365 More People Pictures - Week 48

September 13, 2015 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hello! This is week 48 of the 365 More People Pictures Project.

In real time, I've actually finished this second 365 Day project. I've decided to combine the first 365 Day Project, together with this 365 Day Project, add another 270 Days, and call it: "1KPhotoaday." I'm currently working on the last 270 photos, and I instagram those pictures daily.

I'm sorry I've fallen so behind on the blog. Summer is peak season at my work and some big life changes are happening right now. I've fallen behind and it's been a challenge to catch up. Please know that I've continued to take a picture of a person every day, and if you'd like to follow along with the daily photo, my Instagram username is @missellanea.

Day 48 - Edward

This is Edward. We met at a rest stop along I-5.

The happiest thing happening in Edward's life, is his 10-year-old Son.

When I asked Edward his life's purpose, he explained that it changes all the time, but presently ,"it's my family...taking care of them."

"My career has been a success so far, and the raising of my family...that's what drives me," Edward said, when I asked something about himself he considers to be a success.

Thank you, Edward.

Day 330 - Deandre

This is Deandre. We met walking down the street.

"My children," Deandre answered, when I asked the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

Deandre's life's purpose: "to add to life."

"Graduating high school," Deandre said, is something about himself he considers a success.

Thank you, Deandre! Wishing you and your children much happiness.

Day 331 - Neil

This is Neil.

The happiest thing happening in his life is graduating college. Neil looked so stylish and professional, I assumed he had already landed a job after college and had just finished work, but Neil explained that he had been out job-hunting all day. I asked Neil what his dream job would be and he said working for ESPN.

"To learn and to educate others," Neil answered, when I asked his life's purpose.

When I asked Neil something about himself which he considers a success, he answered, "it took 8 years but I finished a college degree while holding down a job and going to school."

Congratulations, Neil! Wishing you the very best of luck in finding a job that both fulfills and sustains you.

Day 332 - Elissa

This is Elissa. We met at the bus stop.

When I asked Elissa the happiest thing happening in her life right now, she said that she's happy when she's tending to the plants she's growing, or whenever she's outside, or riding her bike.

I asked Elissa if she's recently performed an act of kindness or if she's been on the receiving end of kindness. On the receiving end, her co-worker had just given her a ride to the bus stop where we met. The ride cut out a ton of travel time and a couple busses on her commute home. On the giving end, Elissa found $10 and a receipt at the store. She gave both the money and the receipt to the cashier, hoping it could be returned.

"To realize my gifts and to embody them, and to use, or be, them to the fullest," Elissa answered, when I asked her life's purpose.

Elissa's answer touches on why I even ask this question. There are some pretty amazing people in my life, both personally and professionally. The only downside of being around so many amazing people who have their shit together, is that it can really cause you to question and examine your own life, sometimes resulting in massive feelings of inadequacy. Maybe "inadequacy" isn't the right word. At the very least, amazing people who have their shit together, motivate you to want to get your own shit together too!

One of the common characteristics of some of the people I admire and who are of inspiration to me, is that they don't wander aimlessly in life. They live with purpose and it seems like they've had definiteness of purpose nearly their entire lives. Like Elissa, even if they didn't know that exact purpose, they didn't sit around waiting for purpose to find them. They explored life, looking for meaning and their place in it.

Yes, I think it's probably apparent from this project and the questions that I ask, that I'm experiencing a bit of an existential crisis. I would blame it on my age, mid-40's, but I think I've been this way my entire life. I believe we're here for a reason, and as much as I've searched, I've not yet found mine. Hearing the answers of all of the subjects in this project is getting me closer to the target. Even the subjects in this project who believe we really have no set purpose in life, ironically, seem to fill the purpose of reminding the rest of us to be easy, have fun, enjoy life, and that pursuing happiness is an adequate and admirable purpose in life.

This project has gotten me closer to my life's purpose than anything I've experienced so far...I know it is part of my purpose. At least, it feels like the only meaningful thing I've done with myself in my 40-something years. But, I'm not done yet.

Thank you, Elissa. One of your gifts is planting seeds...be it seeds of actual plants, or of ideas. You help things to grow.

Day 333 - Tiana

This is Tiana. We met on the street.

The happiest thing happening in Tiana's life is that she just moved to Portland.

When I asked if she had recently performed and act of kindness or if she's been on the receiving end of an act of kindness, she said that a friend drove with her to help her move from Nebraska to Portland! What a great friend!

"To bear witness to other people's journey and to lead them gently back to themselves," Tiana said, is her life's purpose. If you gathered from Tiana's answer that she's a social worker, you would be correct.

Thank you, Tiana! Welcome to Portland!

Day 334 - Michelle

This is Michelle. We met on the street.

The happiest thing happening in her life is her new job, and hanging out with friends.

Michelle's recent act of kindness is that she gave a BBQ dinner to her neighbor who has 3 kids.

"To care about others and to give to others whatever I can," Michelle answered, when I asked her life's purpose. Michelle added that we always have something we could give, share or do for others. We may not have unlimited funds, but we can always give of our time or of ourselves.

Day 335 - Ryan

This is Ryan. We met on the street.

The happiest thing happening in his life is his new job.

When I asked Ryan if he's recently performed an act of kindness or if he's been on the receiving end of kindness, he answered, "both." Ryan collects jackets and clothing for homeless people and some of the local bars even help him in his collection efforts by setting out collection barrels to gather clothing. On the receiving end, his bike got a flat tire and a complete stranger gave him a ride home!

"To serve, and to be the neighbor that everybody wants," Ryan answered, when I asked his life's purpose.

"That I'm still alive," Ryan answered, when I asked something about himself he considers a success.

Thank you, Ryan. I would want you for my neighbor.

Here's a summary of the life's purposes of the subjects from this week:

It's my family...taking care of them.
To add to life.
To learn and educate others.
To realize my gifts and to embody them, and to use, or be, them to the fullest.
To bear witness to other people's journey and to lead them gently back to themselves.
To care about others and to give to others whatever I can.
To serve, and to be the neighbor that everybody wants.

Thank you for reading, and thank you to every subject in this project. If you're happy with your picture and would like a copy, please don't hesitate to email me.

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 41

May 25, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hello! Thank you for checking in on week 41 of The 365 Day People Picture Project!

If this is your first visit, I've challenged myself to take a picture of a person, every day, for an entire year. I had never owned a real camera, other than just point and shoot. (and it was film!) My intention was to learn how to operate my new DSLR, and to learn the art of photography. I feel the only thing I can say about my progress, so far, is that I've learned how to approach a stranger and talk with them without feeling like I could possibly die of shyness. The process of forcing myself to approach and interact with strangers has been exhausting, but also completely rewarding and life-changing.

It's almost as though I'm becoming re-wired. Before starting this project, I was always operating in the red on the stressed-out-o-meter. The only time I wasn't intensely contemplating work or life pressures, was when I was walking or hiking my favorite trails and parks. This project has forced me to get out of my own stressed-out head and to really see the people around me. Some of whom are also equally intense, or some people who seem to be the complete opposite and who seem to have mastered the ability to be completely present. It seems that no matter what our moods may have been at the moment I met each subject, I think we both left our interaction feeling a boost of happiness!

I've left each interaction feeling like my life was a little more enriched and I left feeling a slight honor that a person was willing to let me take their picture, and willing to share a little something about themselves. Now when I'm out and about, I make a conscious effort to spread smiles and act with patience and kindness. So many people in this project have shared their smiles and patience with me...I want to keep passing it on. It is my hope that this little project inspires you to feel and do the same.

Day 281 - Brandon, Ted and Fozzie

I met Brandon, Ted (the light dog) and Fozzie (the black dog) down at Esther Short Park, in Vancouver. I spotted Brandon and his wife and their canine kids when I first arrived at the park but I was a little hesitant on asking them if I could take their picture. I knew if they agreed, I would be in for a big challenge. By now you know how I am about group pictures, then add in a pair of dogs, and I wasn't sure I could manage. It was also starting to down-pour, and both Brandon and his wife were wearing bright Steelers gold jackets. I had realized that I hadn't ever taken a picture of such bright colors and although it sounds funny, I was intimidated by the color.

I was glad I finally got up the nerve to approach them. Brandon and his wife were new to the area and so friendly! I was happy to be part of the unofficial welcoming committee.

I asked Brandon the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he responded, "waking up everyday, doing this, and nature!" Brandon just moved from Arizona and he and his wife have already fallen in love with all of our green! They love spending time in nature and are enjoying the huge contrast between the Northwest and the desert.

I asked if Brandon had recently performed an act of kindness and he explained they had just adopted Ted at the Doggie Dash the week before. The way Ted and Fozzie were playing and loving each other, I thought they were old pals! I'm so happy for Ted and his new home with Brandon and his wife! Ted came with a long list of potential issues and negative traits and Brandon and his wife were prepared for a rough settling-in period but it sounds like Ted has been a dream of a dog. I would have never guessed they hadn't all been a family-unit for years.

I asked Brandon if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot. He's actually a person who has given it some thought and he said that it's been redesigned the past year, but right now he's decided on, "find a way to be happy."

I asked Brandon something about himself he would consider to be a success and he replied, "my three men." The youngest of his 3 sons is graduating and now he's happy to be "sending three men off into life."

Day 282 - Wendy

This is Wendy. We met at Mt. Tabor park.

"Just digging being healthy, deep breathing, and being alive," Wendy responded, when I asked about the happiest thing happening in her life right now.

Wendy's recent act of kindness is that she had just given a donation to a Church group, and she didn't take the chocolate they were "selling." We joked that resisting the candy was also an act of kindness for her self, especially after working so hard at Tabor to be healthy.

When I asked Wendy if she had a personal mission statement or if she could think of one, she said that it is actually something she's had on her to-do list for a while. Her current working personal mission statement is, "opening my heart, cultivating love and kindness, and finding ways to be of service."

Throughout this project, I've been amazed there have been a few people who have actually been giving thought to the idea of developing a personal mission statement. If they hadn't fully decided on a personal mission statement, they've been at least prepared with some sort of guiding quote or the beginnings of their personal mission statements. Equally amazing, have been the people who have been able to come up with an impromptu personal mission statement which has been quite meaningful and powerful. Has reading the mission statements from the people in this project inspired you to write your own?

"I'm a good listener," Wendy replied, when I asked her one thing about herself she would consider to be a success.

Wendy and I visited for a while after the "interview" and pictures. This project is making the world even smaller. When I go to the park, I usually end up seeing several people who have been subjects in this project and we now exchange greetings and well wishes. Since most of the people I meet at Tabor are there working out, it's been nice meeting new fitness friends and acquaintances.

Day 283 - Ryland

I've seen Ryland and his dog around a few times. I've even tried to chase after him once, but he was peddling way too fast for me to catch. There's only so many footsteps you can take when you chase after a person before you cross that line from simply trying to catch someone's attention, to being a weirdo who is, well, chasing after someone! This time, he and his dog were going slow enough for Ryland to see and hear me when I called out to get his attention.

There were several other dogs around, and some traffic, at the time Ryland stopped so he decided his dog would be most comfortable just hanging out in its crate-trailer. Ryland and I talked about how much we appreciate and enjoy the park. He and his dog were on their way to go watch the sun set. (Watching the sun set from Mt. Tabor Park is one of the very best activities in Portland. It's worth putting on your must-do list.)

"I'm getting to climb a lot," Ryland said, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

Ryland was having difficulty remembering if he had performed a recent act of kindness. He seemed like a considerate and nice enough person, I knew he must have done something. I pushed a little, explaining it could be any gesture of kindness. He remembered that, earlier, he had held the door open for a person. Yes, as simple as this is, isn't it a great act of kindness? I love it when people take that extra moment to hold the door open for you and share a smile.

Ryland's personal mission statement is a quote from the poem, Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver, "you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."

When I asked Ryland something about himself he would consider to be a success, he replied, "I convinced Vanessa to marry me." I thought he and his wife must be newlyweds for such a sweet sentiment, but he said they'd been married about three years. We then tried to decide on a definition of "newlywed," and decided three years is still the "newlywed" phase.

