story people

"They came to sit and dangle their feet off the edge of the world & after awhile they forgot everything but the good & true things they would do someday." ~story people

Do you ever spy on strangers with your camera? (Please tell me i am not alone here.)  I promise I am not at  all creepy, strange maybe, creepy no. I just find people fascinating. I love observing interactions, diversity, perhaps a touch, or an emotion. Fleeting moments that catch my eye. I have always loved to people watch, my camera just takes my people watching up a notch. Now I don't just watch, I click. Some times they are fully aware of my camera, other times I hide behind a telephoto lens. Each time there is something I am drawn to that makes me point my lens in their direction. Some times I get home and load my photos and imagine a story for the subjects in my photo. (overactive imagination, check.) Sometimes a simple quote helps tells the story of a photo.  Some of my favorite quotes to play with are story people quotes. Lines full of whimsy. Little stories in their own right.

Maybe one day I will no longer feel the need to create stories for my strangers. Maybe one day I will walk right up and just ask them to tell me their story. But for now, I click and imagine.

Have you captured any strangers in your lenses lately?  What story did you find there?

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***Don't forget to leave a comment here for a chance at our daily $100.00 gift giveaway fabulously sponsored by Paper Coterie,  and keep on shooting and sharing your stories in the Shutter Sisters One Word Project Pool on Flickr for an opportunity to be chosen as the One Word of the day for a second chance at $100.00 from Paper Coterie.  2 chances to win each day! 

Update:  Names of our Everyday Giveaway winners are now being posted in our sidenotes section each day. So remember to look for your name there and keep checking your inboxes for your winning notification. Keep the comments coming for your chance to win each day.

Comments

[Roxanne]

Kristin, that is my favorite aspect of walking down the street with the camera. Through its lens, I approach the strangers in this world and imagine their lives. Some of my favorite photos of strangers were taken in Cuba:

http://www.storiesofconflictandlove.com/2011/06/places-that-make-your-heart-crack.html

I loved watching the couple in that first photo of the photo-essay, observing their tenderness, imagining how long they had loved each other and what life and love had brought into their paths.

[Marcie]

Yes - I love turning my camera towards people -especially when they are unknowing. And - always make up stories:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/8/30/the-sun-that-rises.html
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/8/4/any-one.html

[Trevellion]

I'm only just starting to try some candid shots, I'm getting more confident but this is way outside my comfort zone. I was pleased with this one though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9970083@N02/6111949854/in/photostream

[Doris]

I am always so shy about turning my camera towards strangers. But I did capture this shot which never fails to make me smile:

http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/going-swimming/

[rakusribut]

while visiting an indonesian country fair i sat at a table, got my iPhone and shot everyone who was passing by with their food, drink or newly bought items
here' s one of my favorites, the mother didn't notice me at all but the two girls suspected something was going on...
i love the way the girl in front holds out her new doll

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61760618@N08/6065322920/in/set-72157627483224168

[urban muser]

i often have a story in my head when i snap a shot of a stranger. other times, the story unfolds when i get home and look more closely at the photo. love this post kristin!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanmuser/6109884555/

[rakusribut]

sometimes we capture strangers without intent....
a while ago i was trying to shoot the contrasts and colors of the bright sun on the grass and the long dark shades of the trees
i noticed a guy running around on the baseball square but didn' t pay him any notice
when i got home and looked at the series of shots he miraculously appeared in four of them, and i was able to create this exciting photo-story...:-))

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61760618@N08/sets/72157627494028532/detail/

[Heather]

I spy - but am much to reserved to do so with my camera!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41706676@N00/6123548246/

[Jane]

I'm new to taking photos of people. I've usually avoided capturing them with my lens. Here's one that I worked up the courage to take recently.

http://justplainjane-jane.blogspot.com/2011/08/100-prints-project-2-guy-at-green-door.html

[Andrea]

Too shy to photograph strangers but I enjoy taking candid shots of the people I know and trying to find the shots that tell the story I already know. It's harder than it sounds! Well, at least for me it is.

[Shawna]

I do, from time to time, shoot strangers on the street. I don't look through the viewfinder, I just turn my camera sideways and pretend to fiddle with the buttons on top and press the shutter release, hoping for a good angle.

