.:ashley.r.thompson:.

.:mentions:.

2011-04-27T12:25:00.006-04:00

i've been discovered!! well kind of... i've submitted a few photos to a few contest and have been recognized...

my self portrait was chosen to be a part of Pioneer Woman's group of funny photos for her contest. woo hoo! my life is complete!

more recently, i won amateur grand prize for the
Go Indie Photo Contest 2010, sponsored by PDN. Booyah!

.:lazy posts:.

2011-04-27T12:21:00.002-04:00

2011 so far...

ecuador, february 2011

.:como la familia:.

2010-08-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

mr & mrs plaza

.:polaroid test:.

2010-08-16T14:07:00.001-04:00

polaroids from fire island 8.14.10

.:film:.

2010-08-11T20:32:00.008-04:00

.:share:.

2010-08-01T17:42:00.000-04:00

.:my friends will keep me young:.

2010-08-01T17:37:00.000-04:00

.:rooftop brunch::bklyn:.

2010-08-01T17:33:00.000-04:00

stranger 36 :: dayana

2010-07-10T17:43:00.004-04:00

this is dayana. i met her when i was heading back to the subway from coney island. i obviously couldn't pass up the opportunity. she was sitting on a folding chair in the shade of a building doing her own "makeup". i asked her if she worked in the park. she shrugged and said, "yeah...". i think i'd be correct to assume that she is a freelance face painter on the weekends. how cool.

strangers 32 - 35

2010-07-10T17:43:00.002-04:00

i met these hooligans on the boardwalk at coney island. :) they stopped me and asked me if they could take my picture. wait. what? i told them i'd give them an even trade. picture for a picture... of all of them and then all of them individually. deal.

stranger 35 :: egypt

2010-07-10T17:41:00.003-04:00

this is egypt. she's 11 the youngest of the group. i wish i had half of her energy.

stranger 34 :: taytay

2010-07-10T17:40:00.003-04:00

taytay is 13, she asked me if i wanted her real name or nickname. always choose nickname. her final image was hard to chose. she gave me many poses and faces to work with. :)

stranger 33 :: imani

2010-07-10T17:39:00.003-04:00

imani is 13, she was reluctant to have her picture taken. she started off by covering her face and then burst out laughing. this makes me laugh. i love it.

stranger 32 :: andray

2010-07-10T17:38:00.002-04:00

i love this picture of andray. he's 15, the oldest of the group, the tallest of the group, and you wouldn't know from this picture, but the goofiest of the group.

stranger 31 :: rah

2010-07-10T17:37:00.002-04:00

rah works as park ranger at coney island. he's been working there for 4 years. i asked him was his specialty was and he told me keeping people safe and flirting with all the pretty women. awe.

stranger 30 :: ana

2010-07-10T17:36:00.000-04:00

i approached ana as she was stretching after a run down the beach. she let me know that she was on vacation with her family in brighton beach, and that this was the first day it's really been cool enough to take a run. even though i'm not a runner, i had to agree. i had a really nice chat with ana about where she's originally from, the fast pace of the city, etc. i began to leave the pier ahead of ana, but when she ran by me she wished me good luck on the project. it was very genuine.

stranger 29 :: anthonia

2010-07-10T17:34:00.001-04:00

anthonia was also on the pier out at coney island handing out religious tracks to strangers. she probably approached more strangers on that pier alone than i did in the whole day. you could see in her smile that she is full of life and love.

stranger 28 :: chelsea

2010-07-10T17:33:00.002-04:00

i met chelsea while she was waiting for a friend out on the pier in coney island. i saw her hair blowing and it looked so pretty that i knew i had to ask her for her portrait. so as soon as she set down her phone i headed right over to her. the wind didn't pick up as much as i would have liked, but i still love this shot.

strangers 25 - 27

2010-07-10T17:31:00.002-04:00

kee, julio, & chris.

stranger 27 :: kee

2010-07-10T17:30:00.000-04:00

this is kee. he came over as i was shooting julio (yes, another stranger!). he let me know that they have all been friends since they were very young. it seems to be a common story in a few of these portrait groups, but i still love hearing people tell me that they've know each other since they were kids.

