How to Photograph Strangers

Well, I think personal projects, it was never about getting paid anyways.

I just think personal projects, because you're doing it at your own pace, Because you're doing it because you want to do it, because you love doing it.

I think it leaves a lot of room for helping improvement, you know, helping you grow, possibly as a photographer or whatever you've been doing.

For me, I kind of, if I look back, I feel like the last 15 years, it would be, I do feel that it would have been incomplete without this project now, right? It just feels like a big part of my life.

Because there have been days that I've gone out trying to just walk around finding strangers and spend hours, like you said, three, sometimes three hours, not finding anyone that I wanted to feel inspired or felt like I'm a good picture.

Sometimes I spend like two, three hours, find one person.

And sometimes it,

you know,

you go for a few days and you just don't, you don't find someone.

And some point you find someone, but they are not exactly keen and you just move on.

And you're like, Oh, what opportunity that was.

And I missed it.

uh so yeah but i just feel that it and it allows it allowed this one this project definitely allowed me to grow as a photographer uh to an extent uh some of the thoughts and ideas i had the perceptions i had i changed like you mentioned you know about people not being approachable and actually there are a lot of people and people are very approachable if you are kind of honest genuine respectful I think more people have found to, you know, say yes.

At least, you know, yeah, we don't know them overall as people, but for those few minutes, people are friendly and they are, they, they are reciprocate within the, what energy you give them.

So,

Would you say that you've become a better photographer from doing these projects? Like, has your photographic style, your skill set, your confidence changed from doing 100 Stranger

Products? Absolutely.

I mean, I was not a photographer, like I said, you know, when I started this.

Even after the Project 365, I got technical.

So, like I said, I am by profession, you know, I manage software projects.

So I am more, I'm not as creative as I am more technical and analytical.

So for me, everything is about, you know, reading understanding and then doing it step by step so in the initial days when i should do this also it was like i almost had like a script of how i want this to happen it's not it was not never very spontaneous in that sense initially you know the photography it was all about technical uh you know how i should look at the light how i should do this how should i ask the stranger now it's a little more free flow and the confidence definitely is much better both in my ability as a photographer, plus the social dynamics of, you know, connecting with someone and also being able to accept that, you know, rejections are going to be part of this process.

So I definitely think my skill sets has improved.

I've improved as a photographer and it has led to directions that I had not thought the photography would go.

And so that is kind of a journey so far.