As many of you stalk Facebook day in and day out, you should take a look at Faces of New Jersey, run by MHS senior Robert Keller (RK). I got the chance to pull Robert away from his photography to ask him a few questions.
MDO: What is Faces of New Jersey?
RK: Faces of New Jersey is an Arts and Humanities project with the ultimate goal of helping those in need. It combines street photography, interviews, short stories and philanthropy.
MDO: What characteristics do you look for in a subject?
RK: When I take pictures I want to include everyone of all ages, shapes, sizes, races, genders. I look for people who are on their own or in a small group or someone that doesn’t look busy, I don’t want to interfere with people’s everyday lives in a negative way.
MDO: Why did you choose Faces of … (New Jersey) rather than Humans of … (New Jersey)?
RK: I respect Brendan (the creator of Humans of New York), his work and all he’s done. I felt that if I took the name Humans of New Jersey, it would feel like I was copying his ideas. The concept is the same but the project and the end goals are very different and I believe that it deserves a different name.
MDO: What are some goals for Faces of New Jersey?
RK: The goals are: myself and others will capture images from all around New Jersey and highlight them on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. The end goal is to compile these images into a magazine. This magazine will then be put up for sale and the proceeds will go to the Brooke Healey Foundation.
MDO: Why did you decide to start this page?
RK: I want to be a photographer when I get older and when I saw Humans of New York, Portraits of Boston and Humans of Madison (run through the Madison Dodger Online), I decided that I wanted to do my own version and I wanted mine to have a deeper meaning than just a humanities project. I felt like giving back to the community while doing something I love, which is a great way to end my senior year.
MDO: What goes into finding a good Faces of New Jersey quote?
RK: It’s hard to get a good quote. I started asking people “If you could look back on their life what advice would you give?”, but that kept on giving me cliché answers, so I always take someone with me because I am better at photography than asking questions. They (the person I bring with me) normally ask people about themselves first, then ask questions based on their answers.
MDO: Do you try to ask different questions for different people?
RK: Yes, because every person has something different in their lives. Even though you ask the same questions, you are going to get different answers but if you ask different questions you’ll get a better variety of good answers
MDO: What do you recommend to someone who may want to start a Faces of… for a different state?
RK: Faces of New Jersey took a lot of time and money to start, so if someone wants to start one, I’d want to say: really devote yourself. You have to be able to walk up to people and start asking questions and be able to talk to them as if you know them.
MDO: Are there any upcoming events for Faces of New Jersey?
RK: The upcoming planned events are a bake sale (date: TBD) and a booth at Bottle Hill Day.
MDO: What should people do if they want to join the Faces of New Jersey team?
RK: Faces of New Jersey gives young photographers a chance to shine. If you would like to join our team of photographers, message us on Facebook. If you have ideas about how to make Faces of New Jersey better, feel free to join our project committee and message us on Facebook.
MDO: Is there anything else you would like to add?
RK: Faces of New Jersey makes it really interesting to hear about different people’s lives and not judge a book by its cover.
Check out Faces of New Jersey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
(If you are reading this article on a school computer check the link on your phone or on a non-school computer)