left to right.

Tristan. Megan. Tim.

Sherrie. Lauren. Jim.

Angela. David. Misty.

100 faces.

I've started the 365 day project about 10 times...as you know...

I do pretty well for a week or so and then something happens and a day goes by without me picking up my camera...and suddenly, without realizing it, I've not done my 365 project for a week.  I've shot images but not with my project in mind.

So...I decided I needed a project that didn't need my undivided attention for a certain amount of time every day...one that felt more like me and more real for what I love and one that I would be less apt to let fall through the cracks of my 4 children day.  I'm sure there are women out there with four children that can remember to do a 365 day project...I'm not one of them.  I tried to be...

many times...

again...

and again.

Not happening.

When I first got my SLR camera as a Christmas gift from my husband the year my sweet twin missies were born I took some community art center photography classes.  I was intrigued with the street photography of Henri Cartier Bresson and Doisneau.  I had been thinking to myself, "someday, I'm going to go to Paris and Italy and take some images like those."  

And then one day...probably when I was changing a poopy diaper...I realized..."What am I waiting for?! There is a downtown street here in my town.  I could just go down there and see what I see.  My life is at my own back door.  I don't have to travel 1/2 way around the world for my life to start."

That's when it happened...I fell in love with photography.  

That's when I realized that I could say something, I could see something.

Something that hadn't been said before...with my eyes.

I was nervous.  I didn't know what people would say or how they would react.  I just started walking around with my camera.  Some hoped they would be in the newspaper and were a little disappointed when I would say I was just doing a personal project.

Eventually, people saw my work.  I had multiple exhibitions and requests for my work to hang on the walls of shops on that street.

It became something that I didn't know it would become.  I met people I would have never met.  I learned things I would have never learned.  Things like:

Rail riders are a whole culture of people who want to see the world.  And they are interesting and I wish I could spend a year of my life seeing what they see, being who they are.

The street used to be the hub of the railroads back in the day.  It was bustling with activity and filled with entertainment.

There are underground tunnels from the days of prohibition.

There's nothing like a spring day with romance in the air on 25th street.

The downfall of one small business can change the entire feel of the street.

There's a farmers market every Saturday.

In the summer there's a Movie in the park every Monday night.

Old men who have lost their wives walk in a lonely haze down the same path everyday.

A bird lives on the top of a fence near Bistro 258.  One of her little babies fell out of the nest one day.  I saw a dad and his daughter gently return the sweet little bird to it's nest.

I saw couples who are in love walk down the street together...and couples who aren't in love anymore.

...I met friends because I got brave enough one day to walk downtown with my camera.

After moving here to Clover, I realized I'd not been downtown to see what's it's like where I live...I don't know the heart and soul of main street and so, I decided, it's time to change that...

And my project was born.

100 Faces of Clover.

In my last project in Ogden I didn't approach people very often.  I just saw and documented.  I used my 70-200mm most of the time.  It was safe.  I miss that and I think I'll still do some of that. 

For this project, though, I use my 50/1.2 or my 85/1.4 and ask people if I can take their picture.  Oh baby!  Every time I go out I'm so nervous until I get that first person under my belt!

My project is to get 100 faces of Clover.  Learn some of their stories and post them here.

I'm not sure where this is going to take me but I love the stories I've heard and the people I've met so far.

For some of my posts, I'll just show faces.  Other posts will be a face of Clover and a story to go with it.

This project doesn't require me to do something every day but its a project that incorporates some fun, some getting out of the house, people (my favorite part), and a plan.

What project are you working on?

daring. LIFE.