For my photographic essay I chose to the topic of street photography. This topic first caught my eye because I have always wanted to walk the streets of San Francisco and interact with other locals. However, I decided to add a "Humans of New York" twist to it. I went to the city and walked around the Pacific Heights Area. I chose this district because I knew a lot of residents live there and that it would not be filled with tourists. When I was walking around I would approach certain people that would be walking down the street. I made sure to choose carefully as to who I interviewed because I wanted to make sure they weren't foreign, sketchy, or in a rush. Once I found the perfect targets, I would introduce myself and ask if they were interested in answering one question for me and getting their photo taken. If the person said yes, I would ask the question, "What is the best piece of advice you have learned throughout you life?" They would then answer and I would write down their responses. After that I would direct them to a place on the street with a nice background for me to take their photo. Some of the people stayed and chatted for a few more minutes and others I thanked and they continued walking. In total I asked about eight people and only a few of them said no. This was a great experience for me because I was able to make connections with strangers and have interesting, insightful conversations. It not only made my day, but I'm sure their's as well.
