A street-photography project where I approached strangers on the street, took their portrait and conducted short interviews. This project took place between September 2017 and June 2018.
Stranger 14/100 – Joy
Some strangers grab your attention from a mile away…
Meet Joy.
Joy has lived in Charlotte for ten years and works on a creative team for a local bank. She’s also single mother with two young kids. Since she had to get back to work soon, I walked with her while we talked.
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Don’t marry the people that you married. {laughs} I’m on the cusp of my second divorce, so that would be just don’t ever do that.” I asked if her advice was to just never get married and she replied, “Just don’t.” She also added that she would tell herself “and that everything will be ok. {laughs}”
What is your biggest challenge? “Single moming is hard. Getting through the divorce stuff is hard. The ex is a little uncooperative. But other than that, life is pretty sweet.”
I thanked her for time and she said, “Good luck with your project!”
Our encounter only lasted about two minutes, but in that short time I got a strong impression of Joy as being grounded, confident, strong and comfortable in her own skin. She seems to have such a positive outlook on life despite experiencing her share of difficulties.
Technical Notes: We ducked under a covered building entrance right next to the street. Given the direction of the light, I had to stand in the street to get the right angle. It was worth it.
Stranger 15/100 – Naj
Our next stranger is easily the most stylish man I’ve photographed for this project so far. I saw him walking by just as I was finishing lunch, so I leapt up quickly to approach him for a portrait. Luckily, he said “yes”.
Sensing he was in a hurry to get back to work, I walked with him while we talked.
Meet Naj.
Naj is from New York and was visiting Charlotte for business. You would be forgiven for thinking that Naj is a fashion model, but in fact he’s in the software business. More specifically, he works in the area of Financial Analytics.
His advice to his younger self is “Keep going. Don’t give up.”
Thank you so much Naj for participating in the 100 Strangers Project. I hope our paths cross again one day.
Technical Notes: It was a clear, sunny day, and we were in a shaded area.
Stranger 16/100 – Sharon
Our next stranger is a fellow photographer that I met while wondering through uptown Charlotte on a Saturday afternoon.
Meet Sharon.
Sharon lives in Charlotte and was out doing some candid street photography. She recently graduated from college and is taking a year off before pursuing her next plan.
What advice would you give your younger self? “Don’t focus so much on the journey that you forget to live for the moment.”
What are your goals? “I’m interested in medicine so I trying to find the next step to get into med school. Short-term goal is to get into med school and then long-term is saving lives both spiritually and physically.”
“Because I feel like so many people are internally broken. Spiritually they are just so hurt. It’s like you can help someone physically, but if you’re not targeting what’s going on spiritually with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and mental health issues… You can use medicine all you want to externally, but internally there’s something that’s impinging on that and not allowing them to completely be healed.”
“A lot of things that happen with cardiology specifically and obesity… you help the person lose ten pounds and then they go right back to gaining another twenty pounds because there’s something going on internally within them.”
We then talked about how healthcare system is guilty of treating symptoms rather than curing patients. “And that’s my goal to change that. It’s horrible that’s all it does is just helps the symptoms and just puts a band aid on someone and then they go back home and do the exact same thing.”
“It’s a whole cycle. It’s a never-ending cycle in the sense that the people in power don’t want to break that cycle. They love it because it’s giving them revenue. And it’s hard for doctors because it’s like we want to be doctors but we can’t go against this policy or else we won’t be able to practice.”
“My long term goal is getting into the World Health Organization to medically and globally impact health.”
It was a pleasure to meet you Sharon. Thank you for brightening my day.
Technical Notes: We were in an open plaza with light grey pavers. The sun was blocked but was reflecting off a nearby building. I normally don’t pose subjects looking straight on, but I chose this shot because it evoked so much power and confidence.
Stranger 17/100 – Kee
While taking a rest from shooting, I noticed this guy pull up on his bicycle. I asked him if I could take his portrait and he replied “yes” in a friendly and raspy voice.
