Why this Dallas photographer stops strangers on the street
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Matthew Norton wants people to feel good about themselves again. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios
If you frequent Bishop Arts or Downtown Dallas, you may run into Matthew Norton and his camera.
- If you're extra lucky, he might ask you to pose for some quick portraits. For free.
Why it matters: Norton's Stranger Portraits series highlights and celebrates unassuming North Texans as they go about their lives.
- "When I photograph people, I try to make community out of it," Norton tells Axios.
State of play: Norton, a self-taught photographer, left his job as an executive assistant in July to address his "creative deficit" and explore what might come next in his career.
- The photo series is, in part, inspired by his Christian faith.
- "You can engage, interact and become very generous, gracious, friendly, hospitable with any person if you're willing — but the problem is, too many people just aren't willing," Norton says.
- Since July, he's counted 50 interactions with strangers, sometimes including multiple people at a time.
How it works: Norton walks around areas in Dallas with a video camera attached to his shirt, just in case he finds someone to photograph. Clips from his interactions sometimes appear on his Instagram account.
- The conversations usually start with, "Excuse me, when was the last time someone took a portrait of you?" He then explains that the portraits are free — the individual can DM him on Instagram to receive their images.
- "They may not be welcome to having a conversation or being asked detailed questions, but at the end of the day, they met someone who didn't need anything from them," Norton says.
Reality check: Photographing strangers in random places means accepting that the lighting or backdrop may not be perfect.
- Still, Norton's series brought a Dallas police sergeant to tears, gave a history lesson about the M-Line Trolley, and featured a FOX 4 technical director who is usually behind the scenes during broadcasts.
Zoom in: We tagged along with Norton in Bishop Arts on a recent afternoon.
- Bri Hayes and Brian Patterson caught Norton's eye as they were walking to a record store. After Norton explained his series, they agreed to pose for portraits in front of some businesses.
- The interaction took less than 15 minutes and included small talk about analog versus digital forms of music. Hayes is a DJ.
The intrigue: Norton is finding that his acts of kindness toward strangers have resulted in new friendships.
- Norton planned to only photograph strangers the day we met up in Bishop Arts. But, in less than an hour, we ran into three people he has photographed before.
The bottom line: "My whole goal is, I want people to know that they're seen," Norton says.