One Hundred

I'm still shy.

And while I might be able to converse with a total stranger, to ask him or her to pose for my camera, I still have to take a deep breath and push myself to approach the first one.

But I have completed my project, almost one week ahead of schedule. The 100-day deadline is next Tuesday, June 29.

I approached more than 120 people and I actually photographed 102. Two of my photos didn't turn out. I took photos of people in the Glebe, the Byward Market, Westboro, Sparks Street, and Parliament Hill. When I visited New York City, I even captured images strangers on the High Line.

Photo courtesy Marc Dufour.

I captured strangers. I shot 100 people I didn't know. Kind of makes me sound like a psychopath, a serial killer.

My 100th stranger.

When I took my last photo, when the final stranger was photographed, I felt jubilant, felt an immense sense of accomplishment. But I also felt sad: I wanted to keep going. Standing on Sparks Street at O'Connor, I didn't want the project to end. I remained in the downtown core, took many more photographs, but approached no people, asked for no portrait shots. And it was tough: I saw people who I would have loved to talk to, saw people who had a lot of character. Perhaps, in the future, if I see someone who grabs my attention, who has some trait that attracts me, I'll walk up to her or him, introduce myself, and ask if I can take a photograph.

To see my photos, go to my Flickr album. My family is asking me to make a short video, similar to the one I made when I finished my Bate Island Project. Perhaps I will. Perhaps, I'll have something ready for Music Monday. Stay tuned.

My 100 Strangers project is over. Thanks to all of you who offered support and encouragement over the past few months, and a special thanks to all of those wonderful strangers who agreed to participate. Without you, this project would have been impossible.

All I can ask myself now is, what's next?