Meet Kee.
Charlotte is Kee’s hometown and he’s been here since he was born with the exception of his time in the Army and the ten years he lived in Germany.
He told me that he’s thinking about going back to Germany. What do you love about Germany? “The people, the atmosphere, the food and the beer.”
What cities do you like in Germany? “Frankfort because it’s big and it’s quiet. Frankfort and Berlin are the places to be.”
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Keep a peace of mind and stay in good health. That’s what I tell myself. If I can do that bro, I’m good as gold. It don’t get no better than having peace of mind and good health. Money can’t do that.”
“You can have all the money in the world just like that man that killed all those peoples in Las Vegas. He was a multi-millionaire and what happened? How can you be a millionaire and not be happy? He wasn’t happy. Something was missing. I don’t know what it was. It could be a number of things, but he wasn’t happy.”
“To kill people… what you gonna kill all these… take a gun, put it in your head and shoot yourself. That’s all you need to do. But he did that later on after he finished what he was doing. It’s a sad sight. It’s bad to see man like that these days in that kind of state of mind.”
“I done been trained for Vietnam and I used all kind of weapons… I didn’t come out crazy. I should be crazy as hell out here. Can’t function with people.”
Why were you able to do that when other people can’t? “Where it comes from is they not got no spiritual background. No knowledge of the word of God to fight off the demons… the demons are real. When I came out of the Army, I maintained myself. Then the lord introduced himself to me, you know? But nowadays, men need to have some spiritual knowledge and have the lord in their life so when the fight comes, you can have something to fight them off.”
He asked me about photography. “You know what? I’ve always wanted to do that. I wanted to start on my own and be in photography. That was back when I was young… I’m 61 now. When I was young like back in my twenties, I always wanted to be a photographer. But I got hooked into the window cleaning business.”
“You know what I’m gonna do? I’m going to make an investment either selling cars or doing what you do. I’d go to Africa and all those places. You’d be surprised at the money you can make doing this kind of business.”
Thank you Kee for being one of my most interesting strangers.
Technical Notes: I didn’t want to make Kee move his bike and his stuff, so we stayed in this fairly sunny area. He was backlit, but I was able to bring out his face detail in Lightroom.
Stranger 18/100 – Michayla
I spotted two young women taking pictures of each other in front of Belk Theater. Since they clearly seemed comfortable in front of a camera, I decided to approach them for the project.
Meet Michayla.
Michayla was in uptown to have lunch with her friend. She’s been in Charlotte for two years and is originally from New Jersey where her family still lives.
Michayla is a dance teacher who teaches children’s ballet.
What do you do when you’re not working? “I’m super into interior design. I just bought a house so I’ve been kind of doing that.”
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Don’t take shit from anyone. Am I allowed to curse? Back in the day I feel like I just wanted to please everyone.”
Have you overcome that or is it a work in progress? “It’s sort of a work in progress. You know I tend to say yes even though I don’t want to.”
What is your biggest challenge? “Just trying to figure out what I want to do and how to do it. I love my career… it’s just kind of a hard career to do. I love my kids. That’s amazing. One of things that is hard about it is, watching them, I wish I could still be dancing.”
What would you do if you had a million dollars? “I would go on vacation with my boyfriend and buy a house in Jersey.”
Thank you Michayla for being one of my 100 Strangers.
Technical Notes: We had nice even, indirect light that day and the light-colored pavers softened the shadows on her face. I didn’t nail the focus on this one. Perhaps I accidentally focused on the brim of her hat.
Stranger 19/100 – Allison
I was standing beside our next stranger waiting to cross an intersection when she stepped into the street a little too early and came rushing back with a giggle.
Meet Allison aka “Allison from the Bronx”.
What brings you to Charlotte? “Actually, I wanted to come to the strip clubs. {laughs}”
Did you find any good ones? “I did. I found one, but I was too shy to ask the girls to dance with me. So, I’ve got a load of dollar bills on me. I might go there tonight and try again.”
