incognito

I saw her walking up the beach.  Her red dress blowing in the wind.  As she got closer I spied it,  a vivid tattoo covering her calf.  She did not see me,  I was on my beach blanket shooting the waves and my kids as they played on the beach.  I wanted to stop her and ask her all about her tattoo, what it was, did it have a special meaning, but see I tend to be shy approaching total strangers.  Lucky for me I had my telephoto lens on at the time so i clicked a few shots as she strode past,  she completely unaware that I was having this little conversation in my head about her and her interesting tattoo.  

Are you drawn to photographing strangers? passerby's? A couple in a cafe? An interesting face and story?

The 100 strangers project has intrigued me.   I am drawn to those of you who are braver than I and walk up introduce yourself and ask to take someone's photo.  You get their name and maybe a little something more,  making the world a little smaller by doing so.  I am hoping to become brave enough to attempt this project myself one day.  Any sisters out there currently in this project?  Please share your feelings with us here today.  Do you find it easy?  Or does each new stranger give you butterflies in your stomach?

Today go out and shoot someone you don't know.  Either incognito like me, or maybe you are ready to go up and say "hello" and get a wonderful stranger portrait and share it with us here. Or perhaps you have a favorite stranger shot in your archives you'd like to share.  I can't wait to see who you've captured in your lens...

Comments

[Jen at Cabin Fever]

I love photographing people when they don't know it! (in totally appropriate contexts of course). Like you, I have such a hard time talking to strange people, but I don't have any issue utilizing my zoom lens!

http://www.cabinfeververmont.com

http://www.nekphotography.blogspot.com

[tara]

i've had 100 strangers in my list of flickr groups for awhile, wanting to start. i think you've just given me the kick that i needed. we can start together!
i've photographed strangers before, and it's amazing, the insight gleamed from just a few minutes with a person never met. it's almost a rush~ i can feel that this person whom i have singled out is feeling Alive, that their day has just changed, and that connection is what we're all seeking. it's good.
(now i'm definitely convinced. today i'll take a stranger shot! thank you, kristin.)

[Christine]

Lovely image. Here is a very helpful post from Chicago Tribune photographer/blogger Alex Garcia's Assignment Chicago page. He posted a very thoughtful and helpful post about photographing photographers....maybe you might enjoy, too.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/assignment-chicago/2010/07/tuesday-tips-how-to-make-portraits-of-strangers.html#more

[Brooke]

I'm a wuss at photographing people I don't know; I stink at small talk. But 100 Strangers is a very cool project. I keep telling myself after I work enough with friends and family, I'm going to tackle it.

[Michel]

Oh boy have you struck a nerve in me. This is a HUGE fear that I have. what's the big deal? whats the worst that can happen? they say no. seriously. I am such a chicken. I once walked an entire block with the PERFECT stranger while he was asking me questions about my camera. The perfect opportunity to just ask him... "JUST ASK HIM, HE'S ALREADY TALKING TO YOU...." but I totally chickened out. Sigh, I also have it on my life list to photograph A stranger (just one!). and i haven't tackled it yet. lame.

I have resorted to shooting from the hip as well. I kinda like the story about the stranger in my head better anyway. right.

http://www.wishfulthinkingblog.com/wishful-thinking/2010/6/8/what-are-kids-wearing-these-days.html
http://www.wishfulthinkingblog.com/wishful-thinking/2010/1/10/sunday-morning.html
http://www.wishfulthinkingblog.com/wishful-thinking/2010/2/24/hipsters-hips.html

[humbird]

Oh boy. Reading your post I suddenly realized how difficult it has been for me to take photos of strangers! Sometimes I see a wonderful or sometimes quirky moment, but I refrain because I become self-conscious about intruding into someone's personal space!

Whereas if the rare moment is right, I am perfectly comfortable asking and can still get that quirky moment. But, they know that I am 'there'...

http://humbirdhum.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/girls-and-horses/

[maddie]

I think he was rather taken aback when I asked him to reveal a bit more of his
gorgeous tatoo (love conquers all in latin)

but I was so happy I got up the nerve because I quite love the shot

:)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/persisting_stars/3846692118/

[deea]

Yipes! It scares the buhgeebees outta me, but I'll try.

[Vanessa]

oh, kristin! photographing strangers is a huge (and often guilty) passion of mine!

sometimes i ask for consent and, so far, most have been happy to oblige:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4537283869/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/2881446663/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4435204312/in/set-72157607451011710/

other times, without my even asking, consent is gifted to me, spontaneously, through an open-hearted smile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4626721523/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4708960314/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4732988018/in/set-72157607451011710/

but most times, what i am drawn to is precisely those beautiful candid captures that i just know i would never get *after* approaching the stranger and drawing attention to myself and my lens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4733021360/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4720179411/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4368148312/in/set-72157607451011710/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/3917448916/in/set-72157607451011710/

some day, i'm bound to get punched in the nose. in the meantime, temptation just keeps on getting the better of me.

*please forgive the overdose of photo links here. this theme is so dear to me... i guess i got carried away!

