Laura and Christina

Sam

Sam plays double bass with his friends in a band called Albatross.

Evie

Mitchel

Kitt

Cameron

Ally

Holden

Romance writer

Kevin and Kate

Taryn, Brianna and Roy

Coralie

Vesna and Grandma

Giana

Mike

Stranger #15 - Suzanne

Suzanne is the stranger I have had the longest conversation with so far. She had a lot to say about what made an Irish Catholic woman decide to convert to Islam. She’s been a Muslim for the past two years. She was attracted to Sufism after reading the works of famous poets like Rumi, Rabia, Hafiz etc. She described herself as a feminist and said that she wears the Hijab (the head dress) to defy the conventions of traditional beauty standards. The Hijab also forces her to be a better person as it is a reminder of her religion and while wearing it she feels like she represents Islam. She also mentioned that it is lonely being a Muslim in this country as the other Muslims she knows are not “Reverts” like her. Being an atheist all my life, I don’t understand religion or faith or God, but I admire people who have the courage of their convictions and pursue them no matter how hard it is. So Suzanne, I admire you, hope you find the inner peace you are looking for!

Stranger #13 Klementina

You can see how this tall, gorgeous, stylish woman would stand out from the crowd even in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city at peak hour. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I approached her, but she is the nicest person I have met on the street so far! She is originally from Bulgaria, grew up in LA and is currently an actor in Las Vegas. Her ride showed up while we were shooting and she had to run, I would have loved to take more pics of her. Klementina, I know you will find this, thank you so much for being such a great sport! Wish you the very best in your acting career!

Stranger #14 Judy

I noticed Judy standing outside Nordstrom and I couldn't help ogle at her incredibly put together style. I suddenly wanted to start a new Satorialist style project. Anyway, I approached her with the usual apprehension, fully prepared for a rude rejection, but she was super friendly and just wanted to know what the picture was for. I told her that I take pictures of interesting people and faces around Seattle and that is all she wanted to know. She fixed her hair really quick and flashed me a big gorgeous smile. I am in awe of people who can pose for pictures at a moment’s notice, I always have a fake, awkward photo smile. Anyway I digress, this is about Judy, the chic fashion icon who works at Nordstrom and somehow manages to look so incredibly fresh even at the end of a long day of work.

You aren't going to use that flash, are you?

How do I look?

Stranger #9 - Andrew

Andrew as you can see is very handsome and he was VERY charming. I knew he was selling something, but stopped for a chat anyway since all I wanted was to add another face to my strangers’ collection. I learned that he is a fisherman who spends his summers fishing in Alaska and the winters skiing here in Seattle. We had an interesting conversation about Satya Nadella and Microsoft and Indian software industry professionals and all that good stuff. Then the selling started. He made me hold his pamphlet and pulled out his tablet and started showing me pictures of young skinny Indian girls in dirty rags with their little eyes filled with hunger and sadness glaring into the camera, truly heart-melting pictures. He wanted me to sign up to sponsor an Orphan girl, just $29 a month. Now this is an industry that I have done some extensive research on, I know how to make sure that the money I donate is actually going towards a hungry child and not getting filtered through the pockets of multiple levels of organizational hierarchy before a tiny percentage finally reaches the kids in need. We argued for a few minutes, he said I should trust his charity, 88% is going to the kids! My boss -Mr. Bill Gates - trusts this organization, so why can’t I? Finally the charm wore off and the pushy sales guy persona took over. I said my goodbyes and walked away. Good luck Andrew! I am sure your organization is doing the right thing, but I wouldn’t sign my money away to random charities on the street, when I know there are so many questionable ones out there.

Stranger #7 Cowboy Bob

This one is a very special stranger, Cowboy Bob - the homeless guy who loves to read and had been to prison three times. I wouldn't have known anything about him though, if I wasn't with the master of street photography himself Mr. Tim Durkan who had a real conversation with Bill and treated him like a friend, which I am sure made his day. I got to watch him in action and learned so much about photography in general.

He was kind of bothering me with some lewd comments while I was waiting for the walk sign at a traffic light, until I turned around and asked if I could take his picture. He wanted to know how much I would pay him and I said he should pay me for taking his picture. He wanted me to get his sexy side, I hope I did. I didn't realize that the left side of his face was completely out of focus until I came home and looked on the big screen. Oh well, I am still learning and he is the only stranger I got to pose for me today. Two girls said no. Guys are so much easier! :)

Portrait of a Stranger #1

I am fascinated by candid street photography, but it is totally outside my comfort zone. Today I decided to push myself and went out armed with the nifty-fifty in hopes of capturing snippets of random strangers' lives. Unfortunately 50mm felt too short to take pics in stealth mode and it takes a lot more guts than what I have to ask strangers to pose. But it turned out that I didn't really have to ask, a few of them just came up to me and offered their interesting mugs for my shooting pleasure! (Well, a few of them offered more than their mugs, but that is a story for another time ) I met this gentleman at the Westlake station. We were both riding the elevator from the underground tunnel up to the street. As I was thinking that he had an interesting face, he asked me if I wanted to take his picture. And I did! I should've asked his name, I have to remember to do that next time!

292/365 - Portrait of a Stranger I don't usually take portraits, but I met this woman on the 12th ave bridge the other day and she wanted me to take her picture. Well, first she wanted money and when I said no she demanded that I take her photo. I gladly obliged and she kept making silly faces at the camera. After each shot she wanted to look at herself on the screen and made me zoom in all the way to see her face up close. Strange lady! Camera NIKON D800 Lens 24-70mm ISO 100 Focal Length 70mm Aperture f/2.8 Exposure Time 0.0333s (1/30)