Day 284 - Matt

This is Matt. We met downtown Portland, near PSU.

I asked Matt the happiest thing happening in his life right now, and he responded, "my daughter."

"To learn everything I can," Matt replied, when I asked if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot.

When I asked Matt one thing about himself which he would consider to be a success, he replied, "my thirst for knowledge."

Matt and I talked a little while longer and I asked him about his hopes and dreams. He hopes to be able to get to a point where he can afford, outright, to send his daughter to college, and to buy a home. We talked about his dreams being more grounded and practical than some, but what a beautiful dream. I'm wishing Matt luck and success in making those dreams a reality.

I don't often get to go downtown but since I had a meeting on the westside after work, I decided to head downtown after the meeting let out. Matt was just one of a hundred different people within a few block radius who I could have asked to be in this project. I had the realization that I've had additional challenges with this project, simply because of my routine and location. If I could spend more time in downtown Portland, I would have thousands of potential subjects. As it is, it's been quite the challenge to find a person during my routine of: commute, work, work-out, commute home. Although I love the idea of having hundreds or thousands of different subjects to choose from within a few block area, I've also mostly enjoyed the added challenge of having to actually search for a subject. It makes me appreciate the process that much more, and makes me extremely appreciative when I do find people who will let me take their picture. I don't know if this makes sense, but it would almost be "too easy," were I able to spend a ton of time in downtown Portland.

Day 285 - Joseph

This is Joseph. We met when he was waiting for the bus. I was feeling like people-repellent this day and was just about to decide this was going to be the day for my self-portrait. Luckily, I met Joseph and he was willing to let me take his picture!

"I just got a promotion," Joseph said, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

When I asked if he had recently performed an act of kindness, he said that some kids in his line at work came up a few dollars short on their purchase, so he paid the difference for them.

I asked Joseph if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot. He was having trouble thinking of one, so I rephrased the question and asked about his life's purpose or hopes and dreams. Joseph said he has dreams to travel the world.

Joseph was reserved in answering if there was something about himself which he would consider to be a success. I pushed a little for an answer and knew he must have something. I was going to remind him about his recent promotion if he couldn't think of an answer. I again pushed a little and explained if it's difficult to think of something as a success, then what's something you're good at? "Sports," Joseph replied.

Day 286 - Kestrel

Kestral was waiting for the bus when I sat down at the bench beside him to ask if I could take his picture. Kestral agreed, but then went on to say that he isn't photogenic. When people have told me this before, I explain to them that I totally understand and that's the reason I'm behind the camera! I can completely empathize with people who don't really enjoy having their picture taken. When I hear of this, it makes it really important to me to get a nice picture. I want people to feel good about themselves! I love the picture of Kestral and that you can detect his personal style and hope that if he sees this picture, he will be pleased. This particular spot is a challenge to me and I struggle with getting the iconic Hollywood sign in the background. One of these days, I'll get it just right and perfectly capture both a nice portrait and a cool view of the Hollywood sign in the background.

When I asked Kestrel about the happiest thing happening in his life right now, he replied, "my partner."

Kestrel's impromptu personal mission statement, "going forward because you can't go back."

I asked Kestrel one thing about himself he would consider to be a success and he replied, "the equity work at the job I'm doing."

I thanked Kestrel and we were on our separate ways.

Day 287 - Delray

This is Delray. We also met at a bus stop where she and her son were waiting for their bus.

I asked Delray about the happiest thing happening in her life and she replied, "I'm working."

When I asked Delray if she had recently performed and act of kindness, she said that she had just given a woman a bus pass.

Defining a personal mission statement was proving to be challenging for Delray. I had given examples of other people's personal mission statements, but Delray was still having trouble thinking of a personal mission statement. I presented it a few different ways, and then explained that it's like a personal motto or statement which guides you in living your life. After hearing it presented in this way, Delray then replied, "try not to sin."

When I asked Delray if there's something about herself she would consider to be a success, she considered the question for a while but she just couldn't think of an answer. She finally explained that she used to think she was successful at being a good mom. She then gestured to her very energetic and curious son, and said, "but sometimes he won't listen to me now." We talked about it and I pointed out my observation that even though he wasn't listening, she was still very patient with him, and that's a good mother. Delray then decided on her answer and replied, "parenting."

Delray is a beautiful young lady and I got the feeling she's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out!

Here's a summary of the mission statements of the people from this week:

Find a way to be happy.
Opening my heart, cultivating love and kindness, and finding ways to be of service.
"You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."
To learn everything I can.
To travel the world.
Going forward because you can't go back.
Try not to sin.

If you've been a subject in this project - thank you for allowing me to take your picture and for sharing a little of your life with us! Please don't hesitate to e-mail me if you'd like a copy of your picture and I'd be happy to e-mail it to you.

Thank you for following another week of this project. I just want to give you the heads up that the next two weeks are going to be pretty bumpy! They're the busiest two weeks for me at my work. I'm going to be out of town one weekend, and staying on-site at an event the following weekend. I'll still post the daily pictures to instagram, @missellanea, but please know the blog post may be a little delayed. Don't worry. Everything is ok and I'm not giving up the project. It'll just be a particularly challenging and busy couple of weeks and I'll post as soon as I'm able to.

Have a great week!

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 40

May 18, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hello! Week 40 of The 365 Day People Picture Project is now a wrap!

Day 274 - Mom, Daughter, and Dog

Sunday was Mother's Day and since I'm over a couple hundred miles away from my own Mom, I wanted to find a Mother & Daughter to be the people of the day.

I met these three in the park. They didn't have much time to spare, as they were just on a quick break from work.

We had time for just one question, so I asked about the happiest thing happening in their lives right now and they both agreed, "moving back to Vancouver."

I wished them a happy Mother's Day and welcomed them back home, and we were all on our way.

And have you noticed that nearly every dog I've met at Esther Short Park, in Vancouver, has that same intense focus on something other than posing for a portrait? I think there's one distracting squirrel who's ruining all of my shots!

Day 275 - Jen

This is Jen. She was waiting for the bus. I looked all the way up the street and didn't see a bus in sight, so I decided to ask her if I could take her picture. Of course, it magically appeared as soon as we got started.

We had just enough time for one question. "I have a new boyfriend that I like...so, falling in love," Jen replied, when I asked about that happiest thing happening in her life right now.

I blew everything this day. When I got home to "develop" the picture, I realized how harsh the sunlight was and how simply turning could have made for a much better picture. I was so tempted to go back out and find a new person, but I decided to keep this one because I really liked Jen, and also to share my mistakes with you. The pros always say never to show your bad work and to only share your best images. I'm not a pro. You've been with me and know I'm just learning, so I just wanted to share that process with you. Just when I start to make progress and learn a thing or two, the weather changes and I get tripped up again. People who are real photographers are pretty amazing. Until starting this project, I've never fully understood or appreciated all of the hard work that goes into a nice photograph. I think sharing my mistakes, helps to exemplify the quality work of other real professionals or artists. Seeing my mistakes helps me to see just how great the work is of other real artists and professionals.

Day 276 - Kevin

This is Kevin. He was nice enough to stop mid-run so that I could take his picture.

The happiest thing happening in Kevin's life right now is, "taking over a new house."

When I asked if he had performed an act of kindness, he said that he's having his younger brother move in with him at the new house, for very low rent. He wasn't sure if that counted as an act of kindness, but yes, it does.

Kevin's impromptu personal mission statement is, "to leave it better than I found it, and to give a voice to the voiceless."

I asked Kevin one thing about himself which he would consider to be a success, and Kevin replied, "that I'm happy!"

Are you starting to notice some reoccurring themes here?

Day 277 - Lindsay & Beatrix

High Five!

I met Lindsay and Beatrix as they were finishing their walk/run. Again, having been tripped up by the sun the past few days, I made it a point to have us move into the shade, but we didn't go quite far enough under the tree to escape the harsh sun.

Beatrix is clearly Lindsay's well trained little pal!

I asked about the happiest thing happening in her life right now and Lindsay replied, "the house we bought on Mt. Tabor." If Beatrix could talk, I know being in the "taborhood" would be the happiest thing for her as well!

Lindsay & Beatrix's recent act of kindness is that they participated in the "Doggie Dash" fundraiser.

I asked Lindsay if she had a personal mission statement or if she could think of one on the spot. Lindsay replied, "to do one small thing to better your life, every day."

When I asked Lindsay one thing about which she would consider herself to be a success, she replied, "my relationship with my husband."

Day 278 - Matt, Brooke, and Winslow

I met Matt and Winslow as they were waiting outside of a drug store. I loved the very first picture I snapped of Winslow, but I blew it by not getting enough of Matt in the frame. Winslow gave me that one picture, but he was finished after that. His focus was on something else.

I later learned that his focus was on Brooke, who had been in the store for all of an eternity. Well you know, 5 minutes is an eternity for a dog. We eventually ended up with another cute shot of Matt and Winslow, but when Brooke came out of the store and joined us, I wanted to get the whole family.

Winslow was so excited to be reunited with his mom after the exhaustive few-minute wait, that he just couldn't contain himself!

I asked Matt and Brooke the happiest thing happening in their lives right now. Matt replied, "Brooke and Winslow." Brook replied, "everybody that I care about is healthy."

I asked Matt if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one. He was having trouble, but I pushed a little, and he settled on, "everybody changes."

When I asked Matt and Brooke if they could name something about themselves which they would consider to be a success, Matt again stalled a little in his answer but Brooke offered up that, "he grows really good plants." Being that this is Portland, I laughed and asked if it was ok (legal) to talk about his plants. Matt then explained that he's a botany student and he's been able to successfully grow a rare, tropical, carnivorous plant which is extremely difficult to grow.

Brooke's success is that she's doing things that she enjoys, and she's successful in her job.

Winslow, Sir-Licks-a-Lot, is successful at being the best doggie kisser in the world.

I should mention, it's been really important of me to get flattering photographs of people. I explained to Brooke that I thought I had captured Winslow right as he was giving her kisses and it was so cute, but that of course she was making the squinchy-face we all make when we're the lucky recipient of our dog's lovin' kisses. She was ok with it.

I know the quality and technical aspects were off with both Beatrix from the day before, and Winslow from this day, but these are two of my most favorite pictures!

Day 279 - "Blackwell"

I named this guy "Blackwell," because we met as we were walking outside of Blackwell's Pub. When I stopped "Blackwell" to ask if I could take his picture, he was agreeable, but uncertain. He wanted to defer giving me his name until after I had asked the questions. After our pictures and "interview," "Blackwell" asked for my name, gave me a hug, we wished each other well, and we were on our way. It wasn't until I got home that I had realized I hadn't learned his name!

The happiest thing happening in Blackwell's life is the growth of his career, and he's excited about the next phase in his life, settling down, and buying a home.

The rest of our interaction is not actually "quotable," for the reason that it was like we were just a couple of friends talking. It was less interview-like, and more like we were just having a conversation. Blackwell is open and frank and he shared so much, I wasn't able to write everything down word-for-word. I'll just share some of our conversation.

When I asked Blackwell if he had performed an act of kindness, he replied that he'll do anything he can to help a person who's trying to help themselves. He explained that he has an acquaintance who recently went into treatment. The growth and progress the person has made in just a few weeks in treatment is actually apparent in their physical appearance. Entering treatment, however, meant that the person has been off work for a few weeks. Blackwell gave the person some money to help him out until he's back on his feet again.

I asked Blackwell if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot. When I saw that he was having trouble thinking of a personal "mission statement," I explained that we could think of the question instead, as what is your life's purpose? Blackwell then listed so many things I couldn't even keep up! He wants to take care of his family. He wants to raise a a child in an environment different from what he was raised in. He wants to live a simple life. He would like to give back what he's learned and he wants people to value what's inside and in their hearts, instead of the "things" in life.

When I asked Blackwell if there's something about himself to be a success, he replied, "myself!"

