountain with no money, but no debt either. Within six months, she had a job, a home, and a new life. She was properly guided. Pat is very open and understands perfectly why I like to meet strangers.
She is also an artist, doing sculpture and jewelry. And she wrote a book. Pat first had an idea of the book 24 years ago – writing can be slow, I guess. She had no copies in the store, but a local eclectic hardware store sold them. So the next day I took a look, expecting a thin book with a simple writing style. Wrong! The title is “The Education of Temple Fox”; is is full sized, written in a sophisticated style, and with a story line so convoluted that I hope I can follow it. (I photographed Pat during the first encounter).
http://www.amazon.com/Education-Temple-Fox-Spiritual-Adventure/dp/1935689711/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433958790&sr=8-1&keywords=the+education+of+Temple+fox
She later said that it is self published and makes no money. But she plans to write two sequels - she had better pick up the pace. Pat will write them because she is bombarded with relevant spiritual messages, of course. Pat's e-mail address includes the word “Prana', the Sanskrit word for “life force”, or “vital principle”.
Pat has strong beliefs, and lives by them.
Bob
Timothy (#889) 06-10-15
While I continued to patrol the outside of Cumberland mall in Atlanta, Timothy approached me. He pointed and said, “Wow, do you know who you look like?” Recently I've had a couple of people say that I look like Will Farrell (good), and years ago people said that I looked like Oliver North (not quite so good.)
“No, who do I look like?”
“You look like a Bush. You should run for President, you look like a Bush.”
That surprised me. So we got into a discussion about the Bushs, and Republican politics in general. Timothy is a strong Republican, and quite well read on political matters.
“You know, Timothy, as an African American Republican, you are in a rather small group.”
“Yeah, most blacks are Democrats, but they don't think of consequences. Democrats want everyone to have jobs, and that's great. But take that business (points to the Cheesecake Factory), there are lots of jobs there. But what if the owner goes bankrupt? What if he goes out of business? All the jobs would be lost. Republicans want to protect the owner. They want businesses to succeed.”
A very interesting young man, and interesting encounter.
(Check my Flickr avatar, do I look like a Bush?)
Bob
Elena and Carla (#888) 06-09-15
Two sophisticated appearing ladies were leaving the mall, and heading right for me. Both were very outgoing and easy to talk to. Both Elena and Carla live in Cedar town, GA. Elena is a professional cartographer. How about that? My first stranger with that profession. She had a cast on one wrist (I forget which one). She said that she broke it in a skydiving accident. Wow, she doesn't look the type – to me. Carla broke in and explained the skydiving activities in their county. I asked if she would jump again, and she said that she might switch to bungee jumping. Yikes!
I sent her a couple of pics and asked if she really was a skydiver. She admitted that no, she was not, but that she broke it falling out of a tree. I sent this question:
“I didn't think that you looked like a skydiver. But you don't look like a tree climber either. Are you sure that you didn't trip in a department store? ;-)”
I got this response:
“Bob . . . . actually I am learning to climb trees with ropes (along with my grandson, age 14). I am a tree lover and hugger, and I'm really excited about getting way up there with the birds. But I'm afraid my boring story about how I broke my wrist is that I missed the step coming down out of my little camp trailer :-(“
So the truth is out. At least she liked the images. Even the one that Carla photo bombed.
Carla is a professional photographer. She prefers portraits and group photos. Here's her site:
http://credphoto.zenfolio.com/
Bob
Malik and Serina (#887) 06-08-15
As Cal and I waited by our spot, Malik and Serina walked up. They were happy to be photographed, and generally, in a good mood. Malik attends Georgia Southern College, with a major in Electrical Engineering. He has one year to go. Then he'll hang around Atlanta looking for a job – this is where the action is.
Malik
Serina
Serina is from Germany. She went to school there, although she has no accent. She is a picture lover, and likes the ones on her and Malik. When I was about to photograph her, she handed her (large) purse to Malik. He said, “This is the only way for a straight guy to hold a purse.” (see comment).
Bob
McKinley etal. (#886) 06-07-15
Two ladies holding hands approached us, and it sure suggested mother and daughter. Both were more than agreeable to being photographed. In fact, I think they had fun.
McKinley, the daughter, graduated from nearby Marietta High school. She had skipped 8th grade, so she afforded herself the luxury of a year without school. She is a vocalist and has had numerous open mic sessions. Soon she will attend Visible Music College in Memphis, where there is a strong Christian influence. She informed me that McKinley means “wise leader” in Scottish. Annie, her mom, is a teacher.
McKinley
Annie
As I was photographing, three more ladies approached. There was much hugging and “How are yous” going around. One lady was Annie's roommate in college. And she refused to be photographed. Drat, she looked great. But the two others were (reluctantly) game. Tate just graduated from Georgia College in Millegeville, GA. She now has a degree in Psychology and has no idea what she will be doing next.
