Strangers B&W

I met Ayla at the local Vet where she is a busy Vet Nurse. She kindly allowed me to take her portrait after I described the 100 Strangers project. After I had seen the Vet with my dog Angus, Ayla posed for a photo and we sorted out the prescribed medication. Ayla likes living and working in the Noosa area because she calls it home. She loves the beaches and the fact that it has a slower pace than city life. She has been to the Northern Territory for a couple of months, has travelled to New York and would like to travel to Europe next. This was a spontaneous photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S, the only camera with me at the time. Stranger 01 (2013)

I met Simon at the Noosa Surf Festival Tiki Bar on the Beach. Simon was really cool with having his photo taken He was working part time as a Barman during the Surf Festival, and was pretty busy at the bar. He also has his own car detailing business as well as being an enthusiastic surfer. A fun character, he is a Noosa local and he was happy to pose for a second photo. I said he was my number 2 stranger and he said he would rather be number 1. I said that number 1 was a pretty girl and he said "so it's beauty and the beast" :-) Thank you Simon. It was great to meet you. The first photo was spontaneous with the Samsung Galaxy S. The second was with the Canon SLR. It was difficult to choose the main shot. Technically the image from the SLR was much better, but the first photo on the Samsung was more appealing. So appeal won. Stranger 02 (2013)

I met Ian during the Noosa Surf Festival on Main Beach. I had taken a couple of photos of a Canon 7D camera with a very large zoom lens, which was set up in a prime position to take photos of the competing surfers. Then Ian stood up and started taking photos with the impressive camera. I asked if I could take his photo. He was happy to oblige. He lives in Coolum which he likes as it is quieter than Noosa, and is a keen Surfer himself. He is the chief photographer for the Noosa Surf Festival event. He describes himself as a semi professional photographer and before this he was the head of a TV station, WIN channel for Wide Bay. Ian is originally from Wollongong in New South Wales. Noosa, Queensland. Photo with camera in Note on main image. Read more about Ian at www.oceansurfphotos.com.au Stranger 03 (2013)

I met Ian during the Noosa Surf Festival on Main Beach. I had taken a couple of photos of a Canon 7D camera with a very large zoom lens, which was set up in a prime position to take photos of the competing surfers. Then Ian stood up and started taking photos with the impressive camera. I asked if I could take his photo. He was happy to oblige. He lives in Coolum which he likes as it is quieter than Noosa, and is a keen Surfer himself. He is the chief photographer for the Noosa Surf Festival event. He describes himself as a semi professional photographer and before this he was the head of a TV station, WIN channel for Wide Bay. Ian is originally from Wollongong in New South Wales. Noosa, Queensland. Read more about Ian at www.oceansurfphotos.com.au Stranger 03 (2013)

I was taking a photo of the Hey Bill refreshments trailers on Noosa Boardwalk when Bill waved to me. I went over and took a photo of him, and asked if he would like to be on the Internet. He said he had been on the Internet a few times. I mentioned my 100 strangers project and Bill said I should take a photo of his two friends there. One of them, Angie, said she had a story about Bill. In the 70s he was already involved in Noosa tourism by helping to keep the beaches clean, and she knew this because she had helped him at the time. Later he started selling oranges to locals and visitors. Hey Bill is a Noosa icon, having worked on the Noosa beaches for over 40 years. He now has a quad bike with two trailers offering Coffee, Spring Water, Drinks and All Things Nice. He says come on over any time and say 'Hey'. Many thanks Bill, it was a pleasure to meet you and your friends :-) You can read more about Hey Bill in this 2009 article.. www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/hey-bill-still-part-pa... You can see Bill's trailers reflected in his sunglasses :-) Stranger 21 (2013)

I met Steve at the Noosa Surf Festival Tiki Bar on the Beach. He is a Noosa local, loves the area, and loves to surf. He has been manufacturing surf boards for 15 years and has his own business doing this. He makes all shapes and sizes of unique wooden surf boards and paddle boards, having a passion for lines, curves and flow. He also likes working in other areas, helping out friends occasionally in their businesses. Read more about Steve at woodensurfboardsshapesbysteveo.com.au Stranger 04 (2013) Colour version in Note on main image.

Ayla, Simon, Ian and Steve. Noosa, Queensland.

Halfway mark in my 100 Strangers project 29 May 2016. I started this project 12 March 2013. It is a challenge to photograph 100 strangers and also find out a little about them. To me this is an opportunity to present a cross section of the different and interesting people who live and work in this beautiful area. So far I have met people from Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, France, the Netherlands and the USA.