I sometimes forget to ask, but I do like to ask people if they have anything they would like to promote - such as their own blog, website, art, music, business, etc. I remembered to ask Blackwell and although he didn't have anything we could link to here, he said he'd like to promote for people to "slow down." Life passes us by fast enough.

Day 280 - Willy

I met Willy at Mt. Tabor Park. He was just peddling into the park. I had finished my stair workout and decided to sit down and wait for a person to come by so I could ask to take their picture.

The park is entirely different on the weekend than it is during the weekday happy hour. During the weekday, the park is filled with tons of walkers, runners and cyclists. Saturday, although there were lots of people, it felt as though I couldn't find a subject. There were lots of large groups or families and I didn't want to interrupt their time. A few individual people passed by, but I just didn't feel they were approachable for whatever reason. I had been waiting so long that I finally told myself I was giving it five more minutes and that was it! I knew that within five minutes, I was either going to find my cue to leave and search elsewhere, or I would meet someone particularly special. Willy came by at about 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Just as the day before, talking with Willy felt familiar. Again, it was as though we were old friends, catching up, not complete strangers who just met. We said so much in just a few minutes, I couldn't even keep up. I end up reaching a point where I abandon my effort to take notes, and just enjoy the conversation and the person before me.

When I asked Willy about the happiest thing happening in his life, he replied, "lots of learning going on." As soon as Willy said that, I got the feeling that his response was an optimistic outlook of, perhaps, some not-so-happy things. Seeking clarification, I asked if he was a student. He then explained that he wasn't a student, but that he now has a new awareness of things. Again, seeking clarification, I questioned if these were bad things and explained the reason I was asking is because I, personally, seem to learn the most when I "learn it the hard way." He laughed and agreed that yes, life is like that. It's easier for us to learn the hard way, and through bad things, because life presents the lesson to us immediately! He's experiencing both good and the bad, but he can appreciate the clarity and directness of life's lessons which are delivered the hard way, or when we experience something negative. It's like life is telling us...here's this bad thing that happened, and here is the lesson you were to have learned from it. See how "easy" that is?

Willy's job has a co-worker recognition program and Willy's recent act of kindness is that he acknowledged and nominated some of co-workers for a job well done.

When I asked Willy if he had a personal mission statement, or if he could think of one on the spot, he said that he hadn't defined a personal mission statement...and he's thought they were a little funny. Pushing for an answer, I re-phrased the question and asked about his life's purpose. Thinking it would help him to narrow down the response, it actually broadened it. Willy went on to say that he doesn't even know or understand his life's purpose. He's fascinated, and basically in awe, of the hugeness of it all. Willy's face lit up when he began talking about the possibilities of his life's purpose and at the same time, I could see that it was both liberating and perplexing. Willy is so respectful of life and he said he knows that he can't even begin to understand the meaning of it all.

Willy and I talked some more, and still trying for an answer, I tried to present the question from a third perspective. I asked how one could go about reaching their goals. (Thinking this is essentially parallel to a mission statement or determining our life's purpose.) Willy responded that in order to reach goals, "you identify your goals." Yes! My head is still all twisted thinking about our conversation. I agree with Willy in that it feels nearly impossible to define a personal mission statement or life's purpose, but Willy's response of, "you identify your goals," makes things all so cyclical.

Does our life's purpose or personal mission statement define us, or do we define our life's purpose and personal mission statement? Do we become who and what we declare ourselves to be? Or do we wander and discover our life's purpose as though it's been there all along and the universe is just waiting for us to happen upon it? Are we active in determining our life's purpose, or are we to be passive and just discover it? What I do know, is that identifying goals and developing a personal mission statement, has brought me the closest to feeling like I'm either on the path, or near the path, of discovering, or defining, my life's purpose. We have to have definiteness of purpose and amazingly, we do have the ability to define and shape our purpose. Identifying goals, and laying out the outline of our lives, such as by defining a personal mission statement, are the steps needed to fulfilling our life's purpose. I could have talked with Willy for hours!

Although I didn't ask, I would be willing to bet that Willy must be a creative person (artist, musician, or both) and one who has a number of different talents. It's been my experience that people who are skilled and gifted in several different areas, are often the ones who find it challenging to chose or declare one set path. They're so talented, their options are unlimited and they're keeping them all open.

When I asked Willy something about himself which he would consider to be a success, he said that he's been successful of escaping the burden of being forced to be a particular type of person, and that he's not governed by external ideas such as being what is considered cool, or popular, etc. He's just who he is.

I'm not going to summarize this week's personal mission statements since I didn't get the opportunity to ask two of the people from this week, and because we were basically freestylin' with Blackwell and Willy.

A huge thanks to each and every subject in this project. I appreciate your time and your kindness! If you would like a copy of your picture, please send an e-mail and I would be happy to e-mail you!

Thank you for following along for another week!

Have a good one!

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 39

May 11, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hello! We're finished with week 39 of The 365 Day People Picture Project!

If this is your first visit, I've challenged myself to take a picture of a person, every day, for an entire year. My objective was to become proficient enough in photography so that I would be able to have images for this newly-hatched blog. I had no idea when I started this blog that I would start this project, and I didn't know when I started this project that it would become the entire blog.

Although I've made some improvement in the quality of the pictures I take, I've realized this project took a turn and became less about photography and learning to use my camera, and more about discovering the kindness and friendliness in people, stepping way outside of one's comfort zone, and fulfilling the challenge to myself to do this thing I said I would do for an entire year.

The majority of the pictures have been of strangers, but also included are a few friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. I post each daily picture to instagram and if you'd like to follow along, my username is @missellanea.

Day 267 - Leo

Leo. Leo. Leo. Wow!

I'd like to be able to tell you that because of this project, I now have an amazing eye to scout talent. However, Leo came as quite a beautiful surprise. As I was walking to the convention center to meet up with my friends for another dance competition, I spotted Leo immediately! I didn't spot him for the obvious reasons. I simply saw a person who was standing still, not waiting for a bus, and who didn't appear to be in any sort of rush. All of these increase my chances that a person will let me take their picture. Ok, I confess, I did spot a pair of very tall legs but from where I was coming, I had no idea of the person who was attached to those legs.

When I approached Leo to ask if I could take his picture, I instantly got a great vibe from him. He's another one of those people who just sort of oozes niceness. He agreed to let me take his picture and made a joking remark about " don't tell my agent," which sort of just floated past me. That is, it floated past me until I got him in front of the camera. As soon as we started to take the pictures and as I was looking at him through the view finder, I said, "whoa, you really are a model!" Leo confirmed, yes he was actually a model. The joke about an agent wasn't entirely just a joke. The feeling I got with having a professional model in front of me was noticeably different to how it has "felt" with nearly all of the other people in this project. There have been about a half-dozen people in this project who have had modeling experience or who could be models, or who are at least quite comfortable and familiar with being in front of the camera.

Other than those people, one challenge during this project has been learning how to put both the subject and myself at ease during our brief and awkward encounter. Once we make a little connection, then the next step is to capture their image as they're loosening up and their little sparkle begins to shine. It was INSTANTLY recognizable to me, Leo was special and different. As soon as I saw him through the viewfinder, there was no waiting for his sparkle or for him to relax. The man belongs in front of a camera! You can't miss his sparkle.

And of course, what did I do with all of his sparkleness? Well, I froze and went from feeling quite connected and comfortable with him, to feeling horribly intimidated and inadequate! This is going to sound bizarre but if you've been following along, you know that I battle insecurities and a lack of confidence which comes from being so inexperienced and uneducated about my camera and photography. I felt like I wasn't worthy of taking this beautiful model's picture and I felt a great deal of pressure to perform well, given that I had such a beautiful person in front of me.

I've mentioned before, you can have the most beautiful person in front of you, but it's still surprisingly easy to take a bad picture of a beautiful person. And I'm quite good at taking bad pictures! The difference was Leo. Leo's personality grounded me and helped me just to chill out, and take a damn picture. Once I took the first picture, I was able to ease into a flow and actually "work" with him so that together, we could get a nice image. I ended up having several decent pictures of Leo, but I intentionally chose this one. Is this ok to say about a man? Leo is beautiful. He's quite pretty, and all of the pictures I had taken of him were beautiful and they came out just as nice as he is as a person. You could look at the pictures and just know he is a nice person. But I didn't want nice. I'll explain more below.

When I asked Leo about the happiest thing happening in his life right now, he replied, I'm trying out for "Grimm" and starting my own radio show." Leo is trying out to be one of the villains on the T.V. show "Grimm," which is filmed here in Portland. I joked and questioned whether or not they would be able to ugly-him enough to be one of the scary bad guys. (If you haven't ever watched the show, it's a pretty awesome show and the villains transform from normal-looking humans into nightmarish monsters! Let's face it, if Leo came to you in a dream, it wouldn't be a nightmare.) Once I learned this, it became my mission to see Leo in a way other than the sweet and beautiful person who was standing before me. I wanted to see him a little rough. So, what did we do? We broke out the squinch! (watch Photographer Peter Hurley's Squinch video here)

In a weird twist, we went from being a pair consisting of a confident and experienced professional model + a girl with a camera who was practically shaking in her boots, to a confident and professional model + a girl with a camera who knew one of the greatest modeling/headshot techniques in the world, and I was going to teach it to him! Yes! Can you believe it? After settling down and in, I then explained Peter Hurley's squinch to Leo, and that the technique will result in a look that is edgy, sexy, and pensive. He absolutely nailed it! I was so pleased with this interaction. Leo is an amazing model, but I was able to contribute one small technique and together, we created a beautiful image.

Technically speaking, my first pictures were actually a little more technically sound as far as the focus and his positioning (composition), but this was my favorite picture and in looking at this, I believe Leo could become one of those scary villains on Grimm. At the same time, if I opened a magazine and he were the model for cologne, sunglasses, underwear, or anything, I would be sold on whatever it is he was "selling," and my husband would be the recipient of said cologne, sunglasses, or underwear!

After we had taken the pictures and performed the interview, Leo showed me some pictures his friend shot in a makeshift studio which was his apartment. Leo was in full make-up. I don't know the proper industry words, but he was styled quite high fashion-y, with heavy, artistic, theatrical make-up and the pictures were stunning! Especially considering they were just taken in his friend's apartment and not an actual studio. His friend was a pretty amazing photographer, and of course, Leo is pretty amazing. I appreciated the huge contrast between Leo's friend's professional studio-looking dramatic photographs, and my total amateur look-at-this-hot-guy-I-met-on-the-street photographs. Although there's a marked difference in the type and quality of images, the one constant is Leo and his talent in front of a camera.

I was hoping Leo would have a website or link so that we could follow the podcast for his new raido show, but since things are in their infancy, I'll be sure to keep track of Leo and share his progress so we can follow along.

I told you Leo was nice, but hearing this completely warmed my heart. When I asked Leo if he had recently performed an act of kindness, he told me that he saw a homeless man who was hungry, so Leo went and bought him some food, and then he gave the man the food and $20.00. Leo said, "he needed it."

It has sometimes been confusing and overwhelming for people when I ask the question about having a personal mission statement. This week, I've elaborated on that and explained that if it's challenging to think of a personal mission statement, then think of it as "what is your life's purpose." When I asked Leo about his life's purpose, he replied, "to get my show going to develop culture centered around art and music."

When I asked Leo something about himself which he would consider to be a success, he replied, "the fact that I signed a new modeling contract with a new company."

I'm wishing Leo huge success with his modeling, acting and radio show and he's clearly a talented person. To me, even more impressive, is that he was genuinely a kind and very nice person and I'm so glad I bumped into him. Good luck, Leo!

Day 268 - Renee

This is Renee, the owner of Ambiance Tan and Espresso. Can you tell I've got a serious mexi-mocha addiction? (ok, and maybe I've sneaked in a few assisted vitamin D sessions as well.) Renee was the last person who I've been saving for a literal rainy day.