“I came here twice before, but I didn’t have a good time. I think it was partially because I was with my mother and she’s a lot older, she’s elderly, so she doesn’t like to do a lot of stuff. And I keep hearing that Charlotte’s poppin’, so I just wanted to come back by myself. I created an itinerary for myself to do things, and I’m actually having a really good time.”
“Yeah, I do this a lot. I travel alone. I went to Phoenix last month, and I found this cute little blues club called Char’s Has The Blues. It was amazing. I went skydiving. I mean… I did everything. I went to a really cute African restaurant, a Guinean restaurant. I’m the type that… I’ll just book a flight and figure it out later.”
“My next trip is in Ouray, Colorado which is supposed to be the Switzerland of America. It’s a little town in a valley about ten blocks long, and it’s surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. Dope.”
Is there going to be enough action you? “Um… probably not, {laughs} but, I’ll figure it out. They have hot springs… I love hot springs. I’ll figure it all out.”
I have a feeling that you will…
What advice would you give your younger self? “Don’t be so gullible. My mom was really overprotective. She really didn’t brace me for the reality of the world.”
Technical Notes: I had photographed Allison in front of a sculpture and was starting to worry that it wouldn’t look good. I asked if I could take one more shot from a different angle, and that’s the one I picked.
Stranger 20/100 – Cash
I was in a bit of a hurry to leave uptown when I spotted this guy. Of course I had to approach him for a portrait.
Meet Cash.
Cash was hanging outside of Prohibition, a local bar, and was there to interview for a barback (bartender’s assistant) position.
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Always believe. Don’t give up. Forget what everybody’s saying around them, just focus on the main goal.”
Speaking of goals… “I’m a music artist as well. I do music, and I engineer music. It’s like goth and trap at the same time. I push it together so it’s like rock music but like trap music at once.”
“It’s crazy. It’s a bunch of folks out here. We just gettin’ it. I got a couple people that I do music with, and they got their own thing. They’re blowing up like crazy. They went to LA.”
“I hit 9k on YouTube off my music video, and I hit like 23k on SoundCloud. It’s crazy.”
“My inspiration is really New York. I’m originally from New Jersey and stuff. I’m always going back and forth now… just connecting and stuff. I’m really trying to get to LA… that’s where I really want to go. There’s a lot of cool people out there.”
“Charlotte is coming up. I like Charlotte… it’s really chill. It’s a cool city to get your mind right.”
It was great to meet you Cash and thank you for being part of 100 Strangers.
Technical Notes: Conditions were perfect right where I found Cash. There was soft, indirect light and a dark doorway behind him that made for an excellent backdrop.
Stranger 21/100 – Ming Fouts
“I play metal music for Christ…”
Meet Ming Fouts.
Ming Fouts is a drummer who was born in Scotland and has lived in Charlotte since 2009.
Is Ming Fouts your stage name? “It’s just my character. So, imagine me I’m from Scotland with a kilt and some kind of big sombrero. The first track is called ‘Meds of Not’ about the pharmaceutical medicines that are so evil and so sadistic, and it’s poisoning our people.”
“I play metal music for Christ… bone crushing… like Hatebreed meets Slipknot meets Jesus Christ not smoking crack. I’m the Holy Ghost within dude. I’m just a human… half angel, half human.”
“The devil has no power. He is a spirit being that is bound by time and space. He’s running out of time cool dude. That’s the truth. Jesus is love. God is love. And mercy always triumphs over judgment. So I’m just going to sit over here and hope that somebody buys me a hot dog.”
Technical Notes: After only a few shots, I asked for a different pose and he said, “No, that’s good.” The lighting wasn’t very good, so I had to do some extreme editing in Lightroom to get this final image.
Stranger 22/100 – Carl
“I’m from all over, but recently it was California. I came back for an ex… love will make you do crazy things. It will. I should have never came back, but it’s all good. You live and you learn.”
