While “patrolling” downtown Tampa, I saw Kurt about to enter a CVS store. The very serious look captured my fancy, so I quickly crossed the street and asked for a “favor” before he could get into the store. His appearance toward me certainly was not happy, but he had no hesitation about being photographed.
Kurt is from New York and is VERY happy to be visiting Florida. He had to get to the airport (4 – 5 miles away), to see friends arrive. He asked if I knew where to catch a cab. I told him no, that I was from out of town – but wait! Yes, actually I did know! I pointed the way past a bank about three blocks away and told him that cabs lined up along a side street. Kurt thanked me profusely and began walking. What a coincidence, what is the chance that I would know about taxis in this city? What puzzled me was that Kurt's expression never changed one bit. This image is how he looked for 4 – 5 minutes.
Jack (#550) 03-24-14
Another photographer and I “worked” an outdoor event on a bright, sunny morning. We approached a major intersection, and headed for the corner with the best light. At one of my favorite spots, Jack held a clipboard and was asking people to take a survey. Hey, for a portrait, I'll take a survey anytime.
Jack is from Coral Springs (on the Florida east coast), and is a freshman at New College, just a few miles away. Although only in his first year, he knows that his major will be environmental science. He's a pretty mature guy. Not surprisingly, the survey was about our perception of climate change, the causes, etc. My friend and I each spent about one minute answering the questions. Hopefully Jack had a successful morning – we did.
Bob
Denise (#549) 03-23-14
I had the opportunity to walk around downtown Tampa, to search for strangers. I find it important to approach someone fairly quickly. Even if I get rejected, the 'pump is primed', and I have a good outing. So when I saw Denise sitting in an alcove with decent light and background, I was ready. But she was on the X*6W0 phone! Against my better judgment, I waited, and amazingly she quickly got off.
When I asked for a portrait, she was clearly embarrassed. She never suggested that she'd say no, but Denise was quite shy. When I got the shots, she had a difficult time swallowing smiles and nervous laughter. This really wasn't her 'thing', and I am grateful that she complied. When she saw her image on the LCD, she nervously laughed and gave the usual response - I never look good in photographs. She did not want my card or a copy of this image.
Denise is originally from New Jersey, but has lived in the Tampa area for 20 years. She works for the BB&T bank, and was on break. We were in an alcove in the ground floor of a tall building. I had not realized that the entire building was owned by BB&T.
Bob
Jimmy (#548) 03-21-14
I had finished photographing a man, turned a corner, and walked another half block. I heard a man's voice, “Excuse me, why were you photographing that fellow?” Jimmy walked up to me and ultimately, I knew what was coming. As soon as I saw the dreadlocks and the expressive face, I was more than happy to oblige.
I explained 100 Strangers to Jimmy. He said, “Really? Why?” Again I assured him that it was a hobby, and then showed him my Flickr Photostream on my phone. He recently moved from Atlanta. Jimmy is a musician, a guitarist, I think. He was with a successful band in Atlanta, but it broke up – a casualty of ego. Jimmy asked if I knew what he meant. I said, “Like I am better than you so I should get more money.”? “Yeah, you got it” he replied. Jimmy is currently practicing with two other musicians in Tampa. They are not ready for a gig just yet, the group has to be really good together before performing in public.
Then Jimmy got to the point. He pulled a police citation out of his pocket to show me. He got a $50 ticket for riding a bicycle at night without lights. Jimmy said that it must be paid within 30 days or he will spend time in jail. I considered this a pretty soft hustle, and well worth the portrait. I had noticed a recessed storefront that was fairly dark, and a good location in my book. Jimmy was happy to have his picture taken. I gave him a card. He doesn't have e-mail, but said that he would check out the image at the library.
Bob
Ken (#547) 03-20-14
Ken was setting up his booth at an outdoor art festival. It is amazing how many art/craft/car shows, etc. that there are on the west coast of Florida during the winter. Anyway, I heard him speak to a passerby and he had a distinct British accent.
So when I stopped in and introduced myself, he had no qualms about being photographed, and seemed amused by the concept of the project.
When I first saw Ken's art, I wasn't sure if it was painting or photography. But he is a photorealistic painter, so that settles that! His painting of glass objects is AMAZINGLY realistic. See it HERE.
Bob
Marianda (#546) 18-03-14
About 4 PM I walked by one of my favorite pizza joints in Tampa, Eddie and Sams. A young lady was sitting at an outside table, reading. I made an about face and introduced myself. As soon as I began describing the project she began smiling, and I knew that I was in luck. Her name is Marianda, which I needed help spelling. She said that her mother had made it up, and she likes it, even thought most people have trouble with the spelling.