Apparently, Renee saw my car pull up and she told Ed (from week 33) that she just knew I was going to ask to take her picture that day and she was sort of less than thrilled about it. After a long day at work, she wasn't feeling camera-ready and at best, she said she's not really comfortable having her picture taken.

Knowing that Rennee wasn't feeling her best or at least not feeling confident, made me empathize with her, so it was important for me to capture her as the beautiful and genuinely nice person she has been. When you walk into her shop, you're greeted with friendliness and warmth and both she and Ed are amazing in that once you've been in - they remember you by name and by drink on the next visit. It's pretty remarkable for them to remember your name and once you've been in a few times, you really get the feeling of belonging to a small community.

It was important to me to try to show that same welcoming warmth in Renee's picture, as she is in real life.

I asked Renee about the happiest thing happening in her life right now, she responded, "Eddy and I working as a team and that business is going well."

Renee was having trouble thinking of a recent act of kindness but then her customers spoke up for her, reminding her that she had recently organized three different fundraisers for people in need. This reminder helped Renee to recall that she had also given a cup of coffee to a homeless person. She set it next to him as he was sleeping.

I asked Renee if she had a personal mission statement and she said that she's soon going to get a tattoo which says: "Faith. Family. Friends. Strong."

I realize as I'm writing this post that I had forgotten to ask Renee something about herself which she considers to be a success, so I'm just going to share something I would consider to be a success, just in the few months I've been a customer. Renee is successful at owning and running a small business and she genuinely welcomes her customers with warmth, friendliness and great service!

Day 269 - Oscar

This is Oscar. I spotted him as he was loading his groceries into his car.

I asked Oscar about the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied without hesitation, "my baby girls!"

It's pretty common when I ask people if they have a personal mission statement, or if they can think of one on the spot, for them to get this look of regret for having agreed to let me take their picture. I end up apologizing for the job-interview-like question. Oscar got that look on his face, but quickly replied simply, "to live right."

When I asked Oscar if he had any goals and dreams, he explained he had many, but I could tell he was ready to get on about his business. I then explained the reason I asked this question and the importance of doing so, is that I believe the more we talk about our dreams, the closer we come to realizing them. He agreed and I can't quite remember exactly what he said but he jumped on board in the effort to narrow his focus and start making his dreams a reality. I helped him to simplify his goals by asking him if he would identify at least 3 things. He replied: 1) to record an album, 2) to go to France, 3) to visit his Sister in New York.

Before we parted, I thanked Oscar and wished him well in accomplishing his dreams.

Day 270 - Sensei and Osiris

This is Sensei (left) and Osiris (right). They were on their way to skate at Mt. Tabor Park. I workout at Mt. Tabor and on Wednesdays, the park is closed to vehicles so its a popular day and the park is filled with cyclists, walkers, runners, and downhill longboard skaters. I knew they were excited to get up the mountain as they were getting a bit of a late start, but they agreed to let me take their picture.

Something felt off when I was in the process of taking their pictures. We even had to move places and things were still feeling different to me. I was concerned enough that I even had to ask to take their pictures individually. It is extremely challenging for me to take a picture of more than one person at a time. An even bigger challenge is when the people have a difference in height. I couldn't quite figure it out, but things just felt different.

When I got home and started to "develop" the pictures, I realized the feeling I was picking up on was two-part. 1) The decision to move spots was a good call. I finally recognized and directed the picture in order to get a better shot. 2) That off feeling wasn't "off" at all, it's what it feels like to take a cool picture! I'm just not accustom to it!

Sensei and Osiris were sweet kids and even though they were in a hurry to skate, they gave me all the time in the world and they were so thoughtful in each of their responses. Once again, I would have benefitted from having a recorder as I just couldn't write fast enough to record their amazingly insightful responses to each question. It was quite impressive to hear such considerate answers come from such young people, and I realized it was their youth which was actually behind their beliefs and philosophies. They're young enough not to have been too hardened by what life can throw at us, but old enough to have developed compassionate and hopeful ideals of people and life. Do you remember back to when you were their age...the way you felt about life and people was quite ideal.

When I asked about the happiest thing happening in their lives, Sensei responded, "being able to follow my thoughts and ideas. I feel I can follow what is right." He then joked but not joked, "also, Star Trek and Star Wars!" What I gathered by Sensei's response is that he's at the point where he's coming into his own and finding himself, and he's gaining confidence in the person who is emerging. (I could be wrong, but that's my interpretation.)

Osiris responded, "A lot of things are good right now - I'm going to Europe in a month, for two months, and this weather!"

I asked if they've recently performed an act of kindness. Sensei responded, "I try to give people patience." Indeed, he gave me his patience. I think a lot of young men would have been way too squirrely in this situation. The two of them are unique and remarkable in that they were so thoughtful and patient with me when they would have much rather been skating than answering the questions of some middle-aged woman with a camera and a project.

Osiris' recent act of kindness is that he left his un-expired bus ticket at the bus stop for someone else to use.

I asked the pair something about themselves they would consider to be a success. Sensi replied, "being open to new things and evaluating myself with less bias." Osiris replied, "I take pride in my compassion toward people, awareness of people and where they're coming from." Again, the two weren't just saying fluffy words. They were living exactly what they spoke about. They were open to letting me take their picture and they were considerate and empathetic that I'm just a beginner, and tolerant that I needed to take several pictures. They afforded me their time and consideration with their answers to my questions. They're good guys!

I asked the pair if they had a personal mission statement or could think of one on the spot. For some reason, they had in their minds the statement should be as succinct as possible. As in, two-words! I'm not sure how we got on this track but we did. Sensei responded, "love and awareness." Osiris responded, "patience and understanding." They both struggled with how to articulate their words into a full mission statement. Together, we decided simply to add "to live with," which expanded their responses to be: "to live with love and awareness," and "to live with patience and understanding."

These two completely blew me away and I felt privileged to meet such nice "kids." (oh man, I'm old enough to be calling guys "kids" now. It's all downhill from here.) Joking aside, I was impressed by their maturity and kindness and wish these young men lots of happiness, success, and good skating!

Day 271 - Mat

This is Mat. I had exhausted my reserve of rainy-day people and it was pouring this day. I couldn't find anyone at Tabor, so I decided to stop at a Plaid Pantry, hoping I'd be able to find a subject there. Thinking I had already taken the picture of every worker at this particular store, I was just hoping to find a customer who would give me the time to take their picture. I was in luck! I hadn't yet taken Mat's picture! Just one problem - Mat got slammed right after I asked if I could take his picture. After waiting for a while, it finally slowed down for just a minute, long enough for me to take his picture and ask a couple of the questions.

"Getting my financial aid together," Mat replied, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

Mat's personal mission statement, "stick to your guns until, or unless, logic and experience prove otherwise."

It was quick, but I'm pleased with Mat's picture as well.

Day 272 - Christopher, Eunis, and Reba

This is Christopher (left), Eunis (center) and Reba (right). These three were a crack-up! And yes, I challenged myself in trying to take a picture of not just two, but three people at once! In real life, Christopher is nearly a head and a half taller than each of us, but he didn't mind repositioning himself to make it easier for us to get everyone in the frame.

I asked the happiest thing happening in their lives right now and Christopher responded that he had just had an "incredible interview!" "I fucking slayed it," he said. Joking aside, he was pleased that he had overcome his insecurities about being under-qualified and decided to go for it! This was his second interview for the position and he's clearly feeling confident!

Eunis and Reba were both happy to be out celebrating Eunis' boyfriend's 30th Birthday! Reba was happy to be spending time with her "bestie," Eunis.

I asked the trio if they had recently performed an act of kindness...and wouldn't you know it, I had met another group of social service workers! They all agreed that their professions are ones of kindness.

Christopher's act of kindness is that he assisted a person with the process of accessing SS benefits. I've decided to shorten this. We all discussed ways in which we could tell their stories without breaking confidentiality and they were incredibly considerate of the words they used so they would keep the confidence of their clients. Having worked in the field myself, I'm also sensitive to it as well, and I've decided to shorten Chris' response even further.

Eunis gave her un-expired bus ticket to a frazzled girl at the bus stop who greatly appreciated the kind gesture and she also procured a much-needed donation for the organization where she works - they're going to receive a donation of 100 lbs of clothing for the next three months! Reba spent extra time with a particular client, and by giving him some extra individual time and attention, she most likely set him up to have a much nicer weekend.

I asked if they had a personal mission statement or if they could think of one on the spot, and again clarified, if this is challenging, then to think of it as defining their life's mission. Christopher replied, "justice, art and glamour." Reba responded, "if i can be happy for one day, I can make others around me happy." Eunice responded, "I want to find my mission. I want to find my passion."

Again, I was so glad to have run into a group of fun-loving, and fun and loving people!

Day 274 - Brent

This is Brent. We've known each other since about 1988 and he's married to one of my best friends. And, he's one of my best friends too!

Brent attended our rival high school but we became acquainted because one of my best friends was a little sweet on him. I helped keep stats for the wrestling team in high school, so I was the perfect cover for my two girlfriends to come to the wrestling matches. But they weren't there to watch me keep stats - they were there to spy on Brent! Here we are, some 26 years later and my friend and Brent are still married and we're all still the best of friends!

Brent is quietly one of the smartest people I know, and one of the funniest. He just sort sneaks it in on you. You don't know how funny he is at first, until he drops some of the most hilarious comments or observations on you! He's so funny, his teenage daughter had to ban him from twitter because he was getting too big of a following and many of his followers were her friends!

I don't think either of us knew when we were in high school, that our Dads actually worked together, not directly, but close enough to where they developed a liking and a respect for one another. Although they've both passed, I know our Dads would both be pleased that we're all still in each others lives, and all quite close.

It's been fun growing up and growing older with Brent and my girlfriends. We've seen Brent grow from a quite mischievous kid, into an awesome husband and father. Brent loves his family and when you meet him, you recognize it immediately.

"Seeing the kids doing well in sports and in school," Brent replied, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

Brent couldn't think of a recent act of kindness but I know for certain it was only because his "memory is slipping," as Brent put it. He and his family are ALWAYS doing some act of kindness and volunteer for several different groups. He then remembered that most recently, he volunteered to be a waiter for the "Women's Tea" at their Church.

When I asked if he had a personal mission statement he replied, to never give up, and then settled on, "keep trying."

"My family," Brent said, is one thing at which he would consider himself to be a success.

I asked Brent if he were to challenge himself to do one thing, every day, for an entire year, what would it be? He replied, "learn an instrument." He explained that he'll practice for a while, make progress, and then stops, and he keeps repeating that process.

I'm so thankful that Brent and his family are in my life. They are my family away from my real family, and I think that each of our families rest a little more assured, knowing that we have each other in our lives.

The summary of the personal mission statements from this week's subjects:

To develop culture centered around art and music.
Faith. Family. Friends. Strong.
To live with love and awareness
To live with patience and understanding.
Stick to your guns until, or unless, logic and experience prove otherwise.
Justice, art, and glamour.
If i can be happy for one day, I can make others around me happy.
I want to find my mission. I want to find my passion.
Keep trying.

Thank you for following along on another week of this project! I love sharing this project with you and am so happy to have you along for the ride.

If you've been a subject in this project - I'm completely unable to express my gratitude and appreciation for you and your time and for letting me take your picture, no matter how weird it may have been. Thank you for sharing yourself with us and this project.

Thank you, and have an awesome week!

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 38

May 3, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hi! We're finished with week 38 of The 365 Day People Picture Project and you know what that means? We reached 265 days this week! Only 100 more days to go!

I can't even believe we've made it this far because it feels like we started this project just a few weeks ago. Thank you for following along on this journey!

Day 260 - Jack

This is Jack. I spotted him in downtown Vancouver where he was working at a record store.

When I asked Jack about the happiest thing happening in his life right now, he replied, "easily, the Trail Blazers in the playoffs!"

I asked Jack if he's recently performed an act of kindness and he said that he tries to do something every day.

"Don't be an asshole. Do what you want to do as long as it doesn't infringe on anybody else," Jack replied, when I asked if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of anything on the spot.

