Photographing Strangers in Kensington Market

I set myself the goal of capturing one portrait everyday for the entire year, but sometimes one portrait isn't enough. A single portrait can be one fleeting moment and then the subject is gone forever. Part of what I wanted to achieve from this portrait project was to find a way to move past the fear that is pumped into us on a daily basis, to tear down these invisible barriers that we build, and to connect with human beings. So I came up with a plan, I decided to set up a make shift photo studio in a laneway in Kensington Market in Toronto and ask random strangers to sit in for a quick photoshoot.

Photographically speaking it was a simple set up - a basic seamless backdrop (that kept blowing in the wind), a battery powered key light on a stand, and a small speedlight with a grid that I attached to the backdrop support (used as a backlight in most photos). The point of the day wasn't about creating a perfect photo, it was to connect with humans through photography and in order to really drive home the idea of photography we even rented a mobile photo printer so that everyone could take a hard copy home with them.

Within a few hours I had photographer almost 50 people and had met a lot of interesting characters, like Carlos from "Babylon" (modern day Iraq), Ikuko from Tokyo, and local Torontonians like Yannick. If you were one of the people I met throughout the day thanks so much for stopping by and if you want a copy of your photo please email here and I'll be sure to send you one.

Below is a collection of 10 photos from the day.

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