Capturing the Moment

For the past two weeks I've been spending my spare time asking random individuals if they would like to participate in our project by asking them their favorite food and activity. After recording this information, I would then ask if it was okay if I took a picture of them holding a blank white sheet of paper to their chest. For the most part, the first half of the process was easy. People didn't hesitate to answer questions about food, but the picture taking proved to be more difficult. This is where I lost their interest. Interesting enough, most of the girls I asked were extremely kind until I asked to take their picture. After that triggering question, their smiles would vanish and a horrifying look would suddenly dawn upon their eyes. Guys on the other hand were more agreeable and didn't seem to think much of it at all.

The majority of the time, people participated with ease and were generous with their time. However, one day as I was walking down Tech Walkway, I saw another group of students with a sign "Want a Cookie?" Looking closely at their strategy, I realized their tactic was to lure their prey in with food and go in for the kill by telling them that they would only receive it if they participated in the project. Clever. If I had done this I'm sure I would have had a line of participants waiting. However, our group didn't want to "bribe" students to participate, because the process would defeat the purpose of a collaborative creativity project.