stranger 26 :: julio

2010-07-10T17:29:00.001-04:00

julio was one of chris' friends that happen to be in the same area waiting for a few more friends. it was really hard to choose just one photo from the 5 that i took. they were all subtly different from the one before. this was the last one i took of julio. good choice :)

stranger 25 :: chris

2010-07-10T17:28:00.002-04:00

chris was another stranger that happened to tell me to take his picture as i walked down the boardwalk. i know that's really not how the project is supposed to work, but i highly doubt when people do this, they actually think i'm going to stop and turn and make a 10 minute portrait session out of that one moment. chris was sitting on a cooler waiting for some of his buddies. i told him that he was in luck because i don't have any strangers on coolers yet. and luckily for me chris had friends around that i could approach for more stranger portraits.

stranger 23 :: eser

2010-07-10T17:26:00.002-04:00

before i could take his photo, eser asked me if i was from a talent agency because he's looking for work as an extra. unfortunately for him i'm not, but fortunately for me, he was excited to have his portrait taken anyway. eser also works at coney island, but just for the summer. he told me that his girlfriend in Turkey says he looks like River Phoenix. i couldn't stop myself from pointing out the obvious, "Isn't he... not alive anymore?". he said yes, and we both had a good inappropriate laugh.

stranger 23 :: elnur

2010-07-10T17:25:00.001-04:00

this is elnur. now i know i shouldn't promote smoking, and i'm not a smoker myself, but for some reason i love photos of people smoking. anyways, elnur works at coney island in the park. he was very friendly allowing me to bother him while he's on a break from work.

stranger 22 :: abdula

2010-07-10T17:24:00.001-04:00

abdula, abdula, abdula. i met abdula in brighton beach as well. i heard his whole life story but only retained the part where he told me that he came from Albania in the 60's. i wish i could have talked to him for longer; he seems like he'd have a million stories for me. this is definitely one of my favorite shots of today. i have a feeling that if i ever see abdula again, he'll remember exactly who i am.

stranger 21 :: roberto

2010-07-10T17:23:00.002-04:00

i was able to snag and individual of roberto before him and victor left. i'm really glad i did! what a great smile!

stranger 20 :: victor (left)

2010-07-10T17:22:00.002-04:00

i met victor on the boardwalk in brighton beach. his friend roberto called out to me to take their picture as i walked by. so i did. roberto was out visiting from CT.

stranger 19 :: the russian

2010-07-10T17:20:00.002-04:00

this is my new russian friend. i met him at brighton beach in brooklyn. his name i didn't get. but we spoke back and forth, (him in russian, me in english) and in the end we resolved that i would take his picture and he wouldn't object. stranger #19, tada!

.:summer brunch:.

2010-06-16T09:08:00.025-04:00

two of my favorite things in brookyn have coalesced into perfect weekends between 11-4. summer and brunch.

summer has just started, but brunch is always in full swing. the best thing about summer brunch is outdoor seating. there is nothing, and i mean NOTHING like a mimosa on a gorgeous morning, knowing that eggs, sausage, homefries, toast, coffee, & hollandaise on top of it all is yet to follow. your day can only get better from there.

rule #1 - never brunch alone!!

there is not a single person i know that doesn't like brunch. even if you call your friends up at 3:30 (most brunch is stopped serving at 4), you'll at least be able to gather up 12 people to come along. the only reason i've ever heard of people refusing brunch was they either just had brunch or are going to brunch somewhere else. everybody's doing it.

rule #2 - go to "real brunch".

"real brunch" is a term coined by rochesterians meaning alcohol with breakfast. a mimosa is the standard real brunch drink. however, most places are serving bloody mary(ies?)as well. depending on the mexican brunch place you go to, bloody marias and sangria have also been on the menu. don't ask me what a bloody maria is. but if you ask your hispanic boyfriend he'll make you believe that it is made with spanish liquor and you'll have no choice but to believe him.

rule #3 - go to Tom's rain or shine.