[cathy @ ma vie trouvee]

After years of hiding, even doing the old trick of holding the camera at the waist and pretending you are NOT taking any photos and hope that you get one in focus or a person in the frame. Now, I ask. You would be surprised at how many people are flattered that you want to take their photo. On a recent trip to Romania - I captured so may interesting photos of the people and I asked each if I could take their photo - of course, not speaking Romania it was all done in sign language. Only one set of women shook their head no.

http://donaldandcathy.typepad.com/donald_and_cathys_europea/2011/07/romania-dracula-castles-and-horse-carts-what-an-adventure.html

and my story photo is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/cathy-in-brussels/6120055795/in/photostream

Cheers!

[shirley]

Love this candid shot - they could be students, or friends....

I took pictures of a swath of runners at a cross country meet:
http://www.shirleybehindthelens.com/2011/09/crazy-day-cow-chip-classic.html

[Brenda]

I have a very difficult time making myself take pictures of strangers, but every now and then I'll see something that compels me to make the shot:
http://www.pbase.com/skiingrn1/image/111236537
I think this is something I need to get over and start working through as I really enjoy the street shots others get.

[Dotti]

OMGosh! I did this just last week, blogged about it here:

http://www.camperky.com/2011/09/a-walk-in-the-park.html

[Becky Sue]

On our vacation this summer Yoga was offered on the beach. On this particular morning the clouds cooperated to create the perfect setting.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/6123840730/

I did take photos from several vantage points but tried to be as inconspicuous as possible so to not disturb their chi.

[autumn sun]

my story photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5925014304/

[michel]

I have found a new love for documenting strangers with my iPhone. less "creepy" and no one is the wiser...;)

[carmen]

I do the same thing, wonder, make up stories and sometimes, when I'm brave -- I ask.
http://decentxposure.ca/exblog/?p=597
http://decentxposure.ca/exblog/?p=431

[mary]

i love to people watch. these two really made me smile. :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/37719283@N04/6123508861/in/photostream

[Roberta]

I've been capturing more strangers in the last year, candid and lately non-candid. It's great to be able to catch someone in a way that shows them behaving naturally or doing something interesting and even better if the shot appears to have a story:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/desertmules/6038767857/in/photostream

[damiec]

I have always been a people-watcher & you're so right, kristin, the camera does make it so much easier.

I didn't get the shot I wanted of these two, but I was so taken by them and the story I invented for them, that I found myself unable to let them & their story go even though I only have their backs to show:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/6123565631/in/photostream

[jamiesolorio]

I have taken quick shots of strangers and it feels a little weird! However, I still do it! :) thanks for the giveaway!

[Kasa]

I love to take photos of people when they aren't aware or posing for the camera, my girlfriend and I always fight about this because shes afraid of what people think when we go somewhere and i'm always snapping my photos. I can't help it though, everywhere I look I see interesting things and perhaps if I knew the story about them it wouldn't be as interesting as it is when I can make my own story!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25758549@N06/6124334174/in/photostream/

[Esra]

I love people watching and taking candid shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/esra/5904707222/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/esra/5852171615/in/photostream

[Jill]

always. I am trying to get bolder about getting them as they are looking at my camera. NYC is the easiest place to do this since there are always so many tourists with cameras and so many pedestrians. I always put my camera up like I'm waiting for them to go by before taking the picture and I don't take it down even after I've hit the shutter so they think I wasn't shooting them.

Here's one in Croatia (I know, not NYC but it looks a lot like yours):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23113159@N03/6049751469/in/photostream
And one in NYC:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23113159@N03/5813952990/in/photostream

and I think both tell a story.

[joey]

I'm usually too busy taking pictures of the people I love to snap strangers. Maybe that will change when my nest is empty. This shot is from a fishing museum. It's full of strangers and fish stories too - all from the 80s!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19379573@N06/6124428806/in/photostream

[Laura Louise]

Looooved this post Kristin! I'm constantly scanning the city streets looking for....myself I think...in the world around me. Searching for a connection in others....in our humanity. xo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35374947@N04/6124581352/in/photostream/

[Denise]

ahhhh...so THAT is the source of all those fabulous quotes. THANK you for sharing the link...and an inspirational post! :)

[brigid]

sitting w/ my youngest daughter at a festival. The view of this circle of strangers in the sunlight was magic!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridethewavesoflife/4755000325/in/set-72157624698188887
I love that we can us images we capture as a journal. as a story of us.

[brigid]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridethewavesoflife/4755000325/in/set-72157624698188887

[cara]

oh wow; i just posted a photo along these very lines last night...how timely!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cararosephotos/6122405387/in/photostream

[Amy B]

You're not alone! I'm one of those strange people too.

[Amy E.]

thanks so much for this great site! I'm learning all kind of things from everyone!

