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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

The faces you meet when traveling

October 2, 2019

The different aspects of traveling can be somewhat daunting to some. Between getting to and from a place, to dealing with arrangements and the such, it can be far more stressful than one hopes. Alas, when you get to your destination, hopefully things will change and it’s relaxing and stress free. 

But then you think about all the people you might come across. Does that add stress? For many it can. In this world, there’s an estimated 7.7 billion people. It took more than 200,000 years of humanity to reach 1 billion – and then it took only 100 more years to reach 7 billion. 

Think about that for a while. Crazy, right? 

Anyway, the people are what can make a trip really fun, all depending where you are and what you are doing. If you are camping in the middle of the woods, maybe you don’t see anybody. But when you are in areas where there are a lot of people, it’s inevitable you will deal with people. 

And each person has a story. 

Years ago, I decided to attempt  the 100 Strangers Project. Basically, it’s a project where you meet a stranger, take a photo of them and write a little something up. The thing is, I did it mainly through Flickr and it was really slow. I tended to forget about the project, or I forgot to bring something with me to give the people of which I was taking their photo. 

And it’s been four years since I added to that project. 

My recent vacation took me to the Pacific Northwest, where we ventured into Canada and hit four states. Last year, two of us did an epic geocaching trip that covered nine states in seven days. 

Along the way, we met a lot of interesting people from all walks of life. 

Talk about missed opportunities. 

Let me tell you about a couple of people from this year. First, we were walking about the famed Lake Louise in Banff National Park. A few times I saw people using a Canon camera, so I offered to let them try my 8-14 fisheye wide angle. It’s a great lens in situations like that and I always like seeing the reaction of people using it. One couple specifically kept saying “Wow!” They were younger and seemed intrigued. There was a language barrier – they were speaking French with a little English. What a great spot it would have been for this project. 

Or …

On our way back to the shuttle area, we saw a girl down near the water, taking a photo of her hand. I realized that she must have just been proposed to, so we stopped and asked. Turns out they were from Connecticut (not far from where I went to grad school) and he had proposed a bit ago in a different spot in the park. She was taking photos of the ring with her phone. We had a nice chat, offered up a couple of hikes we had done, and moved along. But there was definitely a story there.

How great of a 100 Strangers Project addition would that have been?

I have different feelings when it comes to meeting people on travels. Once again, take into mind the 7.7 billion people in this world – and how many of these people you will never see; and for many you do see, think about how many you pass by and will never see again. Then think about how many people you actually interact with and it’s staggering how few that is in the big scheme of the world. 

So why don’t we take advantage of the few we actually interact with to maybe find a little more about them?

With that in mind, I’m going to embark on the 100 Strangers Project once again. 

But I’m going to start from scratch. 

The goal is going to be to start seeing the stories these people have to tell. I’ll come up with some basic questions and have them with me when I’m out and about. I’ll start looking to carry my camera more as I think it looks better when trying to do a project like this if not just using a phone camera (though if I get the new iPhone, I may just want to use that …). 

I’ve found, as I get older, I’m a bit more introverted. Dealing with people really exhausts me, and there are times I want to crawl up and not deal at all. I think a project like this helps one get out of a comfort zone. I’m going to get some business cards made up with the blog address, logo, and all that info so I can hand it to the person when I do this. 

This last trip I took made me realize how fun this project could have been. I can think of no fewer than 10 or so people I could have easily added to a project like this and who would have been wonderful subjects. Opportunities like that are lost and likely never to come back again, so it’s time to prepare to make sure these opportunities aren’t skipped. 

It’s about people.

It’s about telling a story. 

Hopefully, this will be a fun and long project. It could take years to complete, but I’d like to get to 100 – and then some.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

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Filed Under: 100 Strangers Project, blogging, My world, Photography, Writing Tagged With: 100 strangers, 100 strangers projects, blogging, challenge, portrait, strangers

4 Comments

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Comments

  1. Paul says

    October 2, 2019

    Very cool. I started a 100 strangers project many years ago on Flickr as well. I got up to stranger #44 and then for whatever reason, never continued on.

    Here’s a link to my 100 Strangers album.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/62566937@N00/albums/72157630845310852

    I meet people all the time when I’m traveling and there have been several times after I’ve had a conversation with someone I’ve thought to myself, “that could have been a great 100 strangers project photo.”

    I think I might continue on with this after reading this. Thanks.
    Paul recently posted..NatureMy Profile

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      October 3, 2019

      I remember yours as well. I think, sometimes, it’s difficult just because, like you said, you don’t always remember. My hope is that I can kind of encompass it into something bigger … so that I do remember. I want to start keeping a journal a bit more, and having it with me. That will, hopefully, allow me to keep some blog cards with me so I can hand it to the person I’m using as the stranger. It’s my hope anyway. It’s a totally cool project, so hopefully I can figure out how to get it done this time around!

      Reply
  2. Paul Brads says

    October 8, 2019

    I would be like that Paul UP there and stop somewhere around 45 or so! ADD wins every time…oh look, a squirrel.

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      October 17, 2019

      Ha! Don’t chase the squirrel…

      Reply

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hoohaa29

Writer who loves images just as much as words! In search of perfectly poured pints of Guinness and great hot dogs. Find me on twitter @softball29.

Couldn’t resist stopping on the way to work too Couldn’t resist stopping on the way to work too quickly snap some photos of this scene. Hamden Covered Bridge. #bridge #coveredbridge #hamden #snow #winter #instagood #photooftheday #happy #picoftheday #fun #igers #bestoftheday #life #photo #iphonesia #igdaily #iphoneonly #love #beautiful #photography
A nice day to get out for a hike, grab a #geocache A nice day to get out for a hike, grab a #geocache and place a few. Felt good abs here’s hoping for a much better year!
Thought this wax seal came out pretty well! #waxse Thought this wax seal came out pretty well! #waxsealstamp #waxseal #waxseals #card #mail #snailmail
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stickermuleSticker Mule@stickermule·
2 Mar

$500 to one person who retweets this because we did something big and want to celebrate. Please follow us so we can DM you. ☺️

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PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies@Phillies·
17 Feb

Folks,,,,

🚨 We’ve got pitchers and catchers. 🚨

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softball29P.J.@softball29·
10 Feb

I wrote this about Sam Nader during a public celebration of his 100th birthday. I'm sure I'll have something more in the next day or so as well, but this covers a lot about my thoughts of this amazing man. RIP, Sam. You'll be missed.

https://hoohaa.com/?p=14292

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