She worked at Eddie and Sams, and was on break. I told her that I liked the place. It's probably the only pre- cooked and re-heated by-the-slice pizzas that I like. And I told her so. She looked up and said, “Oh, it is SO good. I love it.” I let her know that I planned to have a couple of slices in an hour or two. I asked if she had graduated from a high school in Tampa. She replied no, but that she had attended a high school in Plant City, about 20 miles away.
Later, I did get pizza there and Marianda was cleaning tables. Clearly she is not at the top of the pay scale, and it is nice to see employee loyalty.
Bob
Stacy (#545) 03-17-14
I was walking through a crowd with another photographer. My job was to “show her the ropes” in approaching strangers. In my estimation, the crowd was too thick to approach someone. Also we were in bright light – no good.
But several yards ahead, Stacy was headed our way. Her looks were SO distinctive that I hated to let the chance slip by. And suddenly a magic cloud appeared, so before I could even warn my photographer friend, I found myself asking for a portrait. She gave a mouth-closed smile and said OK. I could not back up as far as I would have liked because of the number of people, but I was able to get most (drat, not all!) of her scarf. I usually prefer cropping square, but to get the scarf, vertical seemed best.
Stacy is from Wisconsin and is DELIGHTED to be in Florida. She said, “I like being photographed.” Why am I not surprised?
Bob
Lori (#544) 03-14-14
The fifth Stranger in this series in the Police Officer, Lori. I had watched her chatting with homeless men several times over a 30 minute period. I was impressed with how easily they interacted, with smiles, laughter, and an overall relaxed body language. After meeting and photographing the previous four Strangers, I introduced myself to Lori and asked for a portrait. There was no hesitation. I always expect police officers on duty to decline – this has never happened.
Lori is heading up a task force (my words) to act as a liaison between the Police Force and the homeless. In prior years, the Sarasota Police Department had the reputation of being extremely homeless unfriendly. A new Police Chief was installed a little over a year ago, and she has pledged to have kinder and gentler relations with the homeless. Lori's booth was to provide information to the public about this initiative. I didn't spend much time with her, as she was in great demand in the booth. At home, I checked the Department website: although it is fairly comprehensive, there is no information about Lori's new position. I have kicked myself for not picking up some literature at the booth.
When I got the photos, I was enthusiastic about the backlighting. But as there was little light reflected into her face, there is poor contrast, and the camera's autofocus did not do a good job. It's ironic that in the 100 Strangers Flickr group there is currently a thread about working with backlight. Often the photographer uses a reflector to kick light back into the face. I have not done that. But I have had good results when there is a white wall behind me, acting as a natural reflector.
Bob
Don (#543) 03-13-14
Number four in this group of Strangers was Don. As he walked up, Al (#340) called to him and said that I was photographing people. Don wore sunglasses. When I introduced myself, he looked around in mock paranoia and said, “I'm Don, but don't tell anyone.”
Don didn't look like other homeless who I have met, but he did not distance himself from the group. He said, “I'm fairly new here. Just a couple of years ago, I worked over there.”, pointing to a group of buildings housing banks and other financial institutions. He would not be more specific. Don walked with a slight unusual (to me) limp. At 15, he was in an accident and was in a coma for three months. A few weeks earlier he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle, but those injuries were mild.
Don had a very keen sense of humor, rattling off many jokes and one liners. And he knew how to tell jokes well. Unfortunately they are too bawdy and/or politically incorrect to repeat here. But he did say, “Here's a clean one that you can tell your wife:
Three people are on an elevator, an honest politician, an intelligent blonde, and Santa Claus. The door opens and a $20bill is on the floor outside.
Q: Which one steps put and gets the money?
A: Santa. The other two don't exist.”
Silly, but cute.
Don was reluctant to take his sunglasses off for a photo, but he complied. After showing him the posted image, he said “Oh Gawd, I look like I'm high on something.” He wasn't. So, I got a few more shots with this beloved sunglasses on.
As I shook his hand as we parted, he again looked around, wiggled his eyebrows, and said “Don't tell anyone you saw me here.” A real character.
Bob
Susan (#542) 03-12-14
Susan became part of the group. This is the third of six Strangers who are more or less related. While I was speaking with Dave, Susan came up and began speaking with Al. She smiled the entire time, and I assumed that they knew each other. Not so.
So during a lull in their conversation, I asked if I cold photograph her. She did not resist, but was shy, and seemed kind of embarrassed. I got several shots, all of which looked like this. In fact, that's how she looked while in conversation with Al too.
I am not too pleased with this image, but there was an interesting point to make. I asked her if she was from Sarasota. She said, “oh yeah, about a block and a half”, and she gestured to the south. Direction didn't matter. The fact is that there is no inexpensive housing within many blocks of this location. Her address gives away the fact that Susan is at least moderately well off financially. That's what I like about this location. An eclectic collection of people pass by every day. On Saturdays there is a Farmer's Market that greatly increases pedestrian traffic. You never know who you will meet.