Vx

[Marcie]

Someday I hope to be brave enough to approach a stranger head on..and ask to photograph them. In the meanwhile - I prefer to be invisible.
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1133
And - I just love that tattoo!!!

[sidemtess | linda]

i have begun the "100 strangers" project and i think i have taken 6 shots and 4 were easy (4 fllickr friends now!) and approaching the others were not. i like that i am challenged and that there is no set time frame BUT i miss many chances because i am shy. and once chance because i was "duh" -- i had my camera IN MY HAND (i was shooting some really strange yellows in the sky) and i met a new neighbor, learned his name, saw his garden and met his daughter and did NOT THINK ONCE to take his photo!!!!

[cigi]

Wonderful photo and post. I would love to have the confidence to approach strangers. I'd like to think it's something I can work up to but, for now at least, I'll be staying incognito:
http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/172365/

[Liz]

this isn't the best picture, but it's evocative, especially to me. i took it in the fes medina in the evening, as i was sitting outside a souq waiting for my friend to buy a bag. it's rare to see the vendors doing anything but chatting to their friends or calling out as tourists pass by, but this guy was reading. i think it said a lot about where he is headed in life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/4807212258/

[Liz]

oops, found a couple more that i like. this was peering into a medersa/mosque from the medina street. the pic before this in my photostream is the same man before he spotted us, but i like the drama of him looking right at me--though i scampered away before he could get all the way out of the mosque!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/4807206890/in/photostream/

these girls were beautifully framed by the setting sunlight coming through the keyhole door of the medina wall! i describe them in the photo description. they were so cute. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/4804136936/

[lifeineden]

I love secretly photographing strangers, and like you I'm too shy to approach. Sigh, maybe someday.

Here is one of my favorite strangers from when I lived in Santa Monica, CA
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32837589@N07/3422189417/in/set-72157616417532761/

And I like this sweet one on the beach
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32837589@N07/3424311326/in/set-72157616417532761/

[Krista Taylor]

This is one of my favourite photo's of all time.
I took it when I lived in Poland and to me it is a great portrait of the older generation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bacon_poland/4818120755/

[Girl with a Camera]

I LOVE these! But I am SUCH a chicken. I have trouble approaching people and feel a little shy taking pictures of people unless they don't realize it. Then I feel guilty! Sheesh! I have been asking my husband to help me get permission to take pictures of people's old, falling down barns near us. I even have trouble doing that - and I used to be the outgoing one!! What happened?

[Heather]

I've been doing the 100 Strangers project for a few months and it is HARD. But so worth it. It has really had an impact on how I see people out in the world around me, not physically see them, but as though anyone of them could be the person that I'm striking up a friendly conversation with. I see every person I pass with much more generosity than I did before doing this project. Anyway, I'm at around #20 now, and this is my most recent and also one of my favorites:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lo-l-a/4807445937/in/set-72157623362395751/

And this is a stranger shot that I took without permission. She's so lovely that I hope she doesn't mind if I share:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lo-l-a/4808069084/

I encourage anyone who is on the brink to go ahead and try the 100 Strangers project. In addition to being a great project, it's also one of the few groups on Flickr where people actually look at the photos of other people in the group, support each other, and make comments.

[Kathryn]

I'm way too shy to approach total strangers, although how amazing would it be to be able to do that.

[Stephanie]

I am definitely drawn to photographing strangers but I do it on the sly b/c I'm too shy to talk to them. For this photo, I couldn't talk to the guy even if I wanted to. I was in Venice, but I don't speak Italian. He came into the coffee shop around 10am, ordered a glass of red wine, and gulped it down the way one would with a shot of espresso. Then sat down and read his paper. What a great way to start the day! http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniecourt/4753173138/in/set-72157624401583896/

[DorkyMum]

My city is full of street performers, which provides a great opportunity for taking unposed portraits like these:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4678226064/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4815148512/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4814517815/

I'm using these as a way to build up confidence and courage, and hope to start the 100 Strangers Project before too long.

This is my most recent street portrait - under the gorgeous red umbrella is the most pierced woman in the world (1400 piercings - ouch!). There are a lot of portraits out there of her face, but I wanted to capture her in a different, more anonymous way. Unless you were told this was her, you would never guess.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4814530899/

[Bettina]

Here is one from a Sidewalk Chalk Fair in San Rafael California.
Daughter sitting on mother's lap while she draws on the sidewalk, she was so serious about her art, it was precious to watch.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4714366767/

[Pamela]

hmmm....i have been contemplating this project for a couple of weeks....i think you just helped with me FINALLY starting it!
fabulous shot of the tatoo!

[Kizz]

I love taking photos of people, especially candid ones, of anyone. I'm very shy about requesting the opportunity, though. I generally go incognito, from the hip or shoot in an environment where taking pictures of everyone is encouraged, like the Mermaid Parade. These are the sets from the Mermaid Parades I've been in and taken pictures of:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31403417@N00/sets/72157624329164336/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31403417@N00/sets/72157620682356400/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31403417@N00/sets/72157605834726198/

[Puna]

What a cool shot! I shoot people I don't know all the time. I have no shame. Most people are very obliging...