Tate
Abbott is a sophomore at Auburn University and is studying kinesthesiology. I told her that I was a Florida Gator, an Auburn foe in athletics. She had no interest in that.
Abbott
Bob
Kusdem (#885) 06-06-15
Kusdem is a one man pop music machine whom my friend Cal K and I met in Atlanta, GA. He is a vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and who knows what else. His name is pronounced like 'Custom', but it is easy to find online. I just went to Youtube and typed in 'Kusdem', and this came up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSc38PL5iDo
If you have a few moments, check out one of the videos. Like so many my age, I see the talent and have no idea how it is monetized into a living. But I am glad that someone can do it.
If you see a video, you will not be surprised that Kusdem is very outgoing and articulate. A joy to meet, actually. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, and is from Stone Mountain. Atlanta expands ever outward, and Stone Mountain was gobbled up into the metropolis along with Marietta, Roswell, Norcross, and a gaggle of other used-to-be separate communities. Basically, Georgia is divided into Atlanta and Not-Atlanta, the latter being threatened by extinction.
“Kusdem” was not his given name. Surprise, surprise. Actually it was Kasey, the 'K' being retained by the stage name. Pretty clever.
Bob
Chase (#884) 06-05-15
I visited the Cumberland mall in north Atlanta with another photographer, Cal K. We scouted the surrounding area for light quality, and found a nice spot by the outdoor entrance to Cheesecake factory. And there was black faux marble that had some reflection, but was otherwise a totally acceptable background. Then we just waited for potential subjects.
Chase was affable and agreeable. He is from near by Smyrna and graduated from High school three days earlier. Congratulations, Chase! He is unsure of the next step, but he is leaning toward Life University in Marietta. It is best known for it's Chiropractic school, but Chase is unsure of his potential major.
Chase approved of the images, but had no interest in obtaining copies.
Bob
Magcine (#883) 06-04-15
While visiting Macon GA, I walked around the downtown area with a camera. Surprise, surprise! Magcine stepped out of the small woman's boutique where she works and took a break. As I approached, she made eye contact and smiled, all the encouragement that I needed.
First, the name, Magcine. It took me a good 90 seconds to get this right. It sounds like Maxine, she didn't say. I think that she was a bit frustrated by my inability to get it right, so I didn't press her on the derivation.
Magcine is originally from Jersey City, but spent a good part of her life in Hardeeville, SC. She moved to Macon four years ago, and is ambivalent about the move. I asked her where Hardeeville was. “When you cross the Savannah (Eugene Talmadge) Bridge into South Carolina, The 'Welcome to South Carolina' sign is in Hardeeville.
I liked the harmony between her hair color and the gold tooth.
Bob
Alice (#882) 06-03-15
I met two other photographers who wanted to follow me around, to see how I approach strangers. This puts on the pressure. So we arranged to meet at Buddy Brew Coffee, my new favorite light spot. I got there first. My favorite (small) black wall was available, and three young blonde ladies were nearby. I was so tempted to approach them, but I dutifully waited for Gen and Nora. Just as they arrived, another young woman sat on a couch right in front of 'my' spot. Drat! But I reasoned; If a woman stepped into Richard Avedon's studio and sat down, surely she expected to be photographed. So I approached Alice with that mentality. As I was finishing my spiel, she said, “You've asked the right person.” Nice!
Alice has lived most of her life in Ft. Lauderdale. She just finished her junior year at the University of Miami. Her major is Marine Biology, but during the past year, she decided that nursing was for her. Specifically maternity work. The U of M has a program in which a B.S. in nursing can obtained in one year if you already have a bachelor’s degree in something. Hence, the best course for Alice is to finish her degree in Marine Biology and then enter the nursing program.
Her real passion is midwifery. Alice is visiting a friend in Sarasota for the summer while she attends birthing classes (she greatly prefers Sarasota to the Florida east coast). My friend Gen spoke up, she has a friend who is a midwife and is looking for two students to mentor. Alice snapped to attention, sat up straight, and got out pen and paper. For the next couple of minutes they exchanged demographic data, and Alice vowed to contact the midwife.
Boy, I hope something good comes of that. This project creates spinoffs; when people get together, unexpected relationships can occur.
Bob
Rob and David (#881) 06-02-15
Two fellows walked out of the coffee shop in a very animated discussion. They took seats nearby as I got the camera ready. The topic was professional basketball, especially the Cleveland Cavaliers and LaBron James. The tone sounded argumentative, but they were actually agreeing about some things. Not being a big roundball fan, I summoned up as much faux interest as possible and approached them.