Tom's Restaurant is without a doubt, the most popular brunch place in brooklyn. If there is a line, wait in that line. trust me. the line moves quickly and you'll be full by the time you get inside. i have been offered everything in that line... oranges, french fries, sausage, cookies, coffee, strawberries with whipped cream, hand sanitizer, first born children, you name it...

my goto order at Tom's is 2 eggs scrambled, french fries, wheat toast, beef sausage with lemon, and coffee. now that i read that over, it's no wonder i have to be rolled to the bk flea every time.

new favorite at Tom's!! - LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES. you don't even know. Although there is no outdoor seating at Tom's it's still great food and an amazing atmosphere.

it's only mid june and i've already been to Tom's the past 2 weekends. (i just realized i don't have a single picture from Tom's)

but here are some of the other places i've gone...

The Farm on Adderley

Piquant

many more brunch shots to follow this summer.

stranger 18 :: elya

2010-05-07T19:56:00.000-04:00

the is elya, she was the last to be photographed individually. as i was showing her her photos she screamed "i look naked!" when i came across one without her straps showing. I made sure the portrait i chose had her straps in it. Luckily it was my favorite as well.

stranger 17 :: kaaran

2010-05-07T19:55:00.000-04:00

although this is a serious portrait of kaaran, she has a great smile! i think this was the only photo i have of her not smiling, but there's something really serene about this one to me. check out her smile in the group shot!

stranger 16 :: jaylie

2010-05-07T19:54:00.000-04:00

jaylie was the second of the group to be photographed. her whole look was just completely stunning, such a natural beauty. it was hard to choose just one portrait of her.

stranger 15 :: christina

2010-05-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

christina was the first volunteer to get her individual portrait taken. the first couple shots i got of her had candy apple ALL of her face. this photo is from our "reshoot". her outtakes are quite silly. i'm guessing she's the entertainment in the group often.

strangers :: 15 - 18

2010-05-07T19:51:00.000-04:00

i met these 4 young ladies sitting on some steps outside the carnival, talking to one another like 13 years olds do. they were all very sweet and very excited to have their pictures taken. i spent quite a bit of time with them compared to other portraits. i'm really excited to have some young blood in this project now.

stranger 14 :: arnando

2010-05-07T19:49:00.000-04:00

arnando!! arnando was finishing off his ice cream when i approached him. i told him that i liked his hat and that i'd like to take a picture of him. i don't believe that he understood much english. but i motioned to my camera and his hat and he turn towards me. i showed him his picture afterwards and said, "very handsome". he nodded in response. i think he understands english perfectly.

stranger 13 :: ashley

2010-05-07T19:45:00.000-04:00

this is actually my second shoot of ashley. i approached ashley at the candy apple cart (nom nom nom). the colors of the apples were a brilliant red... candy apple red. i took a few shots of her with the apples, but the angle was off, and she wasn't interested in looking at me.
i told her thank you, and walked away reviewing my pictures. i was not really happy with them. i asked her for just one more picture looking directly at me. and i'm glad i did.

stranger 12 :: john

2010-05-07T19:37:00.001-04:00

this is john. he didn't say much when i approached him. i asked him to take his picture - he shrugged and nodded. i told him why - he nodded again. i said thank you, he gave me one quick downward nod. beginning to think he might be mute, i went out on a limb and asked him his name. he told it me it was john.
later i was walking past one of the games at the carnival and there john was on the microphone VERY loud trying to bring people into the game. what gives?! :P

stranger 11 :: frank

2010-05-07T19:32:00.000-04:00

i intentionally went out in search of strangers after work today. i specifically went to 25th street between 8th & 9th because i saw a carnival being set up the day before.
i was taking pictures of the peppers hanging in the windows of the sausage truck and frank was watching me. when i looked up he would look away. after this happened a couple times. i asked frank if i could take his picture and he said sure. i explained to him why, but he didn't really seem interested. oh well.

.:dandies:.

