passion project #2
01.13.2017
9 Strangers
artist statement:
I DECIDED TO DO THIS PROJECT IN A WAY TO CHALLENGE MYSELF AND GO OUT MY COMFORT ZONE TO APPROACH STRANGERS. I WENT TO TWO DIFFERENT GROCERY STORES: NEW SEASONS MARKET AND GROCERY OUTLET. I CHOOSE THESE TWO STORES BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER. NEW SEASONS IS MORE HIGH CLASS AND FULL OF LOCAL AND ORGANIC THINGS, AS GROCERY OUTLET IS MORE LOWER CLASS AND VERY AFFORDABLE AND HAS A HUGE VARIETY OF ITEMS.
THE FIRST PLACE I WENT WAS NEW SEASONS. I WENT UP TO THE PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T BUSY CONSIDERING IT WAS A DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AND A LOT OF CUSTOMERS WERE THERE, SO I WANTED TO BE RESPECTFUL AND GET THE PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T BUSY. I MET ASHLEY, CASSIDY, SARAH AND CLAUDIA.
I THEN WENT TO GROCERY OUTLET EARLY IN THE MORNING, THERE WEREN'T THAT MANY WORKERS THAT MORNING BUT I MET A FEW WHO WERE VERY OPEN TO PARTICIPATING FOR MY PROJECT. I MET LINDSY, RUI, ROB, CYNDI AND TONI.
HERE BELOW I WILL SHARE EACH EXPERIENCE WITH EACH PERSON I MET:
NEW SEASONS MARKET:
ASHLEY: SHE WAS MY FIRST PARTICIPATE IN MY PROJECT. SHE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND FUNNY. WHEN I FIRST EXPLAINED MY PROJECT SHE WAS ALL FOR IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA. SHE CREATED A VERY HUMOROUS MEETING, IN FORMS OF NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO WITH HER HAIR. CUSTOMERS AROUND US LAUGHED AND WATCHED. ONCE I TOOK THE PICTURE SHE WAS VERY INTRIGUED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND THE REASONS WHY I'M TAKING MEDIA.
CASSIDY: TO MY SURPRISE, CASSIDY ACTUALLY APPROACHED ME ABOUT BEING IN MY PROJECT. SHE OVER HEARD ME TALKING TO ANOTHER PERSON ABOUT MY PROJECT AND ASKED IF SHE COULD BE IN IT. THOUGH I WAS FOCUSING ON ONLY CAPTURING THE EMPLOYEES OF STORES, I WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO ADD A CUSTOMER TO MY PROJECT. IT WAS A VERY SHOCKING AND HONORING EXPERIENCE. SHE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND ASKED A TON OF QUESTIONS.
SARAH: SHE IS A SUPER SWEET PERSON. SHE WAS ALL FOR MY PROJECT AND ASKED A TON OF QUESTIONS WHILE SHE HAD THE TIME. THOUGH IN HER PICTURE, SHE STANDING IN FRONT OF A PLAN BACKGROUND, I WASN'T REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO IT. I JUST WANTED TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT. ALL IN ALL, SHE WAS VERY FUN TO TALK TO AND MEET.
CLAUDIA: SHE WAS VERY SWEET AND KEPT TO HERSELF, SHE ALMOST SEEMED SHY. THOUGH SHE WAS OPEN TO HAVING HER PICTURE BEING TAKEN. SHE EVEN NERVOUSLY ASKED HOW TO POSE AND I SAID SHE CAN POSE HOW EVER SHE WANTED. SHE MESSED WITH HER HAIR AND JOKED AROUND WHICH LIGHTENED THE MOOD FOR BOTH OF US.
GROCERY OUTLET:
LINDSY: SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON I ASKED WHEN I WENT TO GROCERY OUTLET. SHE WAS STOCKING THE BEAUTY SECTION OF THE STORE AND WAS EXTREMELY FRIENDLY AND VERY OPEN TO BEING APART OF MY PROJECT. SHE ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND WAS SUPER INTERESTED IN THE WHOLE THING. AFTER I LEFT TAKING THE PICTURE, I CAME ACROSS THE ISLE AGAIN WITH MY MOM AND SHE ASKED ME MORE QUESTIONS AS WE SHOPPED. I THINK IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING THING. I NEVER KNEW PEOPLE WOULD BE SO INTERESTED IN IT.