Meet Carl.
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Be yourself and stay focused. I get sidetracked a lot. I have a lot of things I want to do, and I don’t really focus on one thing. I mean, I take pictures, I skateboard and like I do music and I dance. I kind of don’t put enough focus on the one thing and get good at that one thing. I try to do everything at one time. It’s not good.”
“Right now I’m trying to focus on business… I’m trying to come up in the ranks so I can not have to work. That’s really it right now.”
What would you do when you achieved that? “I would definitely start doing some type of giving back in the sense where I would kind of reach younger people and help them change if they’re going through a certain path that a lot of us get caught up in out here. It might help if they had somebody to talk to on that level.”
“I’ve definitely been through some crazy stuff. When I was in California, I was homeless… I lived on skid row for a little while. I didn’t know anybody in California. I was sleeping in a substation behind bushes. I got a dog… I don’t know why homeless people get dogs. I traded my phone for a dog. I would walk him around LA, and I met this guy he had the same kind of dog and we hung out. We hung out for two weeks, and I finally told him I was homeless. He was like ‘Bro, why didn’t you tell me you were homeless? You can stay with me.’ I ended up living right off Hollywood Boulevard. You walk out and the stars are right here.”
“I’ve been through a lot of stages and it’s definitely helped make me who I am. It’s made me very well rounded. So I can pretty much talk to anybody and vibe on different people’s levels.”
It was great talking with you Carl. Thank you for being so generous with your time.
Technical Notes: I took a few shots in the direct sun, but the brim of Carl’s hat cast a harsh shadow on his face. We moved to a shadier area where I captured this more evenly lit image.
Stranger 23/100 – Olivia
Our next stranger has an understated sense of style that caught my eye. When I asked to take her portrait, I got a strong feeling that she would decline. I’m glad she didn’t.
Meet Olivia.
Olivia has lived in New York for a year and a half and was in Charlotte just for the day to give a presentation.
“I’m a cyber crime analyst. People don’t expect that, but that’s what I do. I look at what are the emerging trends and what should we be focusing on.”
What do you do when you’re not working? “I’m really into documentaries. I love watching documentaries. And I’ve started embroidery lately, so I’ve done a couple embroidery projects. I’ve really been enjoying that.”
What made you start that? “I really wanted to do something crafty but I didn’t think that I could do drawing… I’m not talented like that. So I’m trying to do embroidery because it’s like drawing, but it’s ok when you mess up because it’s stitches.”
What else do you do for fun? “I really enjoy seeing the city… I love New York. I’ve been to like hundreds of bars. I like visiting all of the gimmicky, bullshit New York food places. Oh, like spaghetti doughnuts and stuff… I’m like I need a spaghetti doughnut! I love exploring the city and going to different places.”
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Just relax. I think I’ve always been very driven to the point of not being able to relax at all. It’s a very New York mentality in a way where I just need to be doing something.”
“Also, don’t take yourself too seriously. In high school I never dyed my hair or anything because that’s like so unprofessional, and now I’m like why didn’t I dye my hair pink when I was fifteen?”
It was a pleasure to meet you Olivia. Thank you for being part of my 100 Strangers Project.
Technical Notes: I positioned Olivia in front of a shady, garden area to create a simple, dark background for this natural light portrait.
Stranger 24/100 – Josiah
On the Saturday evening before Halloween, amid the horde of costumed party people, I spotted this young man who reminded me of a young Leif Garrett.
Meet Josiah.
Josiah was born in Charlotte and was hanging out uptown making plans to see a concert and go to a house party later on.
Are you a student or do you work? “I was working. I worked construction. But I haven’t got paid so I stopped working… I don’t really like to work for free.”
“I’m getting back in school. I’m supposed to be going back to NC State.”
What are you studying? “Physics. I just like it.”
