MIAD-FA382

©Jennifer Romero

When approaching this assignment, there was an automatic hesitation I experienced. Working with people, especially strangers, can be difficult and intimidating. I decided to shoot a friend first, Mark Cimochowicz. At first it was a little Awkward shooting him, like anyone I first shoot. But once i got warmed up, photographing him became simply natural. He made working with him easy by being welcoming and open about the idea of photographing him.

Finding a stranger to shoot was more challenging. I was off put by the assignment when the first person I asked to photograph declined me. After a few days, a friend and I walked down Brady St. about 11pm in hope of finding a friendlier and more willing person, Being in a more relaxed and easygoing scene was hopeful. The first girl I approached, Alicia Jolene, was much friendlier and excited to be photographed. She actually asked me to take a photo of her when she saw the camera before I had even asked. Her enthusiasm made it much easier to photograph her.

Even though Alicia made it easy to photograph her because of her friendly nature, I was still more comfortable photographing Mark because we have known each other prior. The two images differ vastly by the environment and different artistic feel they have. I feel this is because in the photo of Mark, I was able to place him in a more controlled setting. Meanwhile with Alicia, it was a more spontaneous shot in the city. It was definitely interesting to see how different people act and react to being photographed.