100 Strangers Project - 21 and 22 of 100 / April 26, 2015 by Michael Pung

I came across Amy and Marcos as they were walking down Brick Lane enjoying their frozen yogurts. About the yogurts, I asked them if they would recommend them and they said they were alright, though nothing really to write home about. Good to know!

Amy is an apprentice tattoo artist and has been one for 15 months. Before this, she was working at job in marketing but decided to change career paths on suggestion from her boyfriend. She has not looked back. She enjoys being social and would like to one day live abroad, perhaps somewhere in the United States or Australia.

Marcos on the other hand, hails from Portugal and is employed as a waiter at a restaurant in Brick Lane. He is content with his job, but has aspirations to travel the world. He too wants to go to Australia and harbours an ambition to experience new and different cultural pursuits such as having a BBQ on the beach on Christmas.

What is some life advice you would give to your future children?

Amy - "Be yourself."

Marcos - "If you never make any mistakes, you'll never learn."

Thanks for taking part in the project guys and good luck with your ambitions!

Guild London Photo Walk / April 22, 2015 by Michael Pung

Just a quick post on what I did on Saturday 18th of April. I was invited to take part in a photo walk around central London, with people from a variety of photography groups. It was brilliant meeting up with like-minded people and gave me a chance to get into discussions about photography, gear and other random things.

The plan was to meet at the London Eye and then via Westminster tube, make our way to Soho, Chinatown, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Embankment and Southbank. Somewhere along the way, myself and Katherine (a friend I made from a previous walk) lost the group and ended up in Oxford Circus. But it did give us a chance to catch some great opportunities:

The Thirst - A band from Brixton. They play funk-inspired tunes.

Probably the widest grin I've ever seen.

Central London was buzzing all over, with opportunities almost everywhere on the street to take photos. There's something very vibrant about London especially heading into the warmer months, which makes me quite excited about spending time here in the summer.

For anyone into photography, no matter the level, going on a photo-walk is something I highly recommend that you do. It's fun, you meet great people and it inspires you to take photos!

100 Strangers Project 20/100 / April 20, 2015 by Michael Pung

On the hottest day of the season so far (it was 25 degrees!), I came across Yaz. She was on her way to work and she had her earphones plugged into her ears. She was in a bit of a rush so we didn't have much time to chat, but I complemented her on her outfit and she was flattered. She remarked that she was told by one of her friends on Snapchat that her outfit was hideous, but I think she has a great sense of style.

What are your strengths?

"I can talk."

And what is your weakness?

(laughs) "I can talk."

When pressed, she claimed she has a weakness for cigarettes, but she is looking at quitting someday.

Thank you Yaz for taking part in the project and hope you enjoy the images.

100 Strangers Project - 19/100 / April 19, 2015 by Michael Pung

I was strolling around Belgrade's bohemian quarter when I discovered Jana sitting with her puppy Quince. As it turns out, she was waiting for a friend who she was helping out with his radio show... and he was running late.

Being a fan of Humans of New York, she was absolutely delighted to take part. I found out that in terms of her fashion, Jana 'discovered' colours fairly recently and has incorporated them into her sense of style. In the past, she tended to wear more muted, neutral colours- similar to my style at this very moment! In addition to this, she is currently studying a PHD in the arts and is going to take part in a female art exhibition in London later in the year.

About a year ago, Jana wanted to get a new puppy as she missed her old dog. So when she was on the lookout for a new companion, she visited her friend who had a couple of puppies. Once she was there, Quince came up to her and climbed into her bag! It was destiny... and perhaps even love at first sight.

Thank you Jana and Quince for taking part in the project and have the best time in London!

100 Strangers Project - 17 and 18/100 / April 14, 2015 by Michael Pung

I was on my way back home from work at Camden Town when I noticed Julia's bright blue hair from a mile away. I absolutely knew that I needed to approach these two for my project. And when I did, they seemed to be quite receptive to the idea and we got talking... for quite a while!

Julia is a tattoo artist who is currently at school. Her biggest inspiration when it comes to the artform is an artist named Kat Von D. In addition to this, she stated that her mother was an influence for pursuing the art.

Chris on the other hand, is a photographer specialising in music photography. He told me that his father wanted him to get into engineering, but he decided to study photography instead. He remarked that his mother was the one who helped him get into it and in fact, he was carrying three cameras that day!

Asking about how they met, I found out that they started chatting to each other through Facebook after Chris sent her a message regarding her hair colour. Additionally, they share a love for anime and manga and have been friends since. Chris said it was her birthday that day and he bought her a carpet.

We were located under a bridge near the markets and we moved to find some better light for the photoshoot. During an intermission, Chris casually rolled up his cigarette. He politely asked if it was okay that he smoked and I told him it was fine. Seeing the opportunity, Julia proposed the idea of taking photos of him blowing smoke. These are the resulting photos:

Thanks for taking part in the project guys and I wish you well on your passions and who knows, we may meet again.

100 Strangers Project - 16/100 / March 15, 2015 by Michael Pung

Another day, another outing at Brick Lane.

I came across Nathan sitting outside of the 'Art of the Brick' exhibition enjoying a conversation with his partner Celu. I initially walked past him because I had a sudden case of nervousness when he caught my eye, but I told my friend who was with me that I wanted to go back and take his photo.

Nathan is a PE teacher who works at a school in East London. He has been teaching for 5 years.

What are you passionate about?

"I'm passionate about two things: sports and my heritage."

"I'm from Barbados on my mother's side and Mauritius on my father's side. He is also of Indian descent."

He seemed to be proud about his upbringing and of the people who brought him to the world.

I also found out that Nathan has been dating Celu for around a year now, someone who he met when he was in Belgium. I jokingly remarked that he doesn't have to play the Tinder game like so many Londoners and he said:

"I actually met her through Tinder when I was travelling in Belgium."

He went on saying that it did start off as a fling, but when he came back from his travels they kept in touch and things developed from there.

Thank you Nathan for taking part in the project and Celu for being patient during the photo session.

100 Strangers Project - 15/100 / March 9, 2015 by Michael Pung

So the month of March is upon us and the weather is finally becoming warmer! This is great because it's easier for me to stay out longer and devote more time to my strangers project.

Kim was on her way from work to meet up with her friend. I asked her the question and she inquisitively asked where I was from. As it turns out, she too is a fellow Australian and picked out my accent instantly.

Kim is a primary school teacher who is on her final 2 months of her Visa here in the UK and was vibrant in our interaction.

So I asked her: "Since you work with children, what is one piece of life advice you would give to them?"

"You've got to follow through with what you love."

Kim was the first stranger to invite me for drinks after our photoshoot. So thanks Kim, enjoyed the banter and wish you well on your return home.

First Post - A Day at Mudchute Farm / February 20, 2015 by Michael Pung

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

The day was Tuesday. My friends and I took the public transit to a farm located in one of the boroughs of east London. It was a cloudless day and there was a warmth in the air that was absent the day before. The scenery was lush, with wide green pastures - trees bountiful. Squirrels were cautiously watching families stroll throughout the farm, keeping their distance. Also, there was an assortment of sheep, llamas, chickens, horses, donkeys and an impossibly large pig spread out around this small farm. All of this was juxtaposed with the backdrop of the big city.

I've haven't been to a farm like this in a very long time. Perhaps it's because I've always lived in a big city and making the trip away to see a farm never crossed my mind. Yet when we arrived, I instantly felt like a child again and I saw excited looks on both adults and children alike. I savour moments like these, and always look forward to doing random things with my friends. The company really helped make the day - and pictured below are some of the coolest kids in London (+my friends).