I asked Jack about something at which he would consider himself to be a success and he replied, "I'm finally doing things that are making me happy. Finding happiness." This is among one of my favorite answers so far. It doesn't matter what we aspire to do, when you think of it, we're all in search of happiness.

Day 261 - Diane

This is Diane. We met at the stairs at Mt. Tabor Park. When I spotted Diane, I was so busy trying to analyze if she looked like a person who would let me take her picture, that I nearly missed seeing the car that she was busy watching. Seeing the reaction in her face, caused me to look just in time to see what looked like Vince Neil and David Lee Roth driving straight out of the 80's and into Mt. Tabor Park, in what I can assume was a time machine, cleverly disguised as a convertible BMW with 80's anthems blaring on the stereo to complete the experience.

When I approached Diane, she was still taken with the BMW Time Machine and laughing about the whole sight. I asked Diane about the happiest thing happening in her life right now and she replied, "my garden is growing."

I asked Diane if she's performed an act of kindness recently and she replied, "I help students in their time of crisis." I assume Diane is a librarian, as she went on to explain that students often come in to the library shortly before a big project is due, and instead of nagging them about starting earlier, she just helps to put them on the right course to complete their report or assignment in time to turn it in on the due date. Can you imagine being a student in that situation? Diane would be such a welcomed life-saver and probably one of the few adults/teachers who would skip the lecture and just help you to do what needs to be done. We laughed when I made the observation that it's funny because the habit of waiting till the last minute, seems to follow some of us into adulthood as well.

I asked Diane if she had a personal mission statement or could think of one on the spot, and she replied, "be kind and do things in moderation."

"Friendship, and building community," Diane replied, when I asked her one thing at which she would consider herself to be a success.

I asked Diane if she had any dreams or aspirations and clarified, "climb-Mt.-Everest" type dreams, at which she said she has actually always wanted to hike Table Mountain. She then replied that she wants to learn to walk on stilts. I love the idea of a stilt-walking-librarian and hope she pursues that ambition!

Now seems like the appropriate time to mention this because I need to learn from Diane's students and not wait until the last minute. Since we're nearing the end of the project, I need to consider a few posts which will reflect back on everything I've learned in the project. For photographers who stumble upon this project, I feel I should share what I've learned, even though it's actually painful to refer to myself as a photographer. I know I said I would stop this sort of talk. I'm working on it. Anyway, I'd like to compile a list of things I've learned from a photography perspective, and things I've learned about people. In the vein of not waiting till the last minute like some of Diane's students, I'm going to jot down something every day from now until the end of the project, so that I'll be ready with a closing and reflection post about this project. (Thanks, Diane, I needed this reminder!)

Day 262 - Debbie and Kathy

This is Debbie (left) and Kathy (right). I had spotted them several times as we were all working out at Mt. Tabor. They finished the stairs shortly after we did, so the timing was perfect for me to ask if I could take their picture for the project.

I asked the happiest thing happening in their lives right now, and practically in stereo, they responded, "going to Paris!" They're celebrating their 30 year anniversary with a vacation to France.

Debbie and Kathy are so aligned, they basically share answers! When I asked if they had performed an act of kindness, they both agreed that they try to do something every day, such as opening doors for people, giving compliments, and recognizing their co-workers for a job well done.

When I asked if they had a personal mission statement, or could think of one on the spot, Debbie first answered for them both, saying, "treat others the way you want to be treated," and Kathy then added, "and Pay it forward."

I'm convinced I either need to get a bigger note book, write more legibly, or just get a recorder. I've confused my own self with my note-taking once again, so I'm just going to share that Debbie and Kathy are looking forward to retirement and working on their fitness and getting in shape for Paris.

Bon Voyage, Debbie and Kathy!

Day 263 - Jesse

This is Jesse, from Ritual Arts Tattoo and Body Piercing, in the Hollywood District. I spotted Jesse outside of his shop.

I asked Jesse about the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied, "there's so many! My kids are excelling, business is thriving, motor cycle riding, and gardening." I mentioned to Jesse that the person from the day before was also happy about her garden growing and we talked about the satisfaction one feels when you can see all of your hard work start to grow. Gardening and backyard chicken farms are huge in Portland! If you don't personally have a garden or chickens, you know someone who does, and often, you're able to reap some of their bounty.

Jesse's recent act of kindness is that he gave things to a friend who just got her own place, and he's currently teaching/mentoring a person to tattoo.

I asked Jesse if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot and he explained that he's more of a spiritual person than religious, but that he tries to live by "the golden rule."

Having "strong integrity," Jesse replied, when I asked something at which he would consider himself to be a success.

When I asked Jesse if he had any dreams or ambitions, it was pretty amazing to watch his face as he went on to explain that he's basically realizing his dreams. Opening the shop with his partner was and is his dream, and now he's "in the heat of it." I love hearing people who've made their dreams a reality! It's inspiring to those of us who are in the process chasing our own.

When I got home to prepare Jesse's picture to be instagrammed, I was disappointed in myself. I'm learning that photography is this delicate little dance with light and I'm fumbling through the dance with two left feet. The weather changed drastically in Portland. Practically over night, we went from our typical cloudy and rainy spring, to 80 degree bright sunshine-y days! It has been a huge process of trial and error in realizing the significance of light. I need to learn that I'm not leading this dance. It seems like the sunlight, or lack of, often results in a look opposite of the look I conceive in my mind. The upside of learning by trial and error, is that although painful, it's effective.

I was disappointed with the images I had of Jesse, and once again, I had to fight myself to not show you another picture in black and white. Black & white is truly becoming not only my default, but my preference. I opted to share this picture of Jesse, even though I favored other black & white versions. Jesse, tattoo artists in general, are colorful people and I thought I needed to push myself to share this in color. In addition, Jesse was a nice guy, and the black & white version feels a little more hard-edged than Jesse was in real life. (All of the tattoo artists and tattooed people in this project are all pretty nice people, and I'm not sure I should be blowing their covers. Perhaps the desired look is to have a bit of an edge and here I am...telling you they've all been a bunch of sweethearts!)

I battled with my disappointment and did the best I could to make corrections in lightroom until I finally got to a point where I think the picture would pass my "would-this person-Facebook-this-photo" test. For the remainder of this project, I need to remind myself of this objective. I want to take pictures of people that are nice enough that when they look at them, they feel good about themselves. In order to do that, I need to remember that I'm sparkle-hunting. The next 100 days are about dancing with light, and hunting for a person's sparkle.

Day 264 - Sean

This is Sean. He had just taken off his helmet when I approached him at Mt. Tabor. At the time, I told him the little helmet mark would only add to the look of the picture, but when I got home, I realized I was wrong. The indentation from his helmet didn't add to the look, it was distracting. Sean is my first dive into a real "edit" or "re-touch." Until Sean, I've only experimented with basic adjustments to exposure, contrast, some color/saturation, cropping and softening or sharpening. Sean was a nice guy and he trusted me to take his picture and I wasn't about to let him down by sharing a picture with a helmet mark. So, I did what I had to do...I googled and youtubed and self-taught myself how to make an edit with the brush and clone the un-marked area of his forehead and smooth out the indentation caused by the helmet. I think I did ok? If I didn't tell you, would you know? There's just so much to learn!

I asked Sean about the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied, "my girlfriend."

"I held the door open for someone this morning," Sean replied, when I asked if he had performed and act of kindness.

I asked Sean about something at which he would consider himself to be a success and he replied, "I got my degree". (in web design and interactive media!)

When I asked Sean if he had any dreams or ambitions, he said that he would like to travel to the Middle East someday.

When I asked Sean if he had, or could think of, a personal mission statement, he replied, "when I die, I want to feel like I did the best I could." I asked/told him that maybe we should leave out the "when I die" part because it's too morbid. The more I thought about it, I realized that Sean is totally right! A personal mission statement guides us in living our lives so that when it's our time, we will have known that we did the best we could because we will have known what we stood for. Our personal mission statement helps us to shape our own path. And the reality is, we will die - but knowing our life's mission, helps us to fully live.

Day 265 - Robbie, and "Eddie."

I was so overwhelmed by cuteness, I didn't realize until I got home that I hadn't written down the name of Robbie's dog, but I'm pretty sure her name is Eddie. Robbie, if you happen to read this, I'm sorry if this isn't the correct name.

Although I may have slipped on her name, Eddie was an an irresistible sight! It's not every day you see a giant Saint Bernard strolling down the streets of the Hollywood District. Robbie and Eddie were across the street from me and when I spotted them, I hustled right across the street. I would like to think that I stopped to check for cars first, but I'm not so positive about that one. (One more thing to remember...while dancing with light and hunting sparkles, first stop to check for traffic before running across the street.) Luckily, Robbie is use to all of the attention that Eddie gets and didn't hesitate to let me take his picture. (In the time we were taking pictures, several people had stopped to remark about Eddie!)

Eddie was tiring from her walk, and Robbie also explained that as soon as the camera is turned on her, she sort of goes aloof. She'll be doing something cute at home but when they go to take her picture, she stops the cuteness. I'm convinced there are definitely camera-shy dogs and they definitely know what we're up to. In addition to Eddie being a little camera-shy and tired, her dark coloring around her dark eyes, made for a challenge in trying to capture her little sparkle. Instead of getting frustrated with myself like I used to, if I know I'm not capturing a good "portrait" of a dog, I just want to get them admiring their humans in the cute little doggie-way that dogs show happiness, love and contentment. We don't see much of her eyes, but it's pretty clear that Eddie loves her Robbie.

I asked Robbie about the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied, "my fiancé and I are engaged."

"I'm happy," Robbie replied, when I asked one thing at which he would consider himself to be a success.

Robbie's personal mission statement, and his dreams & aspirations are one in the same. He's on an "ongoing mission to be creative for a living." Robbie writes screen plays and has made submissions to film festivals. I'm wishing Robbie success in his mission, and when he's famous and fulfilled his dreams, we can say "we knew him when..."

Day 266 - Abby

This is Abby. He's my Sister-in-Law's Brother. I didn't know my family was coming to town so I was happily surprised when my Sister-in-Law called Saturday morning to say they would be at Portland State University for a Pow Wow.

Since I've already had both my Brother and Sister-in-Law as subjects in the project, my Sister-in-Law volunteered Abby to be the person of the day.

Once again, I was wishing I were a much more skilled "journalist," as Abby made for great interview. Since my journalistic skills are lacking, I'll share as much as I can remember and what I can read of my notes.

I probably haven't seen Abby since I was a kid. This picture is when my Sister-in-Law was trying to tell Abby to look at me so that I could take his picture and of course, he didn't know who she was talking about since we were much younger when we last saw one another. I snapped this picture right as his lightbulb wen't off with the spark of recognition.

I asked Abby about the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied, "my family is healthy and we're together." Abby was the Arena Director for this event and he said that "Pow-Wowing is putting my heart at rest for my friend Lee." Abby's friend recently passed away and Abby selected a few certain songs to help honor his friend Lee, as a healing for himself and for Lee's family. Abby is also happy about his spirituality, and his walks in life. He's been having good dreams, and "dreams are powerful." Abby is also happy that he has a good job.

Abby works at the Warm Springs Tribal Museum as facilities maintenance. I appreciate and admire the way Abby views his job. He feels that his job of keeping the building clean, safe, and secure, gives him a small part in preserving culture and history. When Abby explained how he views his job, I immediately thought of the book, "The Leader Who Had No Title." Abby's respect for his job is exactly the message the book was trying to convey...Abby isn't simply maintaining a clean facility, he is, in fact, entrusted with the safe-keeping of history and culture. (I've been meaning to write a full review of "The Leader Who Had No Title," but since I have yet to do that, I just want to encourage you to put this book on your must-read list and it will change the way you view your entire life, and the lives of others.)

I asked Abby if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot. He replied, "to sustain a meaningful life and to project that to those around me." He wants people to not take things for granted.

Abby said his goals and dreams are to "live my life meaningfully, provide for my family, and sustain happiness."