2010-05-03T13:26:00.007-04:00

.:jones beach:.

2010-05-03T13:26:00.002-04:00

.:yankees tilt shift:.

2010-05-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

stranger 10 :: julia

2010-04-11T13:19:00.002-04:00

This is Julia. Her portrait was more of a "click and run" sort of photo. I saw her coming down the street in New York with this beautiful bird on her shoulder and just HAD to stop her. I didn't really have a choice. So I jumped in front of her as she passed, asking to take her picture. That was about it. I got her name but didn't get the birds name. Darn it. :)

stranger 9 :: miguel

2010-04-11T13:17:00.003-04:00

I met Miguel in Manhattan on a trip around the Lower East Side with a few friends. It was a quick encounter, but Miguel was very gracious allowing me to take his picture. He's actually the first person I've showed the pictures to after taking them. From his reaction, I think he really liked them. Throughout the day I kept going back through my camera looking at this shot, hoping it would be just as great when I uploaded it. It definitely is, and is quickly becoming my new favorite. Thanks Miguel!!

stranger 8 :: loretta

2010-04-03T13:54:00.003-04:00

I saw Loretta and (who I assumed to be) her daughter taking pictures of each other at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. I didn't want to interrupt them, but Loretta looked so great with her bright pink sweater, I just had to ask. Her daughter mentioned that she wore the same sweater last year when they came to see the cherry blossoms. Who knows, maybe I'll run into them again next year :)

stranger 7 :: ruth

2010-04-03T13:52:00.001-04:00

I met Ruth while I was at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens on a Saturday morning. I saw her taking pictures like everyone else. She seemed very approachable. Told me that her full name is Ruth Rose (how beautiful!). We parted ways, as Ruth went to photograph a bird. I obviously don't know Ruth personally, but I feel like her portrait just radiates her kindness and good heart.

stranger 6 :: john

2010-03-21T13:16:00.003-04:00

This is John. After an afternoon of walking through Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, my friend and I stumbled upon a used bookstore. John owns The Community Bookstore and although there were stacks of books to the ceiling and hardly a clear path to walk through, John knew every book he had and just where each book was.
I asked John to take his picture and he obliged. Then I gave him my card and said that he'd be able to find his photo on my site in a couple days. John then told me, "I don't own a computer, but good luck with the project."

.:much love, nana:.

2010-03-20T11:05:00.000-04:00

.:chickadees:.

2010-02-28T11:13:00.001-05:00

.:mendon ponds::rochester:.

2010-02-28T11:09:00.004-05:00

.:the many faces of lincoln:.

2010-02-28T10:59:00.003-05:00

.:bay ridge, brooklyn:.

2010-02-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

stranger 5 :: andy

2010-02-21T19:57:00.000-05:00

I met Andy on a field trip with my friends out to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We stopped at The Salty Dog Bar & Grill for a quick drink before we moseyed on our way, but ended up staying for lunch. Andy was our bartender & server for the afternoon. I first asked if I could take his picture, and I got a big fat no. Then I told him why and all about my 100 strangers project. Andy was a good sport and just like I promised, it was painless. Thanks Andy!!

stranger 4 :: assunta

2010-02-21T19:56:00.002-05:00

I met Assunta on a field trip with my friends out to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. On a quick detour, part of the group decided that they wanted to check out the bakery across the street, so we all went along. That's where I met Assunta. Being a large group we all got to talking to her and she invited us (all 9 of us) into the backroom where they do all the baking. It was amazing! Seeing all the old equipment and smelling the fresh bread was about the coolest thing that we did that day. She even let us stick our heads a little too close into the brick oven to check out the flames from the coals.
Assunta owns St. Anthony's Bakery and has worked there for the last 30 years.

.:lunch at Pala:.