Rob and David were pleasant, and happy to oblige me. The real topic of conversation was the firing of Chicago Bulls coach, Tom Thibodeau, even though he had won almost 2/3 of the games over the past five years. They think that the bulls' owner is crazy.
Rob
David
Both work for Inlanta Mortgage Co. Their business has been very brisk lately. They were impressed that I read a newspaper article saying that over 50% of home sales in our area are for cash. But even with a minority being financed, Rob and David are doing well. They are both from Philadelphia, and they KNEW each other in Philadelphia.
“You two have known each other that long and you're still friends?”
David, laughing, “Yeah. Amazing isn't it? (Eyes rolling)”
Maybe Philadelphia really is the 'City of Brotherly Love.”
Bob
Julia (#880) 06-01-15
As I sat outside of the coffee shop, Pastry Art, Julia walked in. Her look was so compelling that I dared not miss her leaving, so I went inside and intercepted her. As she waited for a latte, I explained my intention, and she was game. I told her that I would wait outside.
As she emerged, there was the latte in one hand and a pastry in the other. After a brief conversation I asked her to stand in the doorway, which I propped open with my foot as I shot. I asked her to remove the sunglasses, but her hands were occupied; I reached up and removed them. After photographing, I carefully put them back on.
Julia moved to Sarasota at age 11. She graduated from Booker High, a school specializing in the arts.
“Are you an artist?”
“Yep, musician.”
She sings and plays guitar. Bar tending is her 'day job'.
“I worked for seven years at the Gator Club, and seven years at the Five O'clock Club.”
“Wait a minute, that's too many years. You're not that old.”
“I started earlier than I should have, working in clubs.”
“Well, at least you never consumed alcoholic beverages there.”
“Oh no (eyes looking up).”
Bob
Newspaper article (#879) 05-31-15
Several weeks ago, I spoke with a stranger when a second woman walked up. I got a few shots of both, with minimal interaction with the second. I gave them both cards.
Two weeks ago the second woman, Katy, contacted me and said that she was a reporter for the Sarasota Herald Tribune, our main newspaper. On May 19 she interviewed me and followed me for a while as I did my thing. on May 26, an article about me, and 100 Strangers took up 2/3 of the front page and spilled over to page 6. The entire text and a 2 minute video is here:
www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150526/ARTICLE/150529793/...
This is my "Fifteen Minutes of Fame." :-)
Bob
John and Kathryn (#878) 05-31-15
I sipped coffee in front of Pastry Art, awaiting my chance. A couple sitting nearby were having an animated conversation and seemed to be 'in the moment.' So I approached them, and as I gave my spiel, the lady began to smile -a good sign. But when I finished, they just sat staring and said nothing. That was a very long three to four seconds. Finally I looked at John and raised my eyebrows. He shrugged and said “I guess so”, and, of course, Kathryn followed suit. Whew!
John was taciturn, and every phrase was measured. He was born in Sarasota and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High school. Getting his law degree at Stetson University, he now practices case law in Sarasota.
Kathryn is a Physical Therapist at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Originally she was from Orlando.
“Happy to get out of Orlando?”
“Yes, very.”
Disney has altered Central Florida so much that I feel sorry for families that have been there for generations.
Bob
Melody (#877) 05-30-15
Melody and her husband, Andrew, have the Edy's Ice Cream concession on Main Street. She lived in Illinois for much of her life. In 1988 she went to Jamaica and stayed for three years. There she met Andrew.
I commented that Jamaicans in the U.S. Have the 'don't worry, be happy' upbeat attitude, but in Jamaica people seem unhappy. She disagreed. “Jamaicans are a wonderfully generous and happy people.” Americans see locals in the tourist areas, a different population from the countryside.
Melody and Andrew had an Edy's store in Tarpon Springs for 12 years. Edy's used to carry frozen yogurt, but sales dropped off after nine eleven and it was discontinued. She conjectured that with world events so uncertain, people were less concerned with diet and went for real ice cream.
The allegedly ideal location for their store would be St. Armand's Key. But the rents are so high, and traffic so abysmal, that they prefer a more laid back spot. Then she went into some stupid employee stories – that is ultimately why they run the store themselves. I told her about an episode in a Dairy Queen. My wife ordered the smallest Blizzard. Accidentally the employee made the next size up. When I pointed out the error, he shrugged, threw the Blizzard in the garbage, and made the smaller one. Melody howled. Yep, that's why she and Andrew run the store themselves.
Bob
Ryan (#876) 05-29-15
Another accommodating potential stranger sitting in a perfect spot. Thank you God! And Ryan instantly understood the project and was very willing.
Ryan was born in Germany, but on a U.S. Military base, so he has no accent. As an army 'brat' his formative years were spent in several locations, including time in Virginia and Maryland. But his main memories are of Columbus Ga, when his father was stationed in Ft. Benning. His father now lives in Orlando, and his mother in Bradenton.
