The stories behind personal projects are fascinating, but we particularly love that these portraits were born not from some lofty creative goals but out of honest, human insecurity. Someone that’s always struggled with shyness, Marc Janks decided to confront his anxiety head-on by starting conversations with and shooting portraits of compete strangers in New York City.
An avid photographer and lover of all things film, Marc decided he could use his talents to push past his anxiety. “I couldn’t sit back and do nothing, so I picked up my camera to overcome it,” he said, and Who Are You New York was born.
“My first portrait was a really interesting one. I had a half-hour conversation with Rafi before I finally mustered up the courage to take his picture. I almost didn’t ask him,” Mark said. “But I thought it my head, ‘I’ve come this far, why not just ask.’ I tried to put all my worries and anxieties to the back of my mind and I just did it.” His first connection gave him the courage to try again, and pretty soon he was meeting and photographing all kinds of people.
Each portrait he posts includes a brief note about the person and peek into their story, adding that much more meaning to his work. The images below are some of our favorites from his collection.
Marc shoots his portraits for this project exclusively on film, using a Yashicamat 124g.
Art generated from such a meaningful and personal place always shines, and you can see much more on his Tumblr dedicated to the project.
When a series or a single photograph makes us stop and stare we share it here with you. Our “Right Brain” series is filled with photographs and projects that get our creative wheels spinning.