2010-02-13T21:41:00.003-05:00

stranger 3 :: mark

2010-02-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

This is Mark. We met just a few minutes after the photo of Jim was taken. Mark owns the restaurant "Fish Camp" in Siesta Key as well as a few others. It opened just a few days before we met. I let Mark know that he looks like George Clooney. Right away you could tell that it wasn't the first time he had hear this. He said he's gotten Rosemary Clooney before. We got into some camera talk and he told me that he's made a few films and also used to live in Brooklyn.

stranger 2 :: jim

2010-02-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

This is Jim. I met Jim while I was in Sarasota. He was standing outside an old movie theater giving out promo cards for his restaurant "Panini Press". He told me that they have the best coffee in Sarasota, because they roast their beans right there. I never got a chance to try it, but I'm sure he was right.
Come to find out Jim used to work as a rep for a major pharmaceutical company and used to live in NJ. Sarasota seems to suit him just fine.

stranger 1 :: antoni

2010-02-03T13:39:00.001-05:00

This is Antoni. We met at JFK. He was heading to Vegas with his son in law as I was heading to Sarasota with my boyfriend. He asked us where he could find the smoking area. I think he was joking but you couldn't really tell.

.:sunday morning:.

2010-01-24T23:53:00.000-05:00

.:oxfords:.

2010-01-03T23:55:00.001-05:00

.:cranberry sauce:.

2009-11-30T22:06:00.001-05:00

.:oscar:.

2009-11-30T19:54:00.000-05:00

.:coming soon:.

2009-10-13T20:51:00.003-04:00

.:heather & joe's wedding::oct 3:.

.:nova scotia::august 20-27:.

.:camping::august 14-16:.

.:casey & rick's wedding::june 13:.

.:coney island ttv::take 2:.

2009-07-22T00:12:00.002-04:00

.:mj remembered::tribute:.

2009-07-22T00:04:00.002-04:00

.:mj remembered::black or white:.

2009-07-22T00:00:00.004-04:00

.:mj remembered::the apollo:.

2009-07-21T23:57:00.002-04:00

.:mj remembered::times square:.

2009-07-21T23:54:00.001-04:00

.:coney island AVP::july 3rd:.

2009-07-21T23:51:00.002-04:00

.:coney island AVP::block:.

2009-07-21T23:48:00.003-04:00

.:coney island AVP::the fellas:.

2009-07-21T23:46:00.002-04:00

.:coney island AVP::the girls:.

2009-07-21T23:42:00.002-04:00

.:lincoln bradley:.

2009-07-10T19:07:00.003-04:00

.:lincoln bradley + mommy & daddy:.

2009-07-10T18:59:00.005-04:00

.:lincoln bradley + aunt jenna:.

2009-07-10T18:44:00.005-04:00

.:lincoln bradley + papa & grammie:.

2009-07-10T18:43:00.000-04:00

.:lincoln bradley + family:.

2009-07-10T18:42:00.000-04:00

2009-06-23T14:52:00.001-04:00

bottle

2009-06-15T16:36:00.001-04:00

.:memorial day weekend in west hampton:.

2009-05-25T22:19:00.001-04:00

.:giggles:.

2009-05-25T22:14:00.000-04:00

.:kids:.

2009-05-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

.:sweets:.

2009-05-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

.:PBJ in the Park:.

2009-04-26T17:08:00.002-04:00

.:zoo:.

2009-04-26T12:47:00.000-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T22:00:00.001-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T21:58:00.000-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T21:54:00.001-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T21:53:00.003-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T21:52:00.004-04:00

.:togethers:.

2009-04-19T21:50:00.001-04:00

.:Brooklyn Botanical Garden:.

2009-04-19T21:47:00.001-04:00

.:Brooklyn Botanical Garden:.

2009-04-19T21:44:00.001-04:00

.:BBG::revisited TTV:.

2009-04-19T19:22:00.006-04:00

2009-04-19T19:18:00.003-04:00

.:brooklyn is for bikers:.

2009-04-19T19:14:00.005-04:00

.:Grand Army Plaza Farmers Market:.

2009-04-19T18:44:00.005-04:00

2009-04-10T09:43:00.000-04:00

2009-03-31T19:04:00.002-04:00

2009-03-31T19:00:00.001-04:00