Lisa and Adam

This is my first photographic contribution to Kissing Strange and it is, without a doubt, perfect. A milestone for the project. The first image of many. If the enthusiasm I felt from the first group of subjects is any indication, this project will be a huge success. I am sure there will be down moments, but right now I am soaring.

Lisa (Student) and Adam (Army)

view flickr

I talked to some of Adam's friends who were incredibly supportive and interested in the project and I asked them the "big" open-ended question....What does a kiss mean to you?

In one way or another it is a connection. Be it friends or foes...I've kissed enemies, but ultimately it is about connecting. -Andria L. 

Short interview 01-26-09/Bull McCabe's Irish Pub (Durham, NC)

JC: Tell me about your first kiss.

Lisa P. [Beaming] I was 18 and in the UK in a town near Cambridge at the School of English. There was this guy from Barcelona - [Lisa herself is from Spain] - in the class and we started flirting and on one night, with a full moon and stars everywhere in a garden by the manor house we started kissing slow at first and then more and more and more and more and it was great. I am still friends with him.

JC: How about you, Adam, when was your first kiss and what was it like?

Adam M. [Red in the face and being teased by his friends a little]. I was twelve, no, 13, and her name was...what was her name?...Leah! We were hanging out at church and we snuck off to the back room and made out for a while. It was sweet. 

I am hoping that once Alexis and I hit our stride with this projects and the venue is suitable, we can get more extensive interviews, but even short ones seem to tell the tale -- an intensely private and important moment in their lives, one they have not probably thought about in years. In some respects I did not need their answers, their fidgeting and almost electrified body language was more than enough.

To reiterate what Alexis wrote in her last blog post: To all of you, I am moved and extremely grateful. Keep spreading the word and if you or anyone you know would like to participate by being on camera, please reach out. J and I are on the boundary-breaking hotline. We can be found by clicking our pictures below the About This Project box to the right, or you can just email us at kissingstrange@gmail.com.

x

-j

kissingstrange.blogspot.com

Because we're all family