The Importance of Interactions with Strangers
About four months ago, I arrived back at Temple University for the start of my sophomore semester. After being virtual for all of my classes throughout my freshman year, I was eager to return to in-person classes; showing my face in a small square on a computer was not very ideal.
Furthermore, I registered for a Photography class for Fall 2021 and did not think any more of it.
When I was younger there was a short period of time where photography was a strong passion of mine. A teacher at my summer camp introduced me to photography, and it truly opened my eyes to how impactful images captured on a camera can be.
Fast forward to my second year of college, photography has officially made a return to my life. This goes to show that things really do come full circle, right?
Anyways, as a college student in a major city, I have always made it a priority to explore every inch of the city. As an out-of-state student, it was an extreme wake-up call during my freshman year. Living on-campus in a new city during a pandemic also played a huge factor.
Surprisingly, campus (in North Philadelphia) was a bit of a ghost town throughout my freshman year since many people stayed at home due to COVID-19. During this time, I made it my mission to get a better understanding of the city — not only for the location of particular buildings, but also the other people that live in the city.
Truthfully, I rarely struck up conversations with strangers during my first year at Temple, but I certainly learned how to maneuver through Philadelphia.
This year, everything changed due to the power of an object: a camera. Whenever I rode the subway from Temple to City Hall, I would always place the camera strap around my neck and hold the camera in my right hand. Sometimes people were quick to notice my camera and would leave positive remarks before we went different ways.
Undoubtedly, the Photography class pushed me out of my comfort zones at certain points. On a weekly basis, we had to capture photos across the city, and occasionally had to take pictures of strangers. While this was extremely uncomfortable in the early stages, it forced me to strike up conversations with people I never met before.
During the first month of the semester I found this to be the hardest part of photography: the interactions. At times, I wanted to snap a photo and move on with my journey. Deep down, I was trying to unlock my confidence for photography. Since I was just starting to learn how to use my camera, I wasn’t able to find a way to make my pictures stand out compared to others. As a result, I didn’t want to share my photos with other people because I am low-key a perfectionist and was not fond of showing bad images.
In the last week of September 2021, I had my first breakthrough in photography. One of my close friends recommended I take pictures for the Temple Men’s Club Soccer team. Due to my deep love for sports and interest in photography, this was the perfect opportunity to combine the two.
Although I only photographed a few home games for the team, I was able to form a handful of connections. The squad was composed of students from different countries, so it truly opened my eyes to the different lifestyles we all live.
For the first week of October, I was tasked to photograph a “Hidden Gem” location in Philadelphia for my class. One place that caught my attention was the FDR Skatepark in South Philadelphia. Ultimately, the day I went to take photos at this spot truly changed my perspective on photography forever.
The first thirty minutes of photographing at this location was a bit of a learning experience. Considering I had never been to this iconic spot, I was trying to fit in an environment that I am typically not around.
After strolling around the skatepark and making small talk with some of the skaters, I was approached by a man I had never met before.
Once again, my camera was the first thing that he pointed out. This man introduced himself as “Marc” and he started to ask what I was photographing with my camera.
I explained to Marc that I was taking photographs for my class assignment, but I additionally noted that I started photography about a month ago. Even though I mentioned that, it didn’t steer Marc away; he asked if I would take pictures for his clothing brand, Whole Armor Apparel.
At this moment, I had never had so many thoughts running through my head at once. On one hand, this was a great opportunity to start a portfolio for photography, but on the other hand, I didn’t want my limited experience of photography to ruin the photoshoot.
However, I found it within myself to push all the negative thoughts aside and agreed to do a photoshoot for him. By the end of our conversation, we exchanged phone numbers and each went about our own way.
This instance certainly changed not only the way I approach photography, but also life in general. You see, I am extremely blessed to have a supportive family and group of friends, but sometimes it really takes a person outside of your environment to open your eyes. Marc was an individual I had never met before, but he demonstrated how much he believed in me; on top of that, he never asked to see any of my work during the exchange at the skatepark.
A few days later, Marc and I agreed to meet at FDR Skatepark to photograph individuals wearing his clothing brand. To my surprise, Marc arrived with his entire family. I’m not only talking about one other person, I mean the “entire family” when I say it.
By this point, Marc and I barely knew each other, but the fact that he trusted me to photograph a bunch of his family and friends really meant a lot to me. Although I never conducted a photoshoot before, my confidence when it came to photography suddenly started to appear.
After snapping a handful of pictures, Marc and his family asked to see some of the photos. Once I pulled up the images on the camera screen, I will never forget the priceless faces I saw all around me. To see each person by my side smiling was so meaningful to me.
A few months ago, I would have never imagined that my work would make an impact on someone, but it touched me more than anyone else. Knowing that a stranger appreciated and valued my work meant the world to me.
As the photoshoot came to an end, I had never felt so confident and proud of my work before. The energy the family and friends gave off was so contagious that everyone was full of smiles the entire time. Once we were finished, the whole group gave me a round of applause and some of them even extended their arms out to hug me.
This moment truly touched my heart. A group of random people that I never met before (until this day) expressed their true emotions.
Ultimately, a random interaction showed why it’s important to take risks in life.
To this day, it is a bit mind-boggling to me how a random person had so much trust in me. Without a doubt, I am grateful that I took him up on the photography opportunity. If you don’t take the risk, are you really living?
Since then, it has really pushed me far beyond my comfort zone when it comes to interacting with strangers. I learned a valuable lesson that shows how connections can be formed with people you never talked to before. In your head, you may see someone that you THINK you would never talk to, but in reality, something meaningful can be found between a simple conversation.
At the end of the day, we are all human, aren’t we?
I owe Marc a huge thank you. You ignited a fire inside of me that I don’t look to put out anytime soon.