RUI: SHE WAS VERY QUIET AND KEPT TO HERSELF. AT FIRST I THOUGHT SHE WOULD SAY NO TO MY PROJECT AS I INFORMED HER ABOUT IT, BUT SHE SWEETLY SAID YES. THOUGH SHE ASKED HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE, SHE WAS SHOCKED WHEN I SAID JUST ONE MINUTE.
ROB: WHEN I WALKED UP TO ROB, I FELT AS IF HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE APART OF THE PROJECT. THOUGH HIS RESPONSE WAS VERY POSITIVE AND HE LAUGHED AT THE WAY I EXPLAINED THE PROJECT, "I'M TAKING PHOTOS OF STRANGERS I MEET, IT'S A PRETTY WEIRD CONCEPT". OUR INTERACTION WAS SHORT AND SIMPLE. HE POSED FOR ME AND SIGNED THE CONSENT FORM AND THAT WAS IT.
CYNDI: SHE WAS AT THE FRONT OF THE STORE WHEN I WALKED IT. SHE WAS ALSO THE MANAGER, AND ALLOWED ME TO DO THE PROJECT. AFTER MY SHOPPING, I WENT INTO A ISLE WHERE TONI WAS AND CYNDI WALKED BY ASKING HOW IT WENT. I TOLD HER, I GOT THREE PEOPLE AND SHE CONTINUOUSLY JOKING TELLING TONI TO BE APART OF IT. THEN AFTER I TOOK THEIR PHOTO, I HAD HER SIGN THE CONTRACT AND SHE SAID SHE WENT TO CLEVELAND AS WELL AS HER DAUGHTER. IT WAS A PRETTY FUNNY COINCIDENCE THAT SHE WENT THERE AND I'M TAKING HER PICTURE FOR A PROJECT. ALL IN ALL, SHE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND SOMEONE I WILL REMEMBER WITH THIS PROJECT.
TONI: SHE WAS THE CASHIER CHECKING OUR ITEMS OUT. I EXPLAINED THE PROJECT TO HER, AFTER SHE ASKED MANY QUESTIONS. MY MOM ASKED IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO BE APART OF IT, AND SHE SAID SHE WAS TOO SHY TO DO IT. I TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD, THE WHOLE REASON WHY I'M DOING THIS PROJECT IS SO I CAN GO OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE, SO I CAN RELATE TO HER. BUT THEN CYNDI WALKED BY AND SAID SHE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THE PHOTO WITH TONI, MAKING A VERY UNIQUE PHOTO IN THIS PROJECT.
CONCLUSION:
I HAD A VERY FUN TIME DOING THIS PROJECT AND I'M VERY HONORED MEETING THE PEOPLE THAT I MET. THOUGH IT'S ONLY 9 PEOPLE, I WASN'T SET ON MEETING A TON OF PEOPLE, I JUST WANTED TO GET TO KNOW PEOPLE AND GO OUT MY COMFORT ZONE. I DIDN'T TREAT THIS EXPERIENCE AS A PROJECT, I JUST WANTED TO STRENGTHEN MY CONFIDENCE IN MEETING STRANGERS. I JUST CAPTURED PHOTOS OF THESE PEOPLE AND POSTED THEM TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE. I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE WAY IT TURNED OUT AND I REALLY LOVED THE EXPERIENCE AND WILL HAPPILY CONTINUE IT.
