Human Doings
A portrait series built on gratitude.
A documentary portrait project that began as a thank-you to the people who helped bring Heritage Santa to life, and grew into a celebration of people doing what they love.
THE PROJECT
Human Doings began with gratitude. After Heritage Santa's first season, I wanted to acknowledge the people who helped turn the idea into something real. The spark came from A.J. Jacobs's book Thanks a Thousand, in which he sets out to thank the many people behind a single cup of coffee. It reminded me just how many hands are involved in making anything meaningful happen.
THE CHALLENGE
Find a way to thank and spotlight the people behind Heritage Santa without creating a row of conventional headshots. Make work that feels true to each person, honours what they do, and gives their work and communities some visibility too.
THE APPROACH
Start with the thing that matters to the person: a craft, a workplace, a performance, a hobby, a contribution. Photograph real people in that context, either through planned thank-you sessions or spontaneous documentary encounters. The surrounding visual treatment can be art-directed, but the person remains a real photograph.
WHAT WE MADE
I developed Human Doings as an ongoing portrait series with two ways of working. The Thank You Project recognizes people who helped make Heritage Santa possible; In the Wild captures people already immersed in something they love. Each session begins with a conversation about what matters to the subject and grows into photographs made in the environment or activity that tells their story. Selected images can also be paired with designed, painted or otherwise stylized surroundings, while keeping the human subject authentic. The portraits are both an expression of thanks and an opportunity to introduce these people and their work to a wider community.
THE RESULT
An expanding, people-first portrait archive that began by recognizing Heritage Santa's community of helpers and now celebrates the many kinds of work, art and care that happen around us.