I shot a few hundred pictures at the Pow Wow and of those, I was pleased with only about 4 of them. I'll share a couple with you. I jokingly said to my Brother and Sister-in-Law that I'll now have to attend every Pow Wow in Portland until I can learn how to shoot properly. A Pow Wow would be a real photographer's dream. The color and texture of the Regalia, and the spirit and emotion of the dancers, makes for beautiful and moving photographs for someone who is skilled. I left there feeling frustrated and disappointed in myself for not being able to properly capture and honor the dancers. A Pow Wow really is an amazing test for photographers. Those who are skilled will leave with beautiful images and those of us who are learning, will leave with more lessons learned the hard way. No matter what images I walked away with on my camera's memory card, I still walked away feeling a little more nourished in my head and my heart.

Here's a recap of the personal mission statements from this week's subjects:

Don't be an asshole. Do what you want to do as long as it doesn't infringe on anybody else.
Be kind and do things in moderation.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Pay it forward.
The golden rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.)
When I die, I want to feel like I did the best I could.
...to be creative for a living.
To sustain a meaningful life and to project that to those around me.

I just want to thank you if you've been a subject in this project, this week, or any week. It was a pleasure and an honor meeting you and thank you for giving me a moment of your time, and your kindness. Please remember, if you like your photo, please send me an e-mail and I'd be happy to e-mail it to you! It's the very least I could do!

Thank you for following along so far! I'm going to give it my best these last 99 days. I've just got to remember to let go of the stress and pressures of trying to understand and learn ISO, shutter speed and aperture, and I'll just remember to have fun while dancing with the light and hunting for people's sparkle.

Wishing you an excellent week!

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 37

April 27, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hello! Week 37 of The 365 Day People Picture Project is now complete!

If this is the first time you've stopped by, I'm taking a picture of a person a day, every day, for an entire year. If you'd like to follow along daily, you can follow me on Instagram at @missellanea.

Day 253 - Debra

This is Debra. We met at Esther Short Park in Downtown Vancouver. I spotted her taking pictures of some of the sculptures in the park and figured she looked like a person who would let me take their picture.

Debra was on break from the most awesome job in the universe. I had no idea this job even existed! It is Debra's job to attend movies! Some of her responsibilities are to observe the audience's reaction to movie trailers/previews. The audience reaction to the previews shown in movie theaters, then shapes the previews which are shown to us on T.V..

Debra was among the most interesting people I've met in this project and she was happy sharing her thoughts with me. If I were a journalist and taking more in-depth interviews, Debra would have been a treasure of a person to meet! She has well thought-out views on many subjects and is able to articulate those views brilliantly. I'm not equipped to take such detailed notes, so although I enjoyed hearing her thoughts, I'm just sharing the answers to "the questions."

"The fact that my daughter will graduate in June," is the happiest thing happening in Debra's life right now.

I asked Debra if she had recently performed an act of kindness and she said she couldn't really think of anything, however she had just been extremely nice, near overly-nice, to the person who was working at the Subway from where she had just purchased her lunch. She's always sure to be polite and thank fast-food workers.

"Being kind-hearted," Debra replied, when I asked if she had a personal mission statement or if she could think of one on-the-spot.

I asked Debra something at which she would consider herself to be a success and she replied, "volunteering." Debra has been volunteering in schools for 28 years and still intends to after her youngest graduates, but she's considering the change to give her volunteer time to supporting animal advocacy causes.

When I asked Debra if she had a dream, she first replied, "to start a shelter for homeless cats, and probably dogs too." As she explained more, she said this was actually her mom's dream and it was a dream of hers as well. She then went on to say that her true dream would be to free all of the orcas in captivity and return those who are suitable, back to the oceans. Those who are unable to survive in the ocean would be kept in sea pens instead, which would be a much healthier and humane environment than aquariums where they're forced to perform and sometimes kept in isolation.

Debra is indeed a kind-hearted person and her love for both humans and animals is pretty apparent and beautiful.

Day 254 - Ryan

This is Ryan. We met at the Doug Fir.

Normally, the back patio at the Doug Fir is a people-watching dream and I've always been able to find an interesting person for the project. However, when I met my friend there on Monday, we were one of the only people who weren't deterred by the rain. Just as I was getting concerned that this would be the first time ever that I wouldn't be able to find a subject on the patio, Ryan, our server, agreed to let me take his picture.

I asked Ryan the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied, "I got to go on stage with Three 6 Mafia last night!" Ryan had been called up on stage at the show the night before!

Ryan was having trouble thinking of something when I asked if he had recently performed an act of kindness, but he then replied, "walking my dogs." Yes, his canine kids would definitely agree this is a great act of kindness for them! Ryan may have had difficulty thinking of an act of kindness, but if I had asked about an act of awesomeness, he had that covered with his on-stage appearance with Three 6 Mafia.

I asked Ryan if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one, and he replied, "no rules!"

"Keep making money," Ryan replied, when I asked if he ha a dream or ambition. When I asked Ryan about one thing at which he considers himself to be a success, he said, "skateboarding."

Day 255 - Loren

This is Loren. He's an awesome co-worker!

"Getting married," Loren replied, when I asked about the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

Loren couldn't think of an act of kindness that he had recently performed. I persisted because Loren is one of the nicest humans you'll ever meet. I know he's done something but he just couldn't think of a particular "act" of kindness. "I just don't think of it that way, I guess," Loren said, before giving up trying to identify something. It makes sense to me why Loren wasn't able to think of a specific act of kindness. Loren's existence is an act of kindness. He's not able to think of a single act of kindness because he is an act of kindness. I love hearing him interact with his customers because he is just sooooo nice. He's so nice and so genuine, his mere presence in our office feels grounding to me. We're so lucky he's our co-worker. Loren also performed a huge act of kindness by letting me take his picture for the project. (I'll explain below.)

"Do no harm," Loren answered, when I asked if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot.

I asked Loren about one thing at which he would consider himself to be a success and he replied, "compassion."

When I asked Loren if he had a dream or ambition and he replied, "to be disgustingly wealthy." Loren said that when he was in his twenties, he had set a goal for himself to make 24 million dollars per month. He wasn't sure where that figure came from, it's just the figure his younger self set out to achieve.

I've embellished and exaggerated the few times I've said that I've nearly blown or ended the project. Most of those times, I had been overreacting and there was no serious risk of the project ending once I was able to get my head on straight. However, Tuesday, the project nearly ended. For real. Loren seriously saved the project.

I had gone into work on Tuesday, thinking I would be fine, even though I had been awake most of the night being sick with what I assume was food poisoning from something I had eaten over the weekend. Although I had stopped being sick, I didn't realize how severely dehydrated I had become. I made it through a few hours of the work-day but decided I had to go home. I was so dehydrated, my head was foggy and the only thing I could imagine myself doing was getting myself home and to bed. Nowhere in those plans, could I imagine myself trying to approach a stranger and ask for their picture. Not only did I not feel well enough to talk to someone, but I just didn't even have enough strength to drive around, park my car, and then walk around looking for someone. I had just enough strength to get myself home. In my foggy-headed state, I had convinced myself it was ok to fail at that point. I had done an excellent job and taking a picture of a person a day for 254 days in a row, was an accomplishment few could ever claim. See, I think I was near delirium! I would have been ok just ending the project that day! I convinced myself that I had given it my entire effort. It was ok. I was ok with the project ending. I finally snapped myself out of it and decided to ask Loren if he would take a break with me and let me take his picture before I went home for the day.

Loren was a life-saver! He hadn't known about the project until then, and I could tell that he really didn't want to have his picture taken. I was barely able to explain the project to him but he's a smart guy and was able to connect the dots from my mumblings of "365 days, must take picture, I'm not well," and he totally understood that he would be helping me out and saving the project from ending. As it was, I was pretty wobbly and we had to sit down so that I could use the picnic table to steady my hands and camera in order to take his picture. Loren, thank you for saving the day and the project!

Day 256 - Blanche

This is Blanche. She was waiting at the bus stop and once again, the bus came from nowhere and scooped her away before I could ask Blanche all of the questions.

"The fact that you get up every morning and you're breathing," Blanche said, is the happiest thing happening in her life right now.

There are a few stray hairs covering Blanche's eyes, but other than that, this would be among one of my favorite pictures so far. Is it me, or do you just get a feel and a sense for Blanche, just by looking at the picture?

Day 257 - Karen

Karen's picture was taken at the bus stop around the corner from where I had met Blanche the day before. Again, we were in a race against the bus.

I asked Karen the happiest thing happening in her life right now and she replied, "being clean and sober."

"I gave money to a homeless person," Karen answered, when I asked if she had recently performed an act of kindness.

I asked Karen about one thing at which she would consider herself to be a success, "staying clean and sober," she replied.

The bus arrived so I didn't get to ask Karen any other questions.

Day 258 - Tiffany

This is Tiffany. I spotted her the moment I walked in to meet my friends at Charlie's. Although I spotted her instantly and knew I wanted to ask for her picture, she was with her friends and I didn't want to interrupt. I spent a good hour scoping out the place for another possibility but I kept coming back to Tiffany and finally just asked her if she would be in the project.

I asked Tiffany the happiest thing happening in her life right now and she replied, "the possibility that we may be moving to New Jersey." Tiffany's husband's job may take them across the country.

Tiffany's recent act of kindness is that she paid for a week's stay at a hotel, for a couple who were temporarily between homes.

When I asked Tiffany if she had a personal mission statement or if she could think of one on the spot, she didn't hesitate when she replied, "indulge in anything at any given time." Tiffany went on to explain that she's experienced a few deaths recently which have influenced her and caused her to realize that life is too short not to indulge in doing the things we love. Tiffany is another person who believes so strongly in her mission, that she even has it tattooed on her arm! The work isn't yet finished but she shared its beginning.

I asked Tiffany if there is something at which she considers herself to be a success and she replied, "I'm a good mom." She has made it known to her children that there's nothing they can't go to her with.

I got an instant read on Tiffany that she's both an excellent mom and a nice person, but she's also a pretty great Blazers' fan too!

Day 259 - Arash and Ben

This is Arash (left) and Ben (right). They were both pretty adorable and funny! I had been wandering around the park and Vancouver Farmers Market area for a while, but just hadn't found the right person, then I ran into these two. They're opposites in personality, but the perfect complement to each other. Arash is outgoing, outspoken, and confident, and Ben is a little on the bashful side.

When I first stopped them, Arash agreed to let me take his picture before I had even finished explaining the project. He jokingly said he didn't want Ben in his picture and playfully stepped to the side and gestured for me to take his picture, solo. I snapped a few pictures of them together and explained, ironically, that I was getting a nice picture of Ben, but I wasn't capturing a nice picture of Arash. Arash was shocked! Of all of the people in this entire project, Arash is the only person who confidently said that he was quite photogenic. He was a complete character! He has more confidence than about three people combined, but somehow, it comes across as sweet instead of arrogant and annoying. Again, Ben is the opposite and much more soft-spoken.

I asked the happiest thing happening in their lives right now and Arash replied, "moving to San Diego to go to college." Ben replied with silence and a bashful smile. Arash replied for him, saying, "he's happy he got a new co-worker." Arash and Ben used to be co-workers at the Farmers Market but Arash is now working for one of the vendors in the market and Ben now has a new co-worker to fill Arash's vacancy.

I asked the pair if they had recently performed an act of kindness. Arash tries to perform an act of kindness every day and help people when he can. Ben had recently given someone food.

"If you do good in this world, good will happen to you," Arash replied, when I asked if he had a personal mission statement or could think of one on the spot." Ben's response to the question - a bashful smile, and silence. He tried so hard to think of something and Arash tried to help him by asking if there's something from the Bible he could quote. I could tell Ben has a lot going on in his head and I'm sure after I left, he could think of a half-dozen possible mission statements, but I know I just caught him completely off guard.

