PHOTOGRAPHY project-please help me!

Hello,

i am in my third year of studying documentary photography (BAhons). The course involves a lot of work with strangers, going out and meeting people, phone calls, asking them for their time and their help and i just can't do it. For the past two years all my projects have been based on people i have known- family.. but now my teachers have started to get a little impatient.

This might be a silly idea that wont work at all but i thought that maybe my first ever real documentary photography project could be on social anxiety. I felt it would be something i could relate to grately and in a way this might make me feel a little more comfortable (im not sure about the comfortable feelings of the people in the pictures?). Though i realise maybe a lot of the people who feel these things may feel uncomfortable with having their picture taken and meeting a stranger. I am not entierly sure how i would portray social anxiety etc but i would like to try and show what a burden and how life controling they are. I was thinking i could do a series of portriats with some text written by each individual .. saying a little about themselves and how the anxiety affects their lives.

I was wondering whether any body here would mind having their photograph taken for this project? You wouldn't have to look at the camera or do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable, I would prefer them to look as natural as possible, so i wouldn't want any fake smiling. Also my camera is a Bronica-which i look down into, which i feel is a little less intrusive.

I really, really need quite a few more people!! I need anout 18 people in total and so far only have taken 6 peoples portraits (from a different forum). So please help out if you can, i realy really need it!

I live in the north west but will travel to where ever you are

Thank you so much if you have read this far.
and Thank you for your time.

thank you

I'm a photographer too, and my work is greatly affected by my social anxiety. Which makes sense as photography is an art of self expression. I think it has helped me develop a unique voice. Feel free to sample my work at http://www.douglasljungkvist.com

When I started shooting two years ago I was very aware that little of my work included people. So I tried to change that, but the quality and my joy for photography suffered. Eventually I realized that shooting people is not my strength. I shoot weddings as a second photographer. This is perfect for me. It allows me to freelance and shoot candidly what captures my eye and let the other photographer worry about doing the formals. My personal work tends to have feelings of detachment and alienation. It's my voice and I like it now. If I didn't have SA it would probably look very different.

My black & white photography is very dark and pessimistic in a German Expressionistic way. But this is how I see the world. I would not show this work for the longest time as I felt it was too personal and people would know that I have SA or think there is something wrong with me. Now I hope they do, then I've succeeded in using my photography to communicate and express myself. To my surprise, I have received great feedback and accolades for this work and will have a show in a Chelsea gallery with it in 2008

So my advise to anyone with SA who is considering photography, is be be true to yourself, shoot what you know, and they way you see things.

Regards,

Douglas[/b]