Being a photographer for a living can sometimes put you in a creative rut. Working on personal projects is something I like to do to stay motivated and to keep the passion for my craft alive. The 100 Years 100 Faces project came to me one morning as I was reminiscing about being in Missoula, Montana last year for a photography workshop with Zack Arias. I admire Zack Arias and I owe a lot of my knowledge about portraiture to him. One of the many exercises he put us through was to approach random people off the street and create a portrait of them. I thought of how many interesting people with interesting faces would be walking the Stampede grounds. The Stampede centennial came to mind and then it hit me. I could do a project depicting the diverse culture that comes together every year to celebrate as one. Over the 10 day event I would have to average over 10 portraits a day. Was it something I could accomplish both mentally and physically? I was about to find out.
100 Years 100 Faces – 1
The first full day of the Stampede was Friday July 6th and it was a nice warm day. Because I wanted nice even light I decided to find my faces in the afternoon shade and quickly dove into the project. To keep the images consistent I armed myself with just one lens, my Nikon 50mm f1.4D to create a shallow depth of field and a small, portable Rubbermaid stool for people to sit on. I set out finding my first model. It was a difficult start. The first few times I wanted to approach someone I backed down and kept walking. Then, suddenly, my training came in handy. I decided to warm up first and be as comfortable as possible, much like training wheels. I looked for someone easy to approach to get my confidence going. Suddenly I spotted an old acquaintance from school. He appeared out of nowhere holding some toys he had won from the midway. I photographed him and was able to shake off the cobwebs that were holding me back. From there on each person was easier and easier to approach. It became second nature.
100 Years 100 Faces
A father and son I photographed told me a story about how their great, great, grandfather had died in the Dominion Exhibition parade, which was the previous name of the Stampede Parade. I heard stories about families fleeing their native countries to avoid persecution. One person told me about how they have never missed a Calgary stampede in over 30 years. I met a few people experiencing the Stampede for the first time.
100 Years 100 Faces – 3
Over the 10 day festival I found 117 people who agreed to pose for me. The more stories I heard the more I realized we aren’t so much different from each other. Our faces are different but when we peel back the layers we are all just searching for something similar in all of us. One question I asked everyone was, “what is your favourite part of the Stampede?” The quick answers were comments on the rides, food, rodeo and the chuck wagon races. However, what I discovered over the ten day festival photographing over a hundred faces is that we go to the Stampede, mostly, to belong.
100 Years 100 Faces of the Calgary Stampede – Day 9
Photo Credits
All Photographs Are © Jeff Cruz
Jeff Cruz Photographer Bio
Jeff Cruz is an award winning commercial and fine art photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. Mainly self-taught, Jeff’s interest in photography started as a child when he ordered his first camera, a mail-ordered 35mm toy camera. His love for cinema as well as paintings from the Surrealism Movement inspires him to create imagery that break away from traditional landscape photography. His limited edition prints can be viewed and purchased on his website.
Website: Jeff Cruz | Fine Art
Blog: Jeff Cruz | The Round Pixel Blog
Follow Jeff Cruz on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
More photos from this project can be seen at: http://jeffcruz.ca/100faces
[…] as a Human is a human interest magazine for evolving minds. I was approached by Life as a Human to be a guest blogger. My photo essay, 100 Years 100 Faces of the Stampede was published by them […]