Bob
Dave (#541) 03-11-14
Dave is rather distinctive looking, and I had seen him several times in the past. He said that his friends call him Santa – gee, I wonder why. As Al (yesterday's blog post) spoke of life on the streets, Dave chimed in and related many frustrations. His demeanor remained friendly, however. The lady police officer remained almost at our sides.
After Al spoke about his sailboat difficulties, Dave picked up on the sailboat theme. He said that he knew that life afloat was difficult, particularly after “Kimmie died.” When I heard the name Kimmie, my ears perked up. Here's why:
A couple of years ago, a woman in this same location caught my eye. She wore a bandanna, had a frangipani flower above her ear, and wore earrings that looked like little airplanes. When I asked for a portrait, she looked suspicious, but nodded OK. But I was unable to engage her in conversation, hence I could not use the image for the100 Strangers Flickr project.
Almost exactly a year later, I was again in this location. There was a rugged looking man in a wheelchair with a scruffy beard and a Chihuahua on his lap. I have great difficulty approaching strangers in wheelchairs, but I summoned the courage to approach him. John was clearly appreciative of the encounter, and we had a nice five minute chat. John could get out of the chair and walk a bit, but he could not walk for any great distance. He became Stranger #139. See it HERE.
As I was about to leave, the lady with the bandana approached John. Their gestures implied that they were a couple and he addressed her as Kim. He told her that I was taking photographs of people, and like magic, she evaporated. I never saw her leave, she was just gone.
Back to the present: I asked Dave if Kimmie had a friend named John. He said that her husband, John, was in a wheelchair. Sometime in the previous year, she had a seizure on their sailboat and died. Subsequently, John became despondent and alcohol became an issue in his life.
So as a boater, I can conger up these thoughts. The boat was moored in Sarasota Bay. At the risk of being judgmental, I suspect that it was not a large yacht. It was probably a small boat with minimal accommodations, but it was home, and accessible only by dinghy. To get home, John would have to get out of the wheelchair, get into the dinghy, and row to the sailboat. Perhaps Kim did the rowing, but John would then have to transfer himself from the dinghy to the sailboat, an awkward maneuver for anyone. Then on the boat, Kim experienced a medical catastrophe. Help cannot arrive quickly to a boat moored in a bay. So John was by himself, with a deceased spouse, and no easy way to get her off. There is so much pain in this world.
When I got home, I printed Kim's picture 7X5, put it in a plastic frame, and went back to find John (I had only seen him a couple of times in the past year). When I got the shot I was amused by the headgear and earrings. Now after knowing this story, I readily see a tired kindness in her eyes. I'll bet that John has no photo that reveals this as well. I didn't find John, but found Dave again. He said that he hadn't see John for a few weeks, and that he might be with a brother in a neighboring town. The framed photo is now in the trunk of my car – if I ever see John again, he'll get it.
Recently I passed a milestone, Stranger #300 of the 100 Strangers Flickr group. Ann (Poupetta) left a comment: What had I learned from this project? I have not answered her, but the question has been rolling around in my mind. I'm not sure what I have learned, but I have certainly become closer with other people's experiences. When I got into this project I told friends that the camera is a prop, a passport to personal relationships that would otherwise never occur.
I stand by that.
Bob
Al (#540) 03-10-14
On a perfect Saturday morning, the Sarasota (FL) Police Department had a booth set up at the local Farmer's market. It was located at one end of a street, near a fountain with several benches often frequented by the homeless. A lady officer was 'manning' the booth, and she was supplying information about the department's new liaison program with the homeless. My next few strangers came from this location.
She spoke at length with one man with a scruffy beard, and the body language suggested an amicable exchange. When there was an apparent break in the conversation, I introduced myself to Al, and asked for a portrait. He said, “Sure”. Next to him was a large tricycle with ample side baskets filled with old electric motors. Al “dumpster dives” for old electrical equipment, as he has a source to sell reclaimed copper.
Al used to live on a sailboat, moored in Sarasota Bay. Police told him to move, several times, and he did. Finally, police inspected the boat and found no provision for proper waste disposal. Al told them that when he needed to use the restroom, he rowed his dinghy ashore and found a public facility. (We are not supposed to judge Strangers, but I find this not a credible response. Row ashore at 3AM?) Anyway, Al said that the officer pointed to a nearby high rise condominium complex and said, “Those people don't want this boat here.” The boat was confiscated and destroyed.
Prior to destruction, Al asked to go aboard and retrieve some copper containing materials that he could sell. He was told that the boat was no longer his, and to leave. I report this as I was told by Al, there is no verification.
At this point, I brought the camera into view. Al began to look at me, but then became teary-eyed, so I quickly put it behind my back.