I ALSO DIDN'T GIVE DIRECTION ON HOW MY MODELS POSED, I LET THEM BE AS NATURAL AS POSSIBLE AND LET THEM DO THEIR OWN THING. I THINK IT GAVE THE WHOLE THING CHARACTER AND MADE IT VERY CASUAL.
camera used:
→ canon eos rebel t5
I DECIDED TO DO THIS PROJECT IN A WAY TO CHALLENGE MYSELF AND GO OUT MY COMFORT ZONE TO APPROACH STRANGERS. I WENT TO TWO DIFFERENT GROCERY STORES: NEW SEASONS MARKET AND GROCERY OUTLET. I CHOOSE THESE TWO STORES BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER. NEW SEASONS IS MORE HIGH CLASS AND FULL OF LOCAL AND ORGANIC THINGS, AS GROCERY OUTLET IS MORE LOWER CLASS AND VERY AFFORDABLE AND HAS A HUGE VARIETY OF ITEMS.
THE FIRST PLACE I WENT WAS NEW SEASONS. I WENT UP TO THE PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T BUSY CONSIDERING IT WAS A DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AND A LOT OF CUSTOMERS WERE THERE, SO I WANTED TO BE RESPECTFUL AND GET THE PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T BUSY. I MET ASHLEY, CASSIDY, SARAH AND CLAUDIA.
I THEN WENT TO GROCERY OUTLET EARLY IN THE MORNING, THERE WEREN'T THAT MANY WORKERS THAT MORNING BUT I MET A FEW WHO WERE VERY OPEN TO PARTICIPATING FOR MY PROJECT. I MET LINDSY, RUI, ROB, CYNDI AND TONI.
HERE BELOW I WILL SHARE EACH EXPERIENCE WITH EACH PERSON I MET:
NEW SEASONS MARKET:
ASHLEY: SHE WAS MY FIRST PARTICIPATE IN MY PROJECT. SHE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND FUNNY. WHEN I FIRST EXPLAINED MY PROJECT SHE WAS ALL FOR IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA. SHE CREATED A VERY HUMOROUS MEETING, IN FORMS OF NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO WITH HER HAIR. CUSTOMERS AROUND US LAUGHED AND WATCHED. ONCE I TOOK THE PICTURE SHE WAS VERY INTRIGUED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND THE REASONS WHY I'M TAKING MEDIA.
CASSIDY: TO MY SURPRISE, CASSIDY ACTUALLY APPROACHED ME ABOUT BEING IN MY PROJECT. SHE OVER HEARD ME TALKING TO ANOTHER PERSON ABOUT MY PROJECT AND ASKED IF SHE COULD BE IN IT. THOUGH I WAS FOCUSING ON ONLY CAPTURING THE EMPLOYEES OF STORES, I WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO ADD A CUSTOMER TO MY PROJECT. IT WAS A VERY SHOCKING AND HONORING EXPERIENCE. SHE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND ASKED A TON OF QUESTIONS.
SARAH: SHE IS A SUPER SWEET PERSON. SHE WAS ALL FOR MY PROJECT AND ASKED A TON OF QUESTIONS WHILE SHE HAD THE TIME. THOUGH IN HER PICTURE, SHE STANDING IN FRONT OF A PLAN BACKGROUND, I WASN'T REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO IT. I JUST WANTED TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT. ALL IN ALL, SHE WAS VERY FUN TO TALK TO AND MEET.
CLAUDIA: SHE WAS VERY SWEET AND KEPT TO HERSELF, SHE ALMOST SEEMED SHY. THOUGH SHE WAS OPEN TO HAVING HER PICTURE BEING TAKEN. SHE EVEN NERVOUSLY ASKED HOW TO POSE AND I SAID SHE CAN POSE HOW EVER SHE WANTED. SHE MESSED WITH HER HAIR AND JOKED AROUND WHICH LIGHTENED THE MOOD FOR BOTH OF US.
GROCERY OUTLET:
LINDSY: SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON I ASKED WHEN I WENT TO GROCERY OUTLET. SHE WAS STOCKING THE BEAUTY SECTION OF THE STORE AND WAS EXTREMELY FRIENDLY AND VERY OPEN TO BEING APART OF MY PROJECT. SHE ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND WAS SUPER INTERESTED IN THE WHOLE THING. AFTER I LEFT TAKING THE PICTURE, I CAME ACROSS THE ISLE AGAIN WITH MY MOM AND SHE ASKED ME MORE QUESTIONS AS WE SHOPPED. I THINK IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING THING. I NEVER KNEW PEOPLE WOULD BE SO INTERESTED IN IT.
