100 Strangers, that’s my new personal photography project I have been talking about. Shooting strangers itself is not new to me as I have done it a lot during my travels in the past. Some of those travel portraits of strangers can be seen here in this blog entry. I also wrote my top 10 travel portrait photography tips here before. But, I am giving it a little twist to make it more challenging and interesting.
A Man at Banteay Kdei, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2009
To make it different than what I have been doing in the past when shooting strangers on the street, I will impose the following two rules:
- I have to tell them that it is for my 100 Strangers project and get their approval before I shoot
- I have to talk to them and find out at least three things about them. Getting their name and where they are from is a must, but that’s not enough. I have to find out more about them, such as what they do for a living, their hobby, their likes and dislikes, their motto for life, our similarities, etc. The more the better.
Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2009. Taken with Voigtlander Bessa R3A and Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 and Fuji Provia 400 (pushed 1 stop)
The idea to shoot strangers as a photography project is not new. A lot of people have done and have been doing this and it is something close to my heart in photography as I have been shooting strangers a lot, but giving it a little challenging twist above may make it more interesting and more challenging at the same time. Think about the thought of approaching a stranger on the street or somewhere to get to know them, for a good reason of course. Scary enough? To a lot of people, definitely. But in a more simplistic way if you are not doing this kind of photography project, this fear should not deter you from being friendly and kind to others. And we as the recipient should not think that stranger is kind and friendly to us because he/she wants something from us. Do not judge, as you too will be judged.
Preah Khan, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2009. Taken with Voigtlander Bessa R3A and Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4 and Fuji Provia 400 (pushed 1 stop)
Mysore Market, Karnataka, India, 2006
Mysore Market, Karnataka, India, 2006
This will be a long project as I may get lots of rejections. I don’t set the end date for this even though I hope to complete it within a year before I start all over again. 
So come back here to check the progress of this photography project and I hope it inspires you to always be friendly and kind to others.
How wonderful it is to live in a world without strangers, where smile and kindness are the only two things people know about how to interact with each other.
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