I asked the guys if there is something at which they would consider themselves to be a success and Arash replied, "life." I couldn't help being amused with Arash's response, given that he's just getting started in life. I playfully asked, "how do you know you're successful, you're just getting started?" To that, Arash replied, "I feel like a winner!" I agreed, saying if that's the kind of attitude he begins his life with, then I'm certain he will indeed, be a winner.

Somehow, Arash manages to ooze confidence, but he's not at all arrogant. He's confident. He has the confidence that one can only possess before life beats them up a little. I truly believe Arash's attitude and confidence will take him far and carry him through any bumpy spots in the road he may encounter in life. I have a friend who was told, by a doctor, "you're cute, your life will be easy," and she somehow internalized that. For her, life has been easy, even when it hasn't been. It's like that little comment made by her doctor (who was just trying to encourage her to loosen up a little because she was wound quite tightly as a teen) implanted her with a roadmap and an assurance that "life will be easy," and it became self-fulfilling prophecy.

We could learn a lot from Arash. Our world and our life becomes exactly what we think and believe. If we feel like a winner, we'll be winners. "Fake it till you make it," Arash also added in the conversation.

Ben's response to the question about something at which he would consider himself to be a success - more bashful smiles and silence. I prompted him, asking if he's a good friend. Arash, again speaking for him, confirmed he's successful at being a good friend. Arash then added that "he's a good Christian!" As our "interview" was coming to an end, Ben said, bashfully, "I like video games. I'm good at video games." Yes! I was so happy he said something! It's difficult to say good things about ourselves, so I was happy Ben was able to answer this question!

I had fun meeting these two, and I think they did too. I think even Ben was having fun, even though he was a bit shy at first. I wished them both good luck in life and was on my way.

Our take-aways, complied from the personal mission statements of the subjects this week, are:

Being kind-hearted.
Do no harm.
No rules.
Indulge in anything at any given time.
If you do good in this world, good will happen to you.

I'm unable to adequately express my thanks and appreciation to those who have been subjects in this project. Thank you for sharing a piece of your lives with me and with this project. I'm so thankful for your kindness.

If you're reading this right now - I'm thankful for you as well! Thank you for following!

Wishing you a fabulous week! Go feel like a winner!

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 36

April 20, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Happy Easter! We're finished with week 36 of The 365 Day People Picture Project!

This week has been unique in that four of the subjects ended up being friends or acquaintances.

A heartfelt "thanks" to each of you who have been subjects in this project. I realize how weird it must be to share a part of yourself, especially if we're complete strangers, but in doing so, you've shared with us your kindness and wisdom and I appreciate you. We appreciate you.

Day 246 - Kacey

This is my friend and co-worker, Kacey. This picture was taken shortly after we finished the Race for the Roses Half-Marathon!

This was Kacey's first Half and she did awesome! Kacey and I have been training together the past few months and we entered as *just* walkers but a little over half-way through, Kacey turned into a runner and didn't look back! It was a pretty amazing experience to see someone you care about, dig deep down and pull something out of themselves they never knew they had. And yes, I witnessed it all from behind her! Haha!

Kacey had been pretty insistent that she's not a runner. We've discussed how much we would love to be able to run and we both admire and long to be runners, but we both have weirdness/issues when we try running. Something happened with Kacey, though. She took off running and kept running. (a little walking here and there, but mostly running.) She looked stronger as a runner than looked when walking! It was amazing!

I admire and appreciate Kacey. Our jobs are challenging and stressful because of the constant pressure of deadlines, but she manages to keep calm, no matter what challenges we send her way. When she's finished with a hard day at work, she then starts her other job as a wife and mother. In our training, we've had the opportunity to talk and share a lot of our personal lives and I've been blown away by her insight and how she always knows just the right thing to say as a mother. Her daughters are so lucky to have such a wonderful mom. Her daughters will grow up knowing how much they're loved and supported, but they're also not going to be able get anything past their mom!

"Finishing a half-marathon," Kacey said, is the happiest thing happening in her life right now!

When I asked Kacey if she had recently performed an act of kindness, she simply said "no." I told her that's a "big fat lie!" Kacey is humble. She's constantly doing kind things for our co-workers and even strangers. There are too many to list, but I know she's given away her last few dollars, just to help someone who needs it. Kacey wouldn't realize this, but I think one act of kindness that she performs daily is that she's an excellent listener and counselor. Kacey is objective and straight-forward. She's going to tell things like they are and she manages to not coat things in so much sugar so as to make you feel like you're eating candy, but just enough sugar to help you swallow any bitter pills that need swallowing so that you can go on about the business of getting better.

I asked Kacey if she had a personal mission statement or if she could think of one on-the-spot. Kacey replied, "one foot in front of the other." This is pretty much an expected answer from someone who had just finished their very first half-marathon!

Kacey replied, "being a good mom," when I asked about one thing at which she would consider herself to be a success. Yes, indeed! Kacey is an excellent mom.

Kacey was just a kid when we met. She started working this job in High School and just celebrated 20 years with the company. Although she's mature beyond her years, it's been a privilege to see her grow from high school student to an amazing wife, mother and manager. I feel so lucky she's a coworker and friend.

Day 247 - Jason

This is my friend, Jason. He's a big guy, about 6'4" or so, and heavily tattooed and pierced. He's an intimidating sight, but he's the gentlest teddy bear you'll ever meet. One thing that struck me when we first met, is that he and his guy friends (some of whom could also look intimidating if you didn't know them) always give each other hugs every time they see one another. It doesn't matter if they last saw one another a day ago or a decade ago, you can count on the fact that they're all going to share a big group hug, and it's often followed by, "I love you, Brother."

"My little girl," Jason said, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

When I asked Jason if he had recently performed an act of kindness, he replied, "everyday." He tries to do something each day, and this day's act of kindness is that he helped an elderly lady get her shopping basket off the bus.

I asked Jason if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one and he replied, "push my own envelope and never stop learning."

"Being a Dad," Jason said, is something at which he would consider himself to be a success.

Day 248 - Phil

This is Phil. He and his friend were talking on the sidewalk when I approached them to ask if I could take their picture. Phil's friend was leaving but Phil agreed to be in the project.

"I quit smoking, finally," Phil said, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

When I asked Phil if he had recently performed an act of kindness, at first he replied, "I don't know the answer." He thought about it for a while and then replied that he cooked dinner for his wife.

I asked Phil if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot, and he replied, "to love people." Phil is a musician at the Church where he works and he feels that through music, he's able to use his talent to help share love.

I've tried to introduce this question a few times but it's actually rather awkward. I haven't quite figured out the most succinct way in which to present this question so I've just fumbled through it a bit. As a result, the answers have been pretty broad. I asked Phil his dreams or ambitions, and he replied that he dreams of being a Dad one day.

I asked Phil one thing at which he would consider himself to be a success and he replied, "I'm an honest person. Authentic."

I enjoyed talking with Phil and when we finished, again, it felt like I had just finished talking with an old friend.

Day 249 - Carolyn

This is Carolyn and she's pretty awesome!

At 68 years young, 69 next month, Carolyn can do 35 push-ups in a minute! She works out several times a week and she's a paddler on a few different Dragon Boat teams. She's a petite woman but she's a powerhouse!

I jokingly said that we should take a picture of her doing push-ups in case there were any nonbelievers. She laughed, and said, "do you want to? I'll do it!" She then proceeded to drop down in the middle of the parking lot and do push-ups! I didn't want her to because I didn't want her to ruin her cute pointy-shoes, but she just went for it!

I asked Carolyn the happiest thing happening in her life right now and she replied, "Everything! I'm so blessed." Carolyn feels blessed with family, health, lots of friends and financial stability.

I asked Carolyn if she's performed a recent act of kindness and she said that one thing she likes to do is to smile at people who look down or unhappy. We talked about the huge impact that a smile can have on a person. I've noticed this at the grocery store. I now intentionally smile at people no matter how stressed I may be feeling at the time. I give other shoppers smiles because they may be feeling even more stressed than I. This is so easy to do and when you connect with a person, it's pretty moving to see their mood lift, simply because you cared enough to give them a smile.

I asked Carolyn if she has a dream or aspiration, and she said she has lots of "Bucket List" dreams, and she's pushing herself to be the best that she can be. She's trying out for Team USA Dragon Boat Team, and going to Italy for the World Championships.

"To always be open to grow, and listen to the lessons that the universe has for you," Carolyn said, is her personal mission statement.

I asked Carolyn one thing at which she would consider herself to be a success and she replied, "I'm not afraid to take a risk. I'm not afraid to try new things. I'm not afraid to fail."

In addition to being a sweet and kind person, Carolyn is an inspiration. After finishing with the picture and "interview," I thought a lot about the things Carolyn had said. Truly, the fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles which prevents us from realizing our dreams. I thought long and hard before doing this project and I remember being nearly paralyzed from fear. I was so afraid of sucking as a photographer and not having the stick-to-it-ness to do this project. It wasn't until reaching that "so what" point, that I was able to begin this project. I let go of my fear of failure.

I'd like to add to Carolyn's mission statement by including; take a risk, try new things, don't be afraid to fail.

Day 250 - Lance

This is Lance. I met him walking down the sidewalk and asked if he would be in the project.

"I think I'm getting a new job," Lance replied, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

I asked Lance if he's performed an act of kindness and he replied, "yes." I didn't want to pry, but Lance is a social worker so he's another person whose profession is an act of kindness. I don't know the professions of every person in this project, but it seems we have a high number of social workers who have been subjects in this project. I think that says a lot about them and the vibe they give off. I've somehow managed to gravitate to a high number of people who work in social services. I suspect I must be subconsciously picking up that they like people, and the likelihood will be high that they will let me take their picture for the project. Working with and helping people is their passion and their calling, so it makes perfect sense that I've been able to get a good vibe from them, even when just passing them randomly on the sidewalk. They're doing what they were meant to do.

I asked Lance if he has a dream or ambition and he replied, "I want to live a comfortable life and to be as present as possible." Lance decided that, "to be present," is also his personal mission statement.

One thing at which Lance would consider himself to be a success, "I'm good at helping people."

Day 251 - Josh

This is my friend and former co-worker, Josh. We didn't know each other when we were younger, but we're actually from the same small town in Southern Oregon and, coincidentally, we ended up working together at the same shop in Portland!

I've mentioned this several times, but taking pictures and "interviewing" friends/acquaintances has, at times, been even more challenging than when working with strangers. I get so nervous because I want to do a nice job and take a picture they'll love. The added pressure has caused me to blow it. However, I'm pleased with this picture considering the background we had to work with was the Burger King drive through.

"My family," Josh said, is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

I asked Josh if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of something on the spot. He replied, "to help people to learn and be inspired." This is perfect mission statement to help guide him in his new job teaching screen printing. I can't think of a better person more suited to teaching people the art and science of screen printing.

When I asked Josh about one thing at which he would consider himself to be a success, he replied, "being flexible in life."

Josh had a hard time answering a few of the questions and I let him off the hook knowing that he needed to get home to his family. I asked if he could text me his answers but since he didn't, I'm just going to answer for him.

I think the reason he had such a difficult time answering the question about a dream or ambition, is because his life is now completely fulfilled. His family and new job are his dream come true. It makes me so happy to see that a friend is so happy.

Day 252 - Michelle and Brett

This couple is as sweet in real life as they are in this picture!

It's still quite a struggle for me to take a decent picture of a pair or group, but I'm determined to work through it. I just need to challenge myself more and approach more groups and couples instead of avoiding them.

"Our Baby," Michelle said, is the happiest thing happening in their lives right now.

When I asked if they had recently performed an act of kindness, they bashfully avoided the question. Their friend then jumped in, saying, "they always do!" Michelle then answered, "we give good tips!" Brett said that he also just helped his neighbor change a flat tire.

When I asked if they could think of a personal mission statement, they decided on, "Live. Love. Laugh."

I asked the couple if they had a dream or ambition and they replied they want to make lots of money for home, and to be able to take nice vacations.

