I work in a shared executive office, which means there are many different companies sharing common facilities, but otherwise not related at all. It's a weird kind of feeling, because you see the same people on a regular basis but they're not colleagues - it's more like a neighbourhood ! I've been here for over 5 years and seen many different companies and people come and go. I've causually met a few people over the years, but late last year, I started to make a point of getting to know more of my neighbours.
I walked into the office this morning and walked by one of the larger, multi-person corner offices and the morning light coming in was beautiful. Nadia was sitting at her computer and the lighting and the colour of her sweater just stood out ! I hadn't met Nadia before today so I dropped off my stuff in my office and returned to her office to introduce myself and see if I could take her picture.
I set the camera up before I approached her so I wouldn't be fumbling with the settings while I was introducing myself. As I asked if I could take her photograph I could tell she wasn't that comfortable with the idea, but she laughed a little, so I snapped a few shots before she had time to worry about a pose - I really like the result.
As she recognized my English accent, we quickly talked about our backgrounds. Nadia is originally from Pakistan, moved to Saudi Arabia, then the UK and has now been here in Canada for 5 years - she calls herself "a global soul". We agreed that the Canadian winters are a little harsh but the morning sun on her face was cheering her up.
This is the first "stranger" I've met at the office. It's an unusual situation, where someone is a stranger one minute, you introduce yourself, learn their name and little about them,and then they're part of your life.
Funny we didn't talk business at all.
Nadia is #39 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com.
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