In December 2014 I thought I would try the 100 stranger project on Flickr. The idea is to meet people on the street and ask if you could take their portrait. The idea is to overcome fear of taking to strangers and improve one’s photo skills. So this was stranger #1.
Joe is the door man at the Rittenhouse Plaza, a high end co-op building of pre WW2 vintage. I was walking by at night and noticed him standing outside the entrance. He was right at the sidewalk level so he was only a few feet from people walking by. He seemed to be in a good mood, as he was humming a tune. As it was days before Christmas I figured it would be a good time to start my project. We talked for a bit and he said that he likes to sing and Bing Crosby is his idol. I told him about the project and ask to take his picture and he was happy to oblige. Then he had to return to the lobby.
I shot with my iPhone 5 as I didn’t have by other camera with me. I just used the Apple camera app as I didn’t want to fuss. No flash. Luckily the alcove was lit and the photo came out fine. I cropped a bit to remove distracting lights from the interior. I must say he looks snappy in that outfit.
