PhotoJ: Icebreaker

"Describe a recent moment of happiness."

I asked this open ended question/statement to "break the ice" with a variety people over the course of the past week. The assignment was meant to teach us to reach past our comfort zone and learn to be professional when interviewing a photographic subject. The photo itself had to be within certain parameters: tight on the face and not too much extraneous information from the environment. 

The responses to my question/statement ranged from sarcastic to simple. Some answers were truncated, others were paired with elaborate stories about searching for happiness. Each person I talked to was interesting and amiable. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting each and every one of them. 

Elizabeth Knight, 28, translates 4-year-old Evan’s explanation of his recent moment of happiness saying, “We went on a school tour today and they had little cars, like a mini roller coaster for kids.”

Penny Ferguson, 47, is happy about “having the nice weather today.” The sunshine brings a lot of customers into her flower shop, A Lot of Flowers, on 11^th Street and Harris Avenue.

Sam Barber, 28, was really happy he didn’t die after going to the Emergency Room three times in a week before doctors finally found out that he had appendicitis and removed it before it ruptured. “It was on my birthday too!” he says.

Paul Parker, 55, was happy “when [he] got up and everything didn’t hurt at the same time.” He laughs saying, “You’ll understand that later.”

Danny Soloff, 19, describes a happy moment with a group of friends: “We decided it would be cool if we started om-ing and all energy broke loose,” he says. “I felt so aware and present.” He comments that the experience is difficult to describe because it was “otherworldly.”

Yan Chen, 31, says she likes to play with her son. It makes her happy “when [her] son gives [her] a hug or a kiss.”