[georgia]

way cool photo!

the way you shot this is almost exactly how i got my "strangers" shot. i almost discarded this photo, because i was walking when i took it, and after my initial view, i thought it was not good enough. but then i zoomed in, and liked the way it would look as a photo if the people in it were cropped.

i couldn't help but take their picture. they all looked so perfect as a family {i assume it's a family} playing together on the beach. i felt okay with posting it, because even though they are strangers and i did not get their permission, i didn't really get anyone's face... at least not recognizably. sometimes i worry about that.

anyway, here is the shot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567264@N05/4808666125/

[justmakeit/Rachel]

I've been doing 100 Strangers since January, and I really love it. I don't think I have once gone up to a person cold and asked to take their photo. But I ask anyone I've had a friendly interaction with already -- shop clerk, woman in line at the post office, coat check woman at the art museum -- and so far only one person has turned me down. I'm way more chicken about taking candids of people without asking, because it seems like more of an intrusion. (I do it sometimes, but with more anxiety attached, lol.) And I totally agree with Heather, that I see people with much more generosity and friendliness now. It's a wonderful project!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelpasch/sets/72157623060353922/

[damiec]

I've never been bold enough to ask.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/4818876245/

[Tammy Lee Bradley]

This is a truly wonderful post. I will have to give it a try. But like you, I may do it at a distance for a bit. :) ♥tlb

[Sharon]

I've been doing 100 Strangers for awhile now. It is still hard for me to approach strangers. It completely depends on how I feel about myself on any given day whether or not I can approach a stranger.

At first I was so nervous that I would just quickly snap the picture. It took me a very long time to finally slow down and at least focus! I still have to mentally tell myself to slow down and make it right...focus!

Here is a link to my personal favorite stranger portrait:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniebluesky/3537520382/in/set-72157606369720692/

And here is a link to my whole set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniebluesky/sets/72157606369720692/

[thillysings]

I'm doing a "52 strangers" project. It's going to take me longer than I expected just because I don't always have the nerve to talk to strangers! :s But it has been a really good experience for me to step out of my comfort zone. Definitely a confidence builder!

[soupatraveler]

i totally have an inner battle over this subject all the time. i call it "stage fright" when i chicken out and don't ask for the picture. i recently went to the soccer world cup, and it was a great opportunity to snap away without being super self-conscious. i found that when someone caught me taking a picture, afterwards they would usually pose for me like this woman: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46922592@N00/4740849646/
and then I got the whole group: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46922592@N00/4740847074/in/photostream/

but i was so proud of myself when i took this shot, because i was so nervous inside and i finally got up the courage to ask: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46922592@N00/4748187596/in/photostream/

[Anne]

Great capture.

There are so many things I love about this image - I want to know where they are going.

Cheers,
Anne

[Juju]

My photo buddy and I tried to do "stranger Fridays," where we tried to get a new stranger shot every Friday, but we didn't always find ourselves in a good venue for it, so now we just try to shoot a new stranger once a week. Still don't always succeed, but at least we give it a . . . shot. :) Anyway, here's my latest, an oystershucker in Beaufort, SC.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4820360766_1a47c16bc8_m.jpg

[camerashymomma ~ meredith winn]

i'm also intrigued by the 100 strangers project. it's something i strive to do one day when i get over my own shyness too! nice shot, i love the vibrant colors you captured here kristin.

[Kait Palmer]

I too am far too shy to ask strangers if I could take their pictues! I try to do it incognito if I can. I have to admire people like the Sartorialist who do it every day!

[Aubrey]

I like your incognito way of doing it!

I'm working my way up there ;-)

http://365daysofnormal.blogspot.com/2010/06/day-176.html

http://365daysofnormal.blogspot.com/2010/06/day-181.html

[Wizzy]

I recently started a project called 1000 faces http://projectonethousandfaces.blogspot.com/ which includes lots of people I know and strangers.http://projectonethousandfaces.blogspot.com/

I am slowly getting better at asking strangers for their pictures. When I feel very shy I tend to drag my kids along. i don't know if this makes strangers more approachable or if just makes me braver...whatever it works.

Shooting strangers forces you to find a connection with that person that hopefully shows in their picture. If I am uncomfortable they are uncomfortable and the picture isn't memorable. Sometimes there's an instant spark other times you have to work at it. It also teaches you to work faster and take less shots because strangers can get a bit uncomfortable after a short while.

So far I have been very surprised that people have been so receptive and warm. To date I have only had two people tell me no out of maybe the 100 that I have already shot - and they were very kind about it:-) I'm having a blast with this project

[Elizabeth Bessel]

I have just discovered your blog and LOVE it. This post about photographing strangers really caught my attention because I am obsessed with doing it. I make up a whole story in my head about the person I am photo stalking. I don't have a telephoto lens (it's on my wish list) for my dslr so the pictures are not the greatest, but they do take me back to that moment and that story that I made up but has become real to me about the subject of my stranger fascination.
Thanks for sharing!
Liz Bessel

[Suzanne (Crunchy Green Mom)]

I am going up to Mt. Evans on Saturday to get lost behind my lens...

I'm starting it this weekend!