Pictures of Strangers

I took my self sightseeing on Saturday and caught wind of a habit that seems to be growing in popularity here in New York. People love to take pictures of strangers. But not just any stranger, only those that have something interesting going on. It can be a ridiculous outfit, an odd behavior, or something that you just wouldnt see on a daily basis. As I strolled through Times Square and sat on the new lounge chairs they have going on (the next best thing since sliced bread), I noticed a rather peculiar man who sat on a bench with a gargantuan camera in his hand. He caught my attention and I was determined to find out what in the world he was so disscreetly trying to pictures of.

All of a sudden, these two red-headed, freckled, fannypack-wearing sisters strolled by. On rollerblades. He had his camera up and aiming in the speed of light. I realized exactly what he was doing and I liked it. This man was taking pictures of the random, marvelous things you see on a daily basis here in this glorious city. He looked over at me and I laughed, and he smiled. He knew that I was on to him but that I appreciated it and would not blow his cover. He then influenced me to do the same.

I took the pictures I would normally take at Times Square (even if I went every single day for the rest of my life) and I was off to find my own works of art. I sat on a bench on the Avenues of the Americas and just observed. It wasnt too long before my first subject came bustling by. It was the hairiest man Ive ever seen carrying a HUGE Tiffany's box. He was a character straight out of a Jim Henson Movie (the one with actual people). And his strut wasnt just a quick step, he was stomping the grounds at a ferocious pace and had the biggest smile from ear to ear. Either he was really happy he was about to be forgivven for his misdeed because whatever was in that Tiffany's box was great, or he was on his way to proclaim his undieing love to the woman hes waited his entire life for. Whatever it was, it was beautiful. I didnt have the audacity to capture the image full frontal so I waited till he passed right by me and got a side angle. Practice will make perfect.

There were several things I saw and would have loved to take a picture of, but as I said, Im not a vain Asian and refuse to just blatantly do it. I sat myself down on a Central Park bench with my hot dog I just got from the street vendor. Next to me was an old man who looked like hed been sitting on that bench all his life. I took a sly lil side shot of him, it took me several attempts to get it but I got a decent one. Then I got a lil daring and whipped out my camera, pretended I was looking at pictures on it, and took a picture of a man changing his shoes across from me. And THEN, I blatantly took pictures of the ice cream eating tourists who sat next to me cause they were looking the other way. Someone on the bench in front of me saw what I did, I looked at her like I had just stolen a cookie out of a cookie jar, and she walked away. Awkward.

I realized I wasnt too good at the strangers thing so I gave it a rest. At this point, the man next to me had decided to lay down completely. I think he almost rested his head entirely on my arm but I didnt even flinch. Let the man rest. While I was sitting there, with my over sized, bug-eyed glasses, phone on one ear and ipod in the other, chomping away at my hot dog, a guy walked by, turned completely facing me and my dear friend laying on the bench next to me and snapped a picture! I think I had the biggest smile ever for that picture because I was so happy that he considered me to be an intersting stranger at that exact moment! I mean its not everyday you see a blonde girl in a flowery, pink dress with an ipod, blackberry, and hot dog, basically sitting with a bums head in her lap so I guess it must have been a cool shot. Especially if it was in black and white. So thats it, Im going to become a professional stranger-picture-taker. Im going to create a massive album of all the characters of New York City and when I am 50 years old, Ill pass it on to my daughter and tell her to go do the same. Ive just created a family tradition, right here, right now, and you my friends, are witnesses.