30 Strangers – Call for participants

March 9 Update: Thank you for your interest in 30 Strangers. The strangers for this year have been picked. But hey, there’s always next year.

Good things are about to happen.

…………..

It’s time for a big announcement! Year FOUR of the 30 Strangers Portrait Project and fundraiser is about to begin. Once again, we’ll be doing portraits of mothers and daughters (2, 3, or 4 generations) and raising money for the Center for Women and Children in Crisis.

To be selected all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post. We’ll pick 30 of them. You have until March 8, 2011, at midnight. Most participants will be selected at random and then we’ll hand-pick a few just to spice it up. If you are selected, we’ll email you and you must respond to my email within two days.

Please, please, please read the the next few paragraphs before you leave a comment. We want to make sure you understand the guidelines and that you have all the info you’ll need. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

We welcome out-of-towners! Last year about half of the participants came from outside Utah. Howdy, stranger.

What is 30 Strangers?
A Justin Hackworth Photography project. It works like this. For the entire month of April 2011 I will make a portrait of a mother and daughter every day. 30 portraits – 30 days. The $250 session fee is waived. Instead, we’ll be collecting a $45 donation per session for the Center for Women and Children in Crisis, in Provo.

Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! How do I get picked?
Hold on, tiger. I’d love to pick you, so please leave a comment on this blog post. Keep in mind, there are some guidelines. Please read carefully.

• It’s not called 30 Strangers for nothing. To participate, you and I must have never met. Although we’ll be strangers when I photograph you, I certainly hope we don’t remain that way. Part of what makes this project great is the new friends I get to meet.
• Also, we’re looking for people that are age 6 to 108. Why not under the age of 6? Too fidgety. Why not over 108? There are some stairs to my office.
• When you leave a comment on the blog, be sure to include your email address. Don’t worry. Your email won’t show up for all to see, but I’ll be able to see it and get a hold of you if (when!) you are selected.  In your blog comment, if you’d like to mention 3 days that will work best for you, that will really help me out. Remember, this is for April 2011.
• All portrait sessions will take place at 4:00pm each day at my studio in Provo.

Now, those are the essential details so feel free to post your comment. And if you’re dying to know more, keep reading.

What do I get out of it?
I’m glad you asked. You’ll be part of this historic project and donating to a good cause. You’ll experience an artistic, professional portrait session with the most important people in your life. I’ll create something personal and unique that will become more important to you over time. Your portrait will be part of an exhibit that will take place in September 2011.

Each session will receive one signed 8×10 fine art print and further prints will be available for purchase.

Why are you doing this?
There’s something about a project with structure and tight parameters that fuels the creation of an expressive body of work, in this case, exploring the relationship between mothers and daughters. I love being a portrait photographer. Making images that move people and offer a sense of the subject’s personality is deeply fulfilling.

I’m also looking forward to raising money and awareness for the Center for Women and Children in Crisis, an organization founded on protecting these vital relationships.

I can’t wait to see who walks through the door and the images we’ll make. This is my fourth year doing the 30 Strangers project and I look forward to this from the time I finish the last one until it begins again. I absolutely love working on this.

Can I see what you’ve done in the past?
You sure can. Here is a gallery of 30 Strangers from 2010. You can also check out 2009 and 2008. And here’s where you can see more of my portrait work.

What type of person are you looking for?
A mother and daughter combination. What would be even better than that would be a grandmother, mother and daughter. What would be even better than that would be a great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, daughter. What would be even better than that would be any of those groups I just mentioned, but when they came to the studio, they brought me a pie or a Henry Wienhard’s vanilla creme soda.

Can I include more than one of my daughters?
You’re welcome to bring them and if there is time, we can photograph you all together. For this project, however, I am looking for one person from each generation. That is the focus of the project and I can’t guarantee that we’ll have time for anything beyond that. (But we’ll probably have time, and come on, what am I going to do, turn away your other two daughters? Look at them. All dressed up and that one is wearing make up. She never wears make up.)

How long do the portrait sessions last?
Usually about 1 hour. Sometimes less, sometimes a little more.

When can I see the photographs from my session?
In the studio, one to two weeks after your session. We’ll schedule an appointment and together we’ll view your images. I’ll also update the blog daily with favorites. If you are coming from out of town and are unable to return to the studio to view the images, we have an alternative for you.

I am extremely beautiful. Will you be intimidated by my good looks?
Probably not. I’m married to a very beautiful girl, so I’m used to being around lovely people.

Do you like cheese?
Well sure–who doesn’t, but what does that have to do with this project?

Do these pants make me look fat?
Are you kidding me? You look fabulous! I wish I had a picture of you.