Photos at the bottom, as always!

Most of you reading this post are probably familiar with the project I worked on last year to take 1,000 portraits of 1,000 different people in 6 months. Well, there is one very specific group of people I have not had the chance to thank yet; they are very deserving of thanks, so this post is dedicated to them.

Weather was not something I originally planned on being a major factor in my ability and motivation to complete my project, but it sure was. 99% of these portraits were taken while roaming the streets of Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah. During the summers, I did what any smart person would do; I shot for an hour or so in the mornings or evenings, when it was cooler. During the winter, however, there was not a time of day I could use to escape the cold. In the middle of December it really doesn’t matter which hour you go outside, you better have some really fantastic gloves if you want to walk around for an hour using a camera.

It was hard enough to drag myself out in the cold even with the motivation I had to reach my goal, but not very many other people have a reason to hang out in the cold. I found that I ran into far fewer people outside, meaning I had to search harder, longer or more creatively for people to photograph.

Now comes the part about my heroes. I could always count on finding at least one person being outside, no matter the weather. Dog owners: a special breed of human who will battle the elements to do a kind service to their furry friends, and an even kinder service to the random photographer that just needs SOMEONE to take a photo of so she can get out of the cold!

Shout out to all you dog walkers out there!! I love you!

I am so impressed with people who will walk their dog in the frigid snow or the blazing sunshine. I knew I could always count on them to have someone to photograph. You rock. Please know that your dogs are not the only ones who appreciate all your hard work.