I told him how hard my Physics class was in college. “Well, they try to make it that why because they’re trying to dissuade people. I think that’s a bad idea. I think they should teach it properly.”
I told him that I admired Richard Feynman. “I think if anyone takes a course in Physics, they should read his books. He explains it intuitively. I think he had a saying that ‘if you can’t explain it to your grandmother, you don’t know it well enough.’”
We talked for a while about David Deutsch and Lawrence Krauss…
What do you do for fun? “I love music… music and playing on my guitar.”
Yeah, me too… “I figured you might be a musician.”
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Don’t do as many drugs. {laughs} I mean, I probably still would, just knowing me. I don’t know, just… live in the moment.”
Is that something you’re able to do? “Yeah, I can’t get out of it. {laughs} I wish I’d lived in the moment younger. All I did was think. I was stuck in my head too much. And, there’s a whole world out here…”
It was great to meet you Josiah. Thanks for participating in my 100 Strangers Project.
Technical Notes: I didn’t notice how much Josiah was backlit. I was able to bring up his skin tones in Lightroom, but it would have been better to reorient him or use a reflector.
Stranger 25/100 – Jessica
I met our next stranger while she was taking a walk and getting out of the office for a while.
Meet Jessica.
Jessica graduated from University of North Florida two years ago and currently works as an HR Coordinator/Recruiter for a staffing firm.
What are you doing when you’re not working? “I have a five month old, so I’m very busy at home with the baby. Aside from that, I’m really involved in church. I’m really big on family, so whenever I can be with my family, I’m with them. I’m trying to learn how to cook. I’m not a really good cook. I have a son who likes to eat, so I figure I need to know how to cook.”
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Not to rush the seasons of life. Enjoy everything… the good times and the bad times. Enjoy it because it only lasts for a moment. Recently I had a good friend of mine from college that passed away. So I just look back and, oh my goodness, like those moments, you know, we didn’t realize that we were cherishing those moments. You really have to enjoy every season of life because tomorrow’s not promised.”
What would you do if you received a million dollars? “Well, of course I would try to give back to the community. I would put up some so for me to live the rest of my life so I don’t have to work everyday. I’d probably invest the rest of it.”
How would your friends describe you? “Oh, extremely outgoing, the life of the party, loud… I’m really loud. My voice carries.”
Thank you Jessica for lighting up my day and for being part of my project.
Technical Notes: It was a clear day and we had soft, even light where we were located on the sidewalk.
Stranger 26/100 – Reggie
“You wanna take my picture?” Sometimes the tables are turned and a stranger approaches you…
Meet Reggie.
What brings you to uptown Charlotte? “Well, they have something to eat at 3 o’clock at King’s Kitchen (a local restaurant that helps feed and employ the poor). I have no money. I can eat at 3 o’clock or I can go home. I have a place to stay.”
He started showing me the contents of his wallet including an SSI disability debit card, an expired bus transfer and the ID from the men’s shelter he stays at.
“I have no money until Monday.”
Were you born in Charlotte? “I was born in Connecticut… Bridgeport, Connecticut. My mom and dad were in the Air Force. I came here… I walked from Virginia… Norfolk, Virginia. Hitchhiked. My Mom and Dad put me in a shelter after I graduated from High School. And I walked here from Virginia.”
“I have ADD. I lose things.”
Reggie described growing up in a military family… “I stayed in Alaska, Nebraska, Maryland, DC. My Dad had a bar… he’s a Master Sargent, retired. Right now he works… I don’t know where he works. My mom’s a nurse. I went to Elementary School in Virginia. In Alaska, I went to High School”
“In Alaska, I fell in love with this girl… Danielle was my first love. She had extensions. {singing} ‘I can tell you how I feel about you Nite and Day’ Al B. Sure. Every time I hear that song… that was my song. A long time ago…”
Technical Notes: This was taken on a sunny day in the shade. This was one of the last pictures I took after I interviewed him. I didn’t pose him or direct him in any way.
