I have a confession to make. For several days now, I’ve been sitting in my office watching people outside of my window. I think of ways that I might go out and ask if I can photograph them, but I haven’t gotten up the nerve yet.

So today, I decided that I wasn’t likely going to meet many strangers in my house, especially given that we’re in the middle of a pandemic and I’m not letting anyone in. I decided to ride my bike to Lake Temescal to see if I had better luck there.

Stranger #3

Soon after I arrived at the lake, I spotted a gentlemen taking pictures of the birds. I summoned up all of my courage, jumped off my bike, and asked about his camera. It was a start.

I might not like talking to strangers, but I love talking about all things photography. I introduced myself and asked if I could take his photograph. I explained what I was doing and that one of the reasons that I was doing this project is to overcome my social anxiety. And just like that, I met stranger #3.

Al and Kathy were at the lake so that Al could take pictures of the wildlife. I noticed that he was a fellow Nikon user and asked what he was shooting with. He showed me his D7500 and I asked how long he’d been interested in photography. He told me that he was 80, and that he gotten his first camera when he was 15!

I also learned that Al is a retired high school math teacher and that’s he’s lived his entire life in the Bay Area.

After chatting for a bit, I thanked them and turned to leave. Kathy wished me luck and told me I did a great job! That meant a lot!

Well, that was easier than I thought it was going to be. Stay tuned to see who I meet next.