Ryan is a chef at the local Ritz Carlton resort. He likes the job and is appreciative of the opportunity. But his goal (soon) is to head to Los Angeles. He wants to be a film director. Since age 10 he has been involved in amateur film production. And he thinks that his quality time with Ritz Carlton will serve him well. Ryan works with quality people and has developed a background in logistics, useful for a director. He is well aware that many wanabees in L.A. Don't make it, but it is a dream; “I have to give it a shot.”
When he stood by my new favorite wall, he immediately assumed these poses. I would call them cinematic.
Bob
Jillian and Friends (#875) 05-28-15
Three young ladies were chatting and laughing by my new haunt, Buddy Brew Coffee. Had I met them a mile away, I would want to transport them to exactly where they were sitting: good light and neutral background. Minimal post processing, works for me!
As I explained the project, they immediately 'got it.' Jillian said, “Oh, sort of like 'Humans of New York.'” I said “I wish. I don't have the guts to ask the questions that Brandon Stanton does.” She said that she had his book. So do I.
Jillian
Well, my desired 'character shots' weren't going to happen. All three are into fashion and are very conscious of posing and glamor. I had my work cut out. The three went to high school together, in nearby Bradenton. Jillian currently lives in Chattanooga and works in a woman clothing store. She stated the name but it meant nothing to me.
Cami
Cami has designed a line of woman's clothing. “Oh, is it sold in Jillian's store?” Laughing, “No, that's my next goal. Kelly is 'in transition'. Actually that is a euphemism for unemployed. I prefer 'in transition.' She said that she would like to be a stylist. Cami spoke up and said that Kelly would be perfect, she has a good eye for art and color.
Kelly
All three liked 100 Strangers and took cards.
Bob
Nolan (#874) 05-27-15
I stepped into the coffee shop, Pastry Art, to get a cup of Joe prior to stranger hunting. Pastry Art has had some employee turnover, so there are a few new faces behind the counter. One young fellow commented on my camera – the Olympus OM-D E-M5 (it took me a long time to learn that by heart). What kind of camera is that? is it film? etc. So I explained the camera and said, “Guess what I like to photograph?” So a minute later he was obliging me by standing in the doorway while I clicked away.
His name is Nolan.
“Is there a 'D' on the end?”
“No, it is not like Roland.”
Nolan is from Chattanooga and says that the weather there is more mild than you might think. He and a friend took a trip to Oregon, but Nolan would up staying for two years. He worked at a Starbucks at an airport.
“Oh, so it was the same kind of work as here.”
“Yeah, it's that the coffee cost twice as much there.”
He has been in Sarasota for a month and a half, working at Pastry Art the whole time. There is a sign on the door, “Baristas wanted.” Nature of the business I guess.
After several clicks, I showed him the images. For some reason, he likes keeping his mouth open; in most images his mouth was open wider than this. He laughed and said, “Oh Jeez, I look stoned.”
He did.
Bob
Nicole (#873) 05-26-15
I saw Nicole at the Farmer's Market, in direct sunlight. I waited a bit as she ambled along and then chose my spot to meet her. There are so many interesting people at the Market, but the backgrounds are all busy and contrasty. There is no good place nearby. So I try to pick a location with acceptable light and be resigned to more post processing than I like.
Nicole was rather surprised when I approached her, but became a 100 Strangers fan over the next couple of minutes. She is from Utica, NY, and did her schooling there. Now she is a Child Protection Officer. She lives in Orlando and commutes to work in Kissimmee.
“Isn't that a rather long commute?”
“I just live with it, the job is worth it.
She often goes to a Farmer's Market in Winter Park, an immediate Orlando neighbor. Nicole likes the Sarasota one better and was glad that she visited for the weekend. She took my card and is interested in getting a copy of the photos.
Bob
Louise and Jerry (#872) 05-25-15
Louise and Jerry are Brits. They lived in London and moved to Tampa seven years ago. Louise is retired, a retired housewife. I'm not sure what that means for Jerry. He works for a factory that manufactures “soda pop.” I was not aware that any major soda brands were produced in Tampa. Turns out they aren't. He makes soda for store brands, like Publix. I never knew that store brand soda was produced in separate factories from Coke, Pepsi, etc. Isn't 100 Strangers a great learning experience?
I have been impressed by the number of local residents with British accents.
Me: “How do so many Brits find Southwest Florida?”
Jerry: “It begins with Disney. People from overseas go to Disney and later tour the rest of Florida.”
Me: “But after a Disney vacation, who can afford to travel anymore?”
Jerry: “Well, you come back 20 years later when the kids are grown.”
Me: “Ahh...”
Louise: “Once here, you just cannot return to the constantly gloomy days of England.”
Makes sense to me.
Bob.