Jim Power aka The Mosaic Man - Manhattan, NY, USA

Camera Two

"I have found it interesting that I was not as comfortable as I thought I would be taking a picture of a stranger - with their knowing and permission. I also found that I wanted to take the project photo of not just any stranger, since I encounter so many living and working in New York City, but I wanted a special stranger!

Over the last ten days I have been looking at people with the thought of 'are you my special stranger?' Not many fit the bill. Many times I didn't have the camera with me since I was carrying a small bag or I was in too much of a rush to a meeting or just too tired.

Yesterday and this morning I was thinking that I should find a photographer (amateur or professional) and take their portrait - I figured, heck, they would understand and maybe join blip too. But amazingly no photographers appeared!



This evening around 4:45 pm as I was walking from my usual Monday construction meeting at Middle Church to the subway to go to an appointment uptown, my special stranger appeared! There on the northeast corner of Astor Place where 4th Avenue meets 8th Street, aka St Mark's Place, next to 51 Astor Place designed by the Pritzker Prize winning, world famous architect, Fumihiko Maki, was The Mosaic Man at work on the replacement mosaic on the reinstalled light pole that was temporarily removed as part of 51 Astor Place's construction and replaced with a new, unadorned pole.



I had written about Jim Power aka The Mosaic Man's work in my post on Wednesday, 30 January 2013 and here he was right in front of me looking like the wild man that he is.

Quite a few other pedestrians were gathered around him asking him questions like 'do you need permission from the city to do this?' His answer was that he got permission a long time ago for his first few poles but now he just does them. I knew he was meant to be my Stranger Project Blip! So I whipped out the little plastic camera and asked him if I could take his picture for a worldwide photography project. He said 'Sure you can take my picture, but can you come back another day? I don't have my dog with me and I feel bad having my picture taken without her. She is always with me but just not today.' I sympathized but knew I couldn't get back there until next Monday and that I couldn't delay my photo for the project any longer. I promised him that I would come back again and take his photo with his dog - next Monday's Blip already planned!

I felt a sense of joy and accomplishment after taking the photo - and relief that I can check it off my to do list!"

Stranger by: pzap62