Al said that there are several homeless communities in nearby woods. I would not be safe going there by myself with the camera (don't worry!). At 1PM on Saturdays, however, a benefactor buys pizza for the homeless and serves it at a local unused ballpark. Al said that that gathering is safe, and it would be a good place to meet strangers. I'll have to think about that. At this point, I got the images.
As we spoke, a couple of other homeless men joined the conversation. One was Dave, tomorrow's Stranger.
Bob
What's-His-Name (#539) 03-09-14
Well, this is embarrassing. I posted Natalie, #297 a couple of weeks ago. I forgot to follow up with her significant other. Worse, I have lost (misplaced?) my Moleskine journal. I remember this fellow, but I forget his name. Bummer.
What's-his-name lives in Fairbanks, AK, but is originally from Oklahoma. The winters there can be severe, but NOTHING like Alaska. But the weather has turned upside-down this year. I said that I thought that Alaska was relatively warm this winter. He said, “Oh yeah, until two weeks ago. Then it REALLY got cold.” What's-his-name said that Natalie is used to it – not him.
Bob
'Susie' (#538) 03-08-14
I consider ‘Susie’ one of my best efforts. She was a very reluctant subject.
While walking on a sidewalk three blocks from my home, the path was extremely crowded. A restaurant had outdoor seating, undercover. I saw ‘Susie’ eating with a friend and her hat really caught my eye. The area was too crowded, and I am very reluctant to approach someone at a restaurant, lest the owner feel that I am harassing customers. So I continued on.
Several minutes later, the two of them were walking my way, almost upon me. They were so close that I hurried ahead and reversed course, so that I could approach them head on. Always when I give up on a person, but later have a second chance, I feel obliged to ask for a portrait. Call it fate, Karma, or whatever, I have become rather metaphysical about this. Someday I’ll get ambitious and start a discussion string about this.
Anyway, when I explained 100 Strangers and asked to meet her, she crinkled her face and asked, “What???”. She looked like I was some kind of a deviant. Worse, she had walked half a step past me and looked back over her shoulder. I have found this body language to be the kiss of death. But I repeated the request. She looked at her friend, shrugged, and said “I guess so.” As a clicked, she said with a horrified look, “Are you going to give my name?” I said. “I don’t even know your name. You could lie to me.” Still she looked uncomfortable. I said, “I know, you’re name is Susie. Hello Susie!” This finally broke the ice and I got the shot. Susie’s friend seemed amused by the entire episode.
Her clothing was bright yellow, and it had been the yellow hat that caught my eye. My plan was to leave the image in color. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get a good background, and the colors on the right side of the frame were awful.
They are from Massachusetts, and were there during December and January. It was the coldest that they ever remembered, and I think that they had been around a while. :-)
Amazingly, we parted friends – sort of. I still don’t know her real name.
Bob
Vlad (#537) 03-07-14
Vlad is kind of unique. I heard him performing at a local art festival. Most of the event was dedicated to visual arts, but a few musicians were sprinkled in. Vlad’s instrument is the tsimbaly, or hammer dulcimer, from Belarus and Ukraine. You have probably never heard anything like it. You can read about it (and Vlad) HERE.
Originally from Eastern Europe, Vlad now makes his home in Toronto. Part of the year he travels and performs. Why not? Why not be in Florida in February instead of Toronto?
He was playing classical music by Chopin, Beethoven, etc. I bought a CD. I asked if he composed his own music. He said yes, but he had run out of those CDs; it would have to be ordered online. I find it VERY pleasing. There is a 21 second youtube video of Vlad playing, HERE.
He is quite shy. When I asked for a portrait he hesitated before agreeing. I was pleased at the genuine expression that I captured.
Bob
Johnny (#536) 03-06-14
While strolling on the sidewalk near an outdoor festival, a tall young man caught my eye, for his gait and “presence.” It’s hard to put it into words. But he was moving quickly and I had little chance of catching him. But a few minutes later, I saw him “manning” a booth in the festival. When I explained my project, Johnny expressed interest and enthusiasm. Unfortunately (for me) he smiles constantly – that’s just the way his.
The booth was for Waldorf Sarasota, an alternate educational environment for children, kindergarten through 5th grade. Johnny Was surprised that I had not heard of it. The Waldorf mission statement is interesting, “We are an intentional school community founded by parents, teachers and friends seeking a unique, progressive education for our children. Serving early childhood through elementary grades, Waldorf Sarasota honors imagination as the heart of every child's learning foundation to cultivate creativity, courage, confidence and contribution to the world.” The website for the Sarasota facility is HERE:
It was refreshing as Johnny explained aspects of the educational program with childlike enthusiasm. This project opens my eyes to new things almost daily.
Bob
