These shots are from a Flickr pool that challenges photographers to take 100 pictures of strangers, and post them with the story. I’ve been into photography for a long time, with varying levels of seriousness, but I don’t think I have the guts to walk up to 100 random individuals and ask to take their photo.
These images are used under a CC license from users colinlogan and fototastich. Click on them to see more of either photographer’s work. Here are a couple other streams I liked, from photographers who copyrighted their images. Speaking of licensing, there are a lot of Flickr users who assert full copyright on their photos. Fair use or not, I take that to mean that they don’t want me to post even a small version of the image and link back to it. I think they’re missing an opportunity to expose their work to a wider audience, and I want to put in a plug for this version of CC licensing, which is almost as restrictive as full copyright, but it lets bloggers like me link back to their work with an example.
Dennis SGMM
It’s still to early for me here on the Left Coast: I first read the title as “100 Stranglers.”
sherifffruitfly
Uh…. Am I missing something? What’s challenging about asking someone to take their picture?
jeffreyw
Best way to get your pictures noticed is to take them of pancakes and post them to the Food Pr0n Flickr group.
Kane
This seems to be more of a challange on one’s social skills than on one’s photography skills.
Personally, I enjoy the challenge of taking photos of strangers when they are unaware that they are being photographed. There’s a better chance of capturing their true selves.
Starfish
@jeffreyw: You always always make me hungry with your food porn. If I lived closer to you, I have no doubt that I would knock on your door every time you post a picture of food here. Eventually, I would either weigh 500 pounds, or you would call the police and see what you could do about the stalking situation.
liberal
OT: A true American hero
Mandramas
OT: Happy International Worker’s Day!
Joel
@sherifffruitfly: feels like an invasion of privacy.
on the other hand, while traveling in China, I had no problems getting people to consent to having their photos taken. I certainly didn’t have to consent to have mine taken! Lots of cellphone cameras jammed in my face…
mistermix
@sherifffruitfly: I find it a difficult thing to do. YMMV, and obviously it does.
@Kane: There’s a steady and noticeable improvement in most of the 100 Strangers streams I’ve browsed, so it improves photography skills, too.
Southern Beale
I’ve done that a good bit, back when I used to do more photography. You feel awkward at first but after the first few you sorta go into the pro mindset and don’t even think twice about it.
Yutsano
@jeffreyw: Teh hummers are back! YAY!
jeffreyw
@Yutsano: Yes! We have a few, so far only 3 or 4. I expect wonderful things this year.
Yutsano
@jeffreyw: Don’t get wron I enjoyed the appley goodness of the pancakes thoroughly, but I just had to check out the hummer pics that were next in the feed. Very purty lil birds.
ruemara
@jeffreyw:
Meh. no one cares about my food porn. Except me. But I like to take pictures, so…
jeffreyw
@ruemara: link em?
meander
The subject of stranger portraits reminds me of a blog from Japan called “Gokurousama“. It mostly consists of portraits of the people that make Japan run through their hard work: restaurant cooks, construction workers, street cleaners, etc. Unfortunately, many of the photos are posed, so you get superficial grinning and that Japanese habit of making a V with their fingers in photos. Nonetheless, some good shots of hard-working people.
Felanius Kootea (formerly Salt and freshly ground black people)
@liberal: Great story! If only more people were that brave and principled.
ruemara
Oddly, my job is to take portraits of strangers. But I do not use them in contests and such, it would be unseemly.
JRon
Great portraits of, and stories about, strangers here, by an old friend of mine.
http://scottpasfield.blogspot.com/search/label/gay%20america
He does meet them, so I guess they’re ultimately not total strangers, but it’s a very interesting collection of diverse and almost random stories from around the nation. He asks them all to tell a bit about being gay in America and many of the stories are pretty moving.
The book is coming out in a few months.
JRon
The Portrait Professional photo editing software being advertised in my sidebar right now is really sort of freaking me out, btw.