[Amy L]

i too love to turn around a snap a picture of unknown strangers....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61758682@N05/6019097161/in/set-72157627255608005

[Meghan @ Life Refocused]

I have a hard time taking photos of strangers. Feel a little nervous!!

[Libertad Leal]

I am actually scared of taking picture of strangers! I am terrible at it too. I actually don't like shooting people all that much truth be told, not sure why. I feel I am much better with things, nature and myself. In any case, I do try every once in a while. I like this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5887749873 Lovers by the sea

I actually like this image quite a bit, they were so in love, it was very sweet.

[LeAnne]

I took the following shot of some children dancing in a coffee shop where there was a man playing his guitar. In hindsight, I realize I should have asked permission first. But, the spirit and unbridled joy of these little girls twirling around captivated me so, I didn't even think before I started snapping away. Naturally, I would crop or blur the faces although I wish I could publish this sweet little girls smile and flowing blonde hair. Still, I think this images captures her spirit well enough.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leanne8790/6124377907/

[LeAnne]

Oh, and speaking of strangers...they don't come much stranger than this stranger I snapped in Cozumel at Senor Frogs...what an experience that was! http://www.flickr.com/photos/leanne8790/2635420080/

[Debbie Ealer]

I used to have a heck of a time with strangers.Now I walk up ask to take their photo and hand them my business card. Tell them ill send them a free photo if they let me shoot them with my camera and they contact me.Plenty of people have taken it and let me,no ones asked for a photo yet.
Always makes it seem more professional with my business cards and they seem to appreciate me asking. People in China think its rude if you take their photo without their knowledge,they feel as you didnt give them the proper time to get themselves in order and look their best * found that out in an english paper I wrote a fee semesters ago*

[chris]

I love photographing strangers....I like to walk through crowds with a wide lens and also zoom in on people from a distance. Love catching authentic moments taking place.

[Kelly]

I am SO dang scared of photographing people without their knowledge. I feel like i'm invading their privacy. I wish there was a paying job to watch sit and observe people...we're fascinating!

[Jamie]

This is absolutely my favorite way to shoot. And this picture keeps haunting me, as more of the story unfolds:
http://flic.kr/p/a8Uce9

Two men hang out the opening in their makeshift "Casa" in La Carpio, a slum town south of San José, la Pura Vida's capital. As a volunteer travel member with Soles4Souls, I was able to help the people of this resilient community founded by Nicaraguan refugees. Besides fitting over 700 citizens with new shoes, our group had the rare experience of roaming the unpaved roads of what is thought of to be one of the most dangerous areas of the country. I beg to differ. Big time. Kind, gracious, and warm, the impoverished citizens of La Carpio may not have much in the form of material things, but they do have "el corazón".

These men were watching us play with the street children as we handed out bubbles and stickers. This photo speaks volumes. Forced to leave their countries to give their family and children a better life in Costa Rica, many of the young mothers and fathers only remember machetes as toys used in coffee plantations. While I am sure they were happy to see the children being doted over, one can't help but wonder what pain lurks behind those smiles. Some people truly make the ultimate sacrifices.

The bubbles floated up in to the frame just as I shot the photo. Dubbed the "Village of Hope", I believe these orbs of soap represent a new era and rights for the people of La Carpio.

[Christina]

each time i snap a photo, i wonder what the story is... and in no time, my wind goes a wandering.
this is a gorgeous photo, you captured.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22136020@N04/6124925894/

[kathryn]

this is one of my favorites with the dog looking up at her as she stands there contemplating the photographers art.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HPUpL9EzSH4/TfEZTVNht6I/AAAAAAAACYA/pcmgaMCvmGY/s1600/5-5-11+fair.jpg

[Jamie]

So many great shots and comments. Do I feel a book, etc coming out of this????? Would be great!

[Tammy]

Yeah people watching can be fun but I'd guess you'd have to be careful in case someone sees you taking their picture and gets mad.... =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67103516@N04/

[Peggy]

Love the picture and the quote!

[gailak]

This is one of my favorites...taken in Bhutan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/felucca2008/5165310965/in/set-72157625450532264

[Michelle Bodamer]

You are not alone! :) I think street photography is such an important documentation to our collective global story... it is this amazing spontaneous moment where one person exists within their own story and another person exists to capture that story with their camera. It's a documentation of a moment between two people (subject & photographer) whether they realize it or not!

Think about it... it really is so incredible that one person finds the story of a stranger so fascinating they want to preserve it long after that time and place has passed! :)