RUI: SHE WAS VERY QUIET AND KEPT TO HERSELF. AT FIRST I THOUGHT SHE WOULD SAY NO TO MY PROJECT AS I INFORMED HER ABOUT IT, BUT SHE SWEETLY SAID YES. THOUGH SHE ASKED HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE, SHE WAS SHOCKED WHEN I SAID JUST ONE MINUTE.
ROB: WHEN I WALKED UP TO ROB, I FELT AS IF HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE APART OF THE PROJECT. THOUGH HIS RESPONSE WAS VERY POSITIVE AND HE LAUGHED AT THE WAY I EXPLAINED THE PROJECT, "I'M TAKING PHOTOS OF STRANGERS I MEET, IT'S A PRETTY WEIRD CONCEPT". OUR INTERACTION WAS SHORT AND SIMPLE. HE POSED FOR ME AND SIGNED THE CONSENT FORM AND THAT WAS IT.
CYNDI: SHE WAS AT THE FRONT OF THE STORE WHEN I WALKED IT. SHE WAS ALSO THE MANAGER, AND ALLOWED ME TO DO THE PROJECT. AFTER MY SHOPPING, I WENT INTO A ISLE WHERE TONI WAS AND CYNDI WALKED BY ASKING HOW IT WENT. I TOLD HER, I GOT THREE PEOPLE AND SHE CONTINUOUSLY JOKING TELLING TONI TO BE APART OF IT. THEN AFTER I TOOK THEIR PHOTO, I HAD HER SIGN THE CONTRACT AND SHE SAID SHE WENT TO CLEVELAND AS WELL AS HER DAUGHTER. IT WAS A PRETTY FUNNY COINCIDENCE THAT SHE WENT THERE AND I'M TAKING HER PICTURE FOR A PROJECT. ALL IN ALL, SHE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND SOMEONE I WILL REMEMBER WITH THIS PROJECT.
TONI: SHE WAS THE CASHIER CHECKING OUR ITEMS OUT. I EXPLAINED THE PROJECT TO HER, AFTER SHE ASKED MANY QUESTIONS. MY MOM ASKED IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO BE APART OF IT, AND SHE SAID SHE WAS TOO SHY TO DO IT. I TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD, THE WHOLE REASON WHY I'M DOING THIS PROJECT IS SO I CAN GO OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE, SO I CAN RELATE TO HER. BUT THEN CYNDI WALKED BY AND SAID SHE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THE PHOTO WITH TONI, MAKING A VERY UNIQUE PHOTO IN THIS PROJECT.
CONCLUSION:
I HAD A VERY FUN TIME DOING THIS PROJECT AND I'M VERY HONORED MEETING THE PEOPLE THAT I MET. THOUGH IT'S ONLY 9 PEOPLE, I WASN'T SET ON MEETING A TON OF PEOPLE, I JUST WANTED TO GET TO KNOW PEOPLE AND GO OUT MY COMFORT ZONE. I DIDN'T TREAT THIS EXPERIENCE AS A PROJECT, I JUST WANTED TO STRENGTHEN MY CONFIDENCE IN MEETING STRANGERS. I JUST CAPTURED PHOTOS OF THESE PEOPLE AND POSTED THEM TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE. I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE WAY IT TURNED OUT AND I REALLY LOVED THE EXPERIENCE AND WILL HAPPILY CONTINUE IT.
I ALSO DIDN'T GIVE DIRECTION ON HOW MY MODELS POSED, I LET THEM BE AS NATURAL AS POSSIBLE AND LET THEM DO THEIR OWN THING. I THINK IT GAVE THE WHOLE THING CHARACTER AND MADE IT VERY CASUAL.
camera used:
→ canon eos rebel t5