When I asked about something at which they would consider themselves to be a success, Michelle replied, "being a mom and wife." Brett replied, "being a father and step father." Michelle also added to Brett's response, telling him that he's a good provider.

I love summarizing the personal mission statements of each subject. Seeing them all together is starting to form one heck of an inspirational message! This week, the subjects have taught us;

One foot in front of the other
Push my own envelope and never stop learning.
To love people.
To always be open to grow, and listen to the lessons that the universe has for you.
Take a risk. Try new things. Don't be afraid to fail.
To be present.
To help people to learn and be inspired.
Live. Love. Laugh.

This week has been another extra special week because I was reminded of the kind and great people I have in my life. It's been an amazing experience meeting all of the new people in this project, and I feel privileged by knowing the amazing people who are already in my life.

There are still a few months left in the project but my mind is really starting to get concerned about "what's next!?" For a moment, a very brief moment, I entertained the idea of a new challenge for next year. I thought about the possibility of next year's challenge to be a picture of a different band every single night for an entire year. I couldn't contain my excitement about this idea, and then reality set in and I realized what a huge, huge undertaking it would be. It would be an incredible and amazing challenge, but just not one I'm up for. Yet. Can you even imagine? It could be done, but I just don't think I'm the person for that job. We'll see.

Thanks again to all of the subjects in this project and thank you for checking in on another week of this project. It's been an honor having you follow along and I can't thank you enough for your support.

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

See you next week!

365 Day People Picture Project - Week 35

April 12, 2014 Joey Gentry-Smith

Hello! Thank you for checking in on week 35 of The 365 Day People Picture Project!

If this is your first time stopping by, I've challenged myself to take a picture of a person every day for an entire year. I had no idea how to even use a camera when I started this project and I had no real photography experience, other than a few snaps over the years with a point-and-shoot film camera.

The majority of the subjects in this project have been strangers, but also included are a few family, friends, and co-workers. The pictures are taken each day - I'm not stockpiling pictures for use at a later time.

The project has evolved slightly and I now ask a few questions of each subject. I ask the same questions of each subject. Although the questions are the same, I've had wonderfully unique interactions with each and every person in this project.

I post the pictures daily to Instagram and if you'd like to follow along, my username is @missellanea.

Day 239 - Dwayne and Maple

I met Dwayne and Maple down at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. I didn't realize when I stopped them that they were on a mission to meet up with their family at the playground, so I tried to be quick. "My family," Dwayne said is the happiest thing happening in his life right now.

I asked Dwayne if he had performed a recent act of kindness and he said that he had just given his neighbor's car a jump-start. He also said, "Every day is an opportunity for an act of kindness when you have kids."

In my attempt to hurry our "interview" so that he could meet up with his kids, I flubbed my note-taking. I asked Dwayne if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on-the-spot, and he replied that it would be to keep his family and his own self in good health. (I can't quote this, because this is my interpretation of my hastily written notes and my memory. I'm not sure which is more reliable in this case.) Dwayne said that he also likes a saying which hangs on the family's refrigerator. He couldn't remember it exactly, but it says something along the lines of; "be kind, fairness, compassion, and love."

By this time, Dwayne was signaling to his family that he would be right over. I can imagine they must have been wondering if I were a persistent sales person and perhaps they were strategizing a rescue plan. I asked Dwayne if there was something at which he would consider himself to be a success but I practically answered for him, "being a Dad," he agreed. Dwayne said that he's constantly striving to be a better Dad, to be less self-centered and more compassionate.

Day 240 - Molly

Molly was just starting her Tabor workout and I had just finished mine. Actually, I had finished quite some time before meeting Molly but I had been hanging out and waiting for a subject. Several people had declined me that day and then it seemed like the park was empty for a while. I used to get so disappointed when this would happen. Now when it happens, I actually get a little excited with anticipation because I know I'm going to meet someone extra special. As soon as Molly pulled up, I knew she was the person I had been waiting for!

When I approached Molly to ask if I could take her picture for the project, she seemed interested in the project but she reeeeeaaally didn't want to have her picture taken. When a person doesn't seem to want to have their picture taken, I normally don't persist. When I'm declined, I just thank them and walk away. When I first started this challenge, I would leave feeling quite deflated but now it's no biggie. However, for some reason, I just wouldn't walk away from Molly. I persisted and encouraged her that she would make for a great subject. I'm so glad I did! Once again, Molly did indeed turn out to be an extra special person.

The happiest thing happening in Molly's life right now is that she just returned to school for the first time in 30 years. I jokingly asked Molly if she had any first-day-of-school nightmares and she laughed saying that it is easier to work than it is going back to school! School is a lot more challenging now.

When I asked Molly if she had recently performed an act of kindness, she told me that she had just re-connected with a friend with whom she had been out of touch for 20 years, and is now helping that friend cope and deal with his recent diagnosis of cancer. Molly has fought, and is winning, her own battle with cancer. She's able to say things to her friend that others can't say, because she's been there. Molly is a nice and gentle person, but I can also feel her strength and straight-forwardness. I can imagine that she is a source of great comfort and strength for her friend.

Molly's impromptu personal mission statement - "Be Curious. Stay Open. We're all going to be fine." I'm happy Molly was open to being in the project. She's a kind person and I'm glad we met.

I asked Molly if she could name something at which she considers herself to be a success and she replied, "I'm a good friend." I have no doubt she is.

Meeting Molly was just another reminder that you never really know the battles one is dealing with in their life. Wishing Molly and her friend good health and healing.

Day 241 - Roz

Roz was waiting at the bus stop and of course I approached him when his bus was only a block and a half away. We quickly snapped the picture and we only had time for one question. I asked Roz the happiest thing happening in his life and as he was about to board the bus he replied, "I'm going to marry my fiancé."

Day 242 - Rob

Rob was just arriving at Tabor as I was about to leave.

I asked Rob the happiest thing happening in his life right now and he replied, "I just finished making a ukulele!" Now that he's made it, he's learning to play it as well. I couldn't resist telling him about the time I saw a man driving down the street in a Prius and simultaneously playing a ukulele. (True story! Yep, that's Portland!)

Rob's recent act of kindness is that he took a sick friend to get medical care and he now visits him while he's in the hospital.

I asked Rob if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one. He replied, "stay strong and take care of each other."

When I asked Rob if there was something at which he would consider himself to be a success, he replied, "napping!" Thanks, Rob. I now have two things at which I would consider myself to be a success.

Rob is a DJ and you can check him out at Orographic on Soundcloud.

Day 243 - Tristin

This is Tristin. He and his dogs were starting their daily Tabor walk when I approached them. Although I now love the challenge of trying to get a nice picture of dogs and their humans, I could just tell it wasn't going to happen that evening and didn't push it too hard. Tristin later told me they do this walk every day. I was definitely interrupting the dogs and their routine and I'm sure they wanted to get on with their park business. With a little more time and patience, I'm sure we could have got a decent picture of Tristin and both dogs, but I didn't want to slow them down any longer.

The happiest thing happening in Tristin's life is that his partner just returned from her trip to India.

When I asked Tristin if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one on the spot, he decided on, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

I asked Tristin if there's something at which he would consider himself a success and he explained that he cuts old bottles and repurposes them to be glasses. I was hoping he had a website or etsy shop where we could see his work, but right now he's just doing it for himself and friends.

Have you noticed how many men in this project have identified their relationship as being the happiest thing happening in their life? I'm learning men are a lot more sensitive and sentimental than we give them credit for.

Day 244 - Annie

I had a hair appointment in NW Portland on Friday evening and I was looking forward to finding a subject afterward. Most of the pictures in this project have been taken in the same few parts of town, and are of people I've met or run into during my typical day-to-day happenings. It's fun when I'm able to explore and search for subjects in a different part of the city.

My hair stylist's shop is in a busy part of town but once again, the moment I stepped out in search of a subject, it's like the sidewalks cleared of all life and I was left there without any options.

I wandered around for a while and after being declined by a person, I decided to head back toward my car. On my way back, I spotted Annie. Again, I was struck with the thought - oh, this is who I'm supposed to meet today!

Annie had all kinds of style happening but the two things that caught my eye were her metallic silver wedge booties and her hair. When I approached Annie, it seemed like she had a lot on her mind and places she needed to go. I asked if I could take her picture for the project but she was hesitant to agree. I told her I was certain she would say yes because she's wearing metallic silver shoes. I think that logic worked! If you're the kind of person who likes to wear metallic silver shoes, you're probably the kind of person who would be open to letting a complete stranger take your picture for her little project.

Annie is another one of my favorite pictures so far. In addition to Annie being beautiful, the lighting was in our favor as it was early evening and the sun was setting.

I asked Annie the happiest thing happening in her life right now and she replied, "I'm happy I serve Jesus."

When I asked Annie if she had performed a recent act of kindness, she said yes but I had to inquire to learn more. She explained that her friend was just diagnosed with cancer and Annie is going to take care of her friend's daughter. I was saddened to hear of Annie's friend but imagined that her friend must find some relief in knowing her daughter is going to be loved and cared for.

Annie had difficulty finding a personal mission statement, saying that, "I'm just grateful." I could tell she wanted to articulate that into something more, and together we sort of talked through things and agreed that "to live a life of gratitude," is just about one of the best mission statements one could have.

One thing at which Annie would consider herself to be a success is "teaching preschoolers the word of God."

I knew the very first picture I had taken of Annie was a "yes" picture, but I took a second just to be sure. I will figure out how to articulate this into words for you, but for now, I can only say that it's been a rare but exciting and satisfying feeling when I know we made a good picture. I'm not yet able to explain the feeling when the subject and I are connecting. If we're connected and in sync, I'm somehow able to press the button just as the subject's internal light begins to flicker which is identifiable by the sparkle in a person's eyes. If you can time it just right to catch a person's sparkle, I don't think it matters what camera you're using or what your experience is as a photographer, it's going to be a beautiful picture.

Day 245 - Johnny

This is Johnny. We met outside of the Portland Expo Center. We had just gone through packet pick-up for the Race for the Roses which is on Sunday.

I knew immediately I had a challenge - caps make shadows, especially when the sun is shining. It didn't matter. Johnny's Rose Festival Cap is one of the first things I spotted on him, so I just went for it! In this case, I'm ok with the shadow.. It makes me want to look a little deeper to get a better peek of Johnny's eyes.

The happiest thing happening in Johnny's life right now is that he's running two races, two weekends in a row! Wow! He's doing the Race for the Roses Half Marathon this weekend and then he's running another race next weekend too!

When I asked Johnny if he's recently performed an act of kindness, he replied, "I try to do something every day." Johnny said that he likes to interact with people. Johnny drives for a living and he jokingly said he hasn't flipped anyone off all year! That's actually a pretty big accomplishment if we're all being honest.

I asked Johnny if he had a personal mission statement or if he could think of one. He said he would borrow the quote, "Train. Race. Beer."

"I've been married for 12 years," Johnny replied, when I asked about one thing in which he would consider himself to be a success.

Wishing you good luck and fast times, Johnny!

Our take-aways from the subjects this week are:

Keep your family and self in good health.
Be kind. Fairness Compassion. Love.
Be Curious. Stay Open. We're all going to be fine.
Stay strong and take care of each other.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Live a life of gratitude.
Train. Race. Beer.

Thank you for reading this right now! If you've been a subject in this challenge - I can't thank you enough. I appreciate you and I'm sure when we met, I didn't do an adequate job of showing you my appreciation. Thank you for your time and for sharing yourself with us. If you would like a copy of your picture, do drop me an e-mail and I'm happy to e-mail you back with your picture.

If it is your routine to read the weekly review on Sunday morning, I'll be doing a half-marathon as you're sipping your coffee and checking out the people for the week. If only I could take my camera along on the marathon! We'd really have some fun then!

Have you given it any more thought about a "Meet someone Monday" challenge in the vein of "Throwback Thursday," - where we could share pictures or stories of a stranger you met during the week? This has been such an amazing and life-changing experience, I just want other people to experience it too!

Thanks again for your continued encouragement and